Texas country music legend Joe Ely announced on Sept. 9 in a Facebook post that he has been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Both conditions significantly affect cognitive and physical functions and independent activity.
Austin, TX
Texas music legend Joe Ely reveals Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s diagnoses
Joe Ely performs at the Paramount Theatre on Jan. 5, 2019 in Austin, Texas.
Ely and his wife, Sharon Ely, said that they are sharing the journey “not to dwell in hardship, but to bring understanding, awareness and hope through the healing power of music.”
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“Our story is about how music continues to lift us up,” Sharon Ely wrote in the post. “Revisiting Joe’s recordings and hearing them brought to life again has given him so much joy, and we want others to feel that same joy too.”

Joe Ely of the Flatlanders performs at the Frank Erwin Center during the Neighbors in Need Benefit Concert on Sept. 21, 2005.
From the Flatlanders to Ringling Bros.: A storied life
As a singer-songwriter, Ely’s contributions to Texas music have spanned decades, but beyond the music, he has led a storied life. He was born in Amarillo and moved to Lubbock at age 11. He rode a motorcycle down the hallways of Monterey High School on the first day of his freshman year. He later was expelled from the school for singing “Cherry Pie” at an assembly.
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He broke out on the Texas music scene as a founding member of the Flatlanders, a country-rock band formed in Lubbock in 1972. Despite being named a winner at the inaugural Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Singer-Songwriter Competition, the group disbanded shortly after their first album faced a limited commercial release.
Ely then joined the Ringling Bros. circus in the summer of 1974 where he cared for the llamas and the world’s smallest horse. After being kicked unconscious by one of the show’s horses, Ely hitchhiked back to Lubbock with two broken ribs. He then had a short-lived career as a roofer, which ended after his crew removed the roof from the wrong house.
In the fall of 1974, Ely was asked to play the role of Buddy Holly in a script written by Holly’s drummer, Jerry Allison. He even went to Hollywood and rehearsed for two weeks with Gary Busey, who was cast in Allison’s role, but the project was later scrapped.

The Flatlanders, Joe Ely, left, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock perform during the “No Two Alike” concert series at the Cactus Cafe in Austin on Jan. 31, 1990.
The Joe Ely Band years
He eventually made a reputation for himself as one of Austin’s progressive country pioneers, but he started out playing the One Knite tavern after first moving to the city, alternating nights with Stevie Ray Vaughan in a venue that would eventually become Stubb’s Bar-B-Q.
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He went on to put together the Joe Ely Band in early 1975 and, by the recommendation of Jerry Jeff Walker, signed to MCA Records that same year. He put out his debut album “Joe Ely” in 1977 and followed it up with “Honky Tonk Masquerade” a year later, which landed him a feature story in Time magazine.
In the late 1970s, Ely and his band toured with the Clash. He even sang backing vocals on the Clash’s 1982 hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” The band opened for Linda Ronstadt, the Kinks, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones through the early 1980s.
That barely scratches the surface.
Scattered throughout the 1990s, he played onstage with Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, recorded with Los Super Seven and joined a supergroup named the Buzzin’ Cousins with John Mellencamp, John Prine and James McMurtry. He embarked on a trip to New York City with famed local artist Jim Franklin, but ended up joining the cast of “Stomp” after Franklin stranded him in the city. His stint in “Stomp” led him to Germany, where he recorded a piece of music for the Museum of Modern Art in Munich with composer Eberhard Schoener using the first Moog synthesizer in Europe.
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He made 11 appearances on the music television show “Austin City Limits,” appeared on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien’s late-night shows and wrote a novel. To add to all that, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wrote the liner notes for his 2014 release, “B4 84,” as it was one of the first albums ever digitally recorded using an Apple II computer.

