Joe Ely, who passed away in 2025, created some of the defining Texas music for more than fifty years as both a solo artist and working with other legends.
The year 2025 seems to be ending with a lot of bad news. With more mass shootings, we have also very recently lost artists like Todd Snider, Raol Malo, Rob Reiner and his wife. And now comes news that Joe Ely has passed away due at home in New Mexico due to “complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia.”
Born in Texas on February 9, 1947, Ely became a legend of Texas country and rock music starting with his work with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock in the Flatlanders. The band broke up in 1972 soon after recording their first album, though the three would reunite several times through the year. Ely went on to his own solo work as well as performances with artists such as The Clash, Uncle Tupelo, The Chieftains, Bruce Springsteen, and Guy Clark. That’s Ely singing backup on The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”
In the late 1990’s, Ely joined the supergroup Los Super Seven along with other artists including Freddy Fender, David Fender, David Hildago (Los Lobos), and Ruben Ramos. Their 1998 self-titled album won a Grammy for best Mexican-American music performance.
One of my favorite albums that has been in my collection for decades is Joe Ely’s Live Shots, recorded and released in 1980 while he was touring with The Clash. One of my favorite tracks on the album is “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me,” written by his former Flatlanders bandmate Butch Hancock. Below Ely sings the song at the International Country Festival at Ahoy Hall in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on May, 18 1978.
Those who knew the music of Ely and The Flatlanders know he was a legend. Check out more of his music, including this more recent performance of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Going to Live Forever.” Here, Ely sings the song at the Music Fog showcase during SXSW 2010 at Threadgill’s in Austin, TX on March 18, 2010.
RIP Joe Ely. Leave your two cents in the comments.
Raul Malo, who passed away in December 2025, and the Mavericks released several singles off their third album, “What a Crying Shame.”
Raul Malo passed away from cancer on December 8, 2025. Known as the lead singer of The Mavericks and a successful solo career, Malo’s voice brought one of the most identifiable sounds to whatever original or cover song he was singing.
I first heard that voice in 1994 on the radio playing the title track from The Mavericks’ album What a Crying Shame, a song co-written by Malo with Kostas Lazarides. Four more singles from the album would follow: “O What a Thrill,” “There Goes My Heart,” “I Should Have Been True,” and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “All That Heaven Will Allow.”
After first hearing “What a Crying Shame,” I immediately went out and bought the album on cassette tape, eventually playing it so much I wore it out.
Although the band would disband by the end of the 1990s, they soon reunited. They would break up again and reunite again, and Malo would also continue to do solo work. On December 5 and 6, 2025, various artists performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of a tribute concert to the Mavericks. Unfortunately, Malo fell ill and could not attend the tribute concert “Dance the Night Away: A 35 Year Musical Legacy Celebration Honoring Raul Malo.” And he died two days later.
Malo left behind a legacy of the great songs he wrote, the music he made himself and with The Mavericks, and that voice, always that voice. Below is a performance from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1994 when the young band’s song “What a Crying Shame” was climbing the charts. RIP Raul Malo.
What is your favorite song by Raul Malo? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Singer-songwriter Marty Brown has recorded his own version of the song he co-wrote for George Strait called “To the Moon.”
In an earlier post, we noted that legendary country singer George Strait recorded a song written by singer-songwriter Marty Brown and Steve Clark. The song, “To the Moon,” is a wonderful country love song that appeared on Strait’s Cowboys and Dreamers album, while Strait often dedicates to his own wife in concert. Now, Marty Brown has made his own version of the song.
While we like both versions of the song, Marty Brown’s country tenor is a nice contrast to Strait’s laid-back baritone, giving an added immediacy to the song. For his version, Brown has released a fun video featuring some clips of him and his wife Shellie, along with the star of the title, the moon. Check it out.
Brown’s most recent album is 2019’sAmerican Highway, and he continues to write music for other artists and to bring his music to fans through touring.
In other Marty Brown news, make sure to tune in to the January 26, 2026 episode of American Idol where he makes a guest appearance supporting his son Christian Brown auditioning for a spot on the show.
Singer-Songwriter Todd Snider passed away unexpectedly in November 2025 after some recent odd news. We remember his music and a live show from 2010.
Todd Snider passed away at age 59 on November 14, 2025 after a few weeks of strange news on social media from his Instagram account and from his record label Aimless, Inc. First, his Instagram account posted on November 3, 2025 that Snider was cancelling tour dates after he had been violently assaulted in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not long after that, news broke that Snider had been arrested in Salt Lake City at the hospital where he went after the assault. By reports, he had been discharged but then returned to the hospital saying he was not well enough to leave and things escalated from there. He was charged with disorderly conduct, threat of violence and criminal trespassing.
While we still were waiting on any more verifiable news about the assault and arrest, Snider’s family and friends revealed that he had passed away. They noted that he had been “quietly suffering from an undiagnosed case of walking pneumonia.” His publicist later confirmed that Snider had died from pneumonia. Aimless, Inc. wrote:
“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens. He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly. Guy Clark, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker.”
Todd Snider had been touring in support of his latest album High, Lonesome and Then Some. He leaves behind a wonderful collection of albums, many of which he recently re-recorded as acoustic versions with the stories behind the songs (giving the downloads away for free on his website). I first discovered his music in 200 with Happy to Be Here, and 2003’s Near Truths and Hotel Rooms remains one of my favorite live albums.
