Joe Ely, a homegrown Texas musician, has died at 78. He often performed at Fitzgerald's, McGonigel's Mucky Duck and other Houston spots over the years.

Joe Ely, together with fellow Texans Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, formed the band, The Flatlanders. Ely passed away on December 15 at 78 in Taos, New Mexico, after suffering from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, and pneumonia, as per his spokesperson.