Ely suffers from neurological condition
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Ely suffers from neurological condition

Thursday, January 30, 2025 – Joe Ely is suffering a neurological condition, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, his wife and manager, Sharon El disclosed today.

The news comes one week before Ely releases his new disc, "

"A lot of people, friends, fans, relatives and strangers have been asking when is Joe going back on the road to tour," wrote Sharon Ely in a press release. "How is Joe doing? Why is Joe not doing many interviews?"

"Joe has always been very private when discussing his health, and we have kept his latest challenges limited to just a few people. But as his illness progresses, we have decided to let people know what's going on. As I write this, we are actually looking to find a specialist to give us a second opinion on Joe's latest diagnosis.

In August 2024, as Joe was actually healing from a bout of pneumonia, he experienced an episode of what seemed like a small stroke. To make a very long story short, the only neurologist we could find right away was in Austin. I drove Joe from Taos, N.M. to Austin. The neurologist looked at Joe's MRI and diagnosed him with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Basically, this is a condition where protein deposits in the small blood vessels of the brain can weaken the blood vessel walls and can lead to bleeding in the brain."

Ely was put on medication. He will receive a second opinion on his condition next week in Arizona.

"These appointments can book over a year out and it's a miracle they were able to get Joe in so fast."

Ely also wrote about her husband releasing new music. "He and I have listened to files and files and files of music that he recorded in his studio in Austin over the years. We have discovered and unearthed treasures of brilliant recordings. Some are coming together as complete albums."

Referring to "Love and Freedom," Sharon Ely wrote, "As we listened to these recordings we discovered that they are related to the times we are living today. Joe wanted people to hear these songs and think about what they mean. For those asking, we are working to get CDs made of the new album and should have news on that shortly."

"Working on his music keeps him focused and interested. Being the workaholic he has always been, to sit around and do nothing is ok now and then, but not all the time. This has been great for Joe as we both weave through this journey together in a meaningful way."

Ely also said that her husband was among the recipients of the 2025 edition of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music's American Music Honors. The annual prize recognizes artists who've "demonstrated artistic excellence, creative integrity, and a longstanding commitment to the value of music in our national consciousness."

"Bruce called Joe earlier this week, and they had a wonderful visit. I have always believed Joe – with so much work and touring and recording and writing under his belt for 60 years – should be recognized as an important part of American Music History. Now my dream has come true as this is such a great honor, especially since he was chosen by his friend and brother Bruce Springsteen."

"All in all, we continue to work daily to move forward and search to make things around us better and better for ourselves and everyone around us. We are grateful for the people who have helped Joe so far with this conundrum."

"I do especially feel hopeful for Joe to find a wonderful, genius neurologist to help him get better as well."

"Thank you all for your continued support of Joe and our family," she concluded.


More news for Joe Ely


CD reviews for Joe Ely

CD review - Love + Freedom Ever since Joe Ely released "Love in the Midst of Mayhem" during the pandemic in 202O, he's dug into his catalog to produce three more albums, the latest being "Love and Freedom," to hit just two days before his 78th birthday. His voice remains as strong as ever as Ely confesses that some of these songs are more radical than one might expect. It's his way of urging us to stand up and speak out. These are themes of immigration, poverty, war, justice, freedom and other ...
CD review - Flatland Lullaby The songwriter's prime directive is to translate personal observations and emotions into creative expressions that are more broadly universal. So what happens when a songwriter follows the inverse formula, and channels some of the most categorically omnipresent human feelings into songs that are aimed at the narrowest possible audience? The answer to that rarely considered question is all over Joe Ely's latest archive release from his own Rack 'Em label, the highly personal and ...
CD review - Love in the Midst of Mayhem Over the past 14 years, Joe Ely has earned a reputation as one of the forebears of that unique branch of Americana borne from the Great State of Texas. Both individually, and as part of the super band, The Flatlanders, he's carved out a career as an essential insurgent, one who once kept company with The Clash while establishing some decidedly cool credentials of his own. While the title might suggest otherwise, the hastily released "Love in the Midst of Mayhem" finds ...


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