The outpouring of sorrow and love for Snider has been a testament to how his music touched many lives. He never had a major hit and many reports on his death struggled to figure out what Snider song to put in their headlines (For example, Hollywood Reporter headlines “Alright Guy”; Deadline headlines that his song “Just Like Old Times”” inspired the 2020 film Hard Luck Love Song; San Antonio Express-News mentions “Beer Run” in its headline, etc.). But many loved his music. If you know artists like Todd Snider and Jerry Jeff Walker, you get it.
While the circumstances of Todd Snider’s death leave us with many questions. his music leaves us with much joy. Whether you are a fan or new to his work, check out this great Nashville live show The Storyteller – Todd Snider Live from Nashville (with Great American Taxi). The show was recorded at the James K. Polk Theatre on February 20, 2010. The title captures that he always was a great storyteller, and we hope he is somewhere telling Jerry Jeff some new stories. RIP.
A key scene in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” features Bruce Springsteen and manager Jon Landau listening to a recording of “Last Mile of the Way” by The Soul Stirrers.
One of the interesting aspects of the movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is how it shows the close relationship between Bruce Springsteen, played by Jeremy Allen White, and his manager Jon Landau, played by Jeremy Strong. In one touching scene where Springsteen is at a low point, Landau says he has a song to play for Springsteen. He puts on “Last Mile of the Way” as the two men sit and Springsteen enjoys a rare quiet moment of comfort and peace.
Longtime Springsteen fans know about the role Landau has played in Springsteen’s life. First, as a rock critic he famously proclaimed Springsteen as the future of rock and roll: “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.”
But more importantly, in addition to eventually becoming Springsteen’s manager and co-producer, he also became a close friend that helped inspire Springsteen by sharing influences from music, literature, films, and elsewhere.
Deliver Me from Nowhere gives little background about Landau beyond the close relationship he has with Springsteen, always supporting his friend. It is a rare illustration of a close adult male friendship on screen. Landau is the opposite of the portrayal of Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2022 film Elvis. Landau’s and Springsteen’s close bond is highlighted in the moment they sit and listen to Sam Cooke singing “Last Mile of the Way” from when he was with the gospel group The Soul Stirrers.
Origins of “Last Mile of the Way”
While the song is a gospel tune, in the context of the film, a troubled or depressed soul might find inspiration to just keep going in the hope of better times ahead.
Johnson Oatman Jr.
When I’ve gone the last mile of the way, I will rest at the close of the day, And I know there are joys that await me When I’ve gone the last mile of the way.
“Last Mile of the Way” is the oldest song in the Springsteen movie. Johnson Oatman, Jr., who lived from 1856-1922, wrote “Last Mile of the Way,” which was published in 1908. Oatman, like Springsteen, spent most of his life in New Jersey. From a young age he had a license to preach the Gospel and was ordained. Although sometimes serving as a local preacher, he had a more secular career too. For awhile he was in the mercantile business at Lumberton, N. J. And after his father died, he went into the life insurance business in Mt. Holly, N. J. (about 30 miles from where Springsteen would be born), where he lived with his wife and three children. Oatman also found time to write music, reportedly writing more than three thousand hymns, including “Last Mile of the Way.”
Sam Cooke & Bruce Springsteen
Before Sam Cooke became a pop star, he found success as part of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers. He served as the main lead singer of the group from 1950-1957. On August 17, 1955, Cooke and The Soul Stirrers recorded “Last Mile of the Way,” with arrangements by Cooke. It’s unclear to me whether the song was released while Cooke was alive, but the song would be released as a single in 1970 with “Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone” as the B-side. This 1970 release features posthumous overdubs and appears to be the version played by Landau in Deliver Me From Nowhere.
Cooke, of course, would go on to find pop success with songs like “You Send Me,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Another Saturday Night,” and “Twistin’ the Night Away.” Unlike Springsteen, Cooke died at a young age. He was 33 when he was shot and killed in a confusing violent act in 1964 around the time Springsteen would have been 15.
During his career, Springsteen has performed Sam Cooke’s songs such as “A Change Is Gonna Come” and “Another Saturday Night.” Also, Cooke’s “Mary’s Place” may have inspired Springsteen’s “Meet Me at Mary’s Place” from The Rising album. Springsteen has also jokingly referred to Cooke as “the other sexiest man that ever lived,” while he has also praised Cooke’s work with The Soul Stirrers. He has referred to Cooke’s “miraculous voice” during that era, “when he was at his most youthful, and maybe at his best.”
The music Cooke made with The Soul Stirrers of course lives on and still can provide solace and comfort for those who find it in the music, as illustrated in Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Bonus Another Key Non-Springsteen Song in Deliver Me from Nowhere: The soundtrack for Deliver Me from Nowhere features some other non-Springsteen songs, often playing in the background. Another one that stands out is Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop,” which Springsteen listens to in his rented house while lying on the floor. As recounted in the book that is the source for the movie, Warren Zanes’ Deliver Me from Nowhere, Springsteen was a fan and early supporter of the band Suicide and lead singer Alan Vega. “Frankie Teardrop,” which appeared on Suicide’s first album in 1977, clocks in at over ten minutes and is about a troubled factory worker who murders his family and then commits suicide.
