30/01/2025
Sharon Ely here. I am Joe Ely’s wife and manager. A lot of people, friends, fans, relatives and strangers have been asking when is Joe going back on the road to tour. 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, NM 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.
He was put on medication and Joe’s General Practitioner began to oversee his health here in Taos. He is a very great, thorough doctor who Joe says is one of the best. But Joe’s GP and I feel that Joe needs a second opinion on his diagnosis. We are very lucky in that we just confirmed an appointment for that second opinion in Arizona next week. These appointments can book over a year out and it’s a miracle they were able to get Joe in so fast.
Meanwhile, as we are working with Joe’s health, 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.
The latest album Joe wanted to release as soon as possible is Love & Freedom. 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.
It was so exciting to hear the news yesterday about Joe being named 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!
