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\n <\/bsp-page-actions><\/p><\/div>\n AUSTIN, Texas (AP) \u2014 Joe Ely<\/a><\/span>, the influential Texas-born singer-songwriter whose blend of honky-tonk, rock and roadhouse blues made him a favorite among other musicians and led to collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and the Clash, has died. He was 78.<\/p>\n Ely died in Taos, New Mexico, of complications from Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson\u2019s and pneumonia, with his wife and daughter by his side, according to a post on his Facebook account Monday night and later confirmed by his representatives.<\/p>\n Ely was considered a key figure in the progressive country music movement as a founder of the influential country-rock band The Flatlanders<\/a><\/span> with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and later as a solo artist. <\/p>\n \u201cJoe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls,\u201d said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.<\/p>\n \u201cBut his true measure came through in the dynamic intensity of his powerhouse live performances, where he could stand his ground aside fellow zealots Bruce Springsteen who recorded duets with Ely, and the (Rolling) Stones and the Clash, who took Ely on tour as an opening act,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n After signing with MCA, Ely released his first solo album in 1977. He would release more than 20 albums<\/a><\/span> over his career, including \u201cLove and Freedom\u201d earlier this year. <\/p>\n Born in Amarillo, Texas, Ely stayed connected to his Texas roots through decades of recording and performing that lacked a mainstream breakthrough but made him a favorite of other artists. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery time I start a new album I head up to West Texas and drive around, you know, drive on those old cotton roads and in the wide-open spaces, and every once in a while I\u2019ll come across a place where I\u2019ve spent some time,\u201d Ely told Texas Monthly in 2011.<\/p>\n It was a soundcheck for a show in London that led to the collaboration with British punk band the Clash. Ely would later open for the Clash at several shows and sang backup vocals for their hit song \u201cShould I Stay or Should I Go?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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