Texas lost a flatlander troubadour — songwriter Joe Ely.
The Amarillo native established himself as a songwriter’s songwriter and a musician’s musician, who sidestepped mainstream popularity but nevertheless attracted a devoted fanbase and legions of famous admirers.
Ely died at the of 78 on Dec. 15 due to complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia.
We’re going to listen back to an interview with Ely that was recorded in April 2020 — during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like everyone else at that time, Ely struggled to find a new normal in the time of coronavirus.
Many of us tried to find ways to adapt to the isolation, but Ely produced an album that is a time capsule of those days.
The result is “Love in the Midst of Mayhem.”
Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides spoke to Joe Ely from his home near Austin about “Love in the Midst of Mayhem.”