Joe Ely and wife Sharon Ely heading back to their place in their Buick in May 1998.
Honoring Joe Ely’s legacy
In 2007, Ely was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Live Performance by the Americana Music Association. He was named the Texas State Musician for 2016 and inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association Hall of Fame that same year. In 2022, Joe Ely was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame alongside Sheryl Crow.
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Following the recent diagnoses, Ely and his wife shared that they are working on a book about his life and invited friends and fans to submit stories of his music career for possible inclusion. Submissions may be sent to rackemrecords.info@gmail.com.
Austin, TX
Austin Shower Glass Expands Custom Shower Glass Services to Meet Growing Demand in Austin, TX
AUSTIN, TX – April 30, 2026 – As residential design trends continue to evolve across Austin, homeowners are placing greater emphasis on modern, functional bathroom spaces. Austin Shower Glass is responding to this shift by expanding its custom shower glass services to support increasing demand for tailored, design-focused glass installations throughout the region.
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As more homeowners in Austin and surrounding areas invest in bathroom upgrades, custom shower glass has become a central feature in modern remodeling projects. Rather than relying on standard designs, many homeowners are choosing solutions that are measured and fabricated specifically for their spaces, allowing for greater flexibility and a more refined finish.
Within this context, Austin Shower Glass offers services that include custom shower glass installation, shower glass replacement, and tailored glass solutions for a wide range of bathroom layouts. Each project is approached with attention to detail, focusing on precise measurements, secure installation, and long-term performance.
“Homeowners today are prioritizing both design and functionality when upgrading their bathrooms,” said a company representative. “Custom shower glass allows for a more personalized solution that enhances the overall feel of the space while supporting daily use.”
Austin’s continued population growth and ongoing residential development have contributed to increased demand for modern interior upgrades, including custom glass installations. Austin Shower Glass serves this demand by delivering professional shower glass solutions tailored to the needs of homeowners across the area.
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About Austin Shower Glass
Austin Shower Glass is an Austin, Texas-based company specializing in custom shower glass installation, shower glass replacement, and modern glass solutions for residential spaces. The company focuses on delivering high-quality, precision-based installations designed to enhance both functionality and design.
Media Contact
Company Name: Austin Shower Glass
Contact Person: Stefan F.
Email: Send Email
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Austin, TX
Camp Mystic drops summer reopening plan over outrage by families and Texas lawmakers
AUSTIN, Texas — Camp Mystic on Thursday halted plans to reopen this summer on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deficiencies.
The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners’ determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp over the July 4 weekend last year.
“We never imagined a world without our daughters, and no decision made now can change that,” Matthew Childress, father of 18-year-old counselor Chloe Childress who died, said in a statement.
The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.
“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.
The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who opposed the camp’s reopening while investigations were ongoing.
“I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,” Patrick said in a statement. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not weighed in publicly on whether the camp should reopen, noted in a statement Thursday that the result of ongoing investigations into Camp Mystic by the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Rangers “will be made public as soon as possible.”
The families of the victims packed the court and legislative hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.
Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors and a member of the Eastland family that owns and operates the 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, offered a tearful public apology to the victims’ families on Tuesday.
“We tried our hardest that night. It wasn’t enough to save your daughters,” Eastland said, with the victims’ families sitting behind him. “I’m so sorry.”
Still, Camp Mystic seemed determined to reopen. Camp officials invited journalists and lawmakers to review safety improvements at the camp, promised that no camp activities would take place in the low-lying area that was devastated and impressed that hundreds of families wanted to return, underscoring how special a place it was for generations of Texans.
A least 850 campers signed up to return this year. Reports that so many families were prepared to send their daughters back this summer caused divisions within the close-knit community of Mystic alumni.
All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.
Texas health regulators have said they are investigating hundreds of complaints against the camp’s owners. The Texas Rangers are also looking into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Safety, although the scope of the state’s elite investigations unit was not immediately clear.
The camp, established in 1926, did not evacuate as the storm rolled in and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet to 29.5 feet within 60 minutes.
Vertuno and Murphy write for the Associated Press. Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
Austin, TX
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