Singer-songwriter Joe Ely, known for his legendary contributions to American music, has recently been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Together with his wife, Sharon, Joe is sharing their journey—not to dwell in hardship, but to bring understanding, awareness, and hope through the healing power of music.
“Our story is about how music continues to lift us up,” Sharon shares. “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.”
Throughout his career, Joe’s recording studio was his sanctuary, and recently, while going through old files, Sharon uncovered intimate recordings of Joe’s voice, guitar, and harmonica. With the help of Radar Initiative, founded by Grammy Award-winning producer Lee Miles Buchanan, these recordings have been re-envisioned. Using the new AI technology, Radar Initiative was able to carefully restore the original tapes and generate orchestral arrangements around them.
Far from replacing human artistry, the technology became a bridge. It allowed the music to flow at a time when traditional recording sessions—with their enormous costs and physical demands—would have been impossible. The result is that Joe now stands as one of the first artists in his genre to blend his classic sound with AI-driven orchestration. “When Joe first heard the orchestrated version of ‘Raining in My Heart’, he lit up,” Sharon says. “It was like hearing the songs reborn, exactly as he had always imagined them.”
Buddy Holly had begun recording with a symphony orchestra in New York City. He completed four songs, but his life ended before he could finish the project. Both Buddy and Joe were born in Lubbock, Texas, and Buddy’s groundbreaking music deeply influenced and inspired Joe’s own path as a songwriter. As a tribute to Buddy, Joe recorded ‘Raining in My Heart’ ten years ago, alone in his studio. “When I listen to the songs I recorded a while back in my studio about 10 years ago and then see how these songs are recently transformed with Lee’s expertise as a producer and musician by using the new tools we have today, I say to myself—‘perfect,’” Ely states.
‘Raining in My Heart‘ is out now on Rack’em Records via Thirty Tigers and will be followed by ‘One Day at a Time‘. You can preorder those records here.
Joe and Sharon are working on a book about his life, and are inviting friends and fans to submit stories of his musical career to be considered for inclusion. Submissions can be sent to rackemrecords.info@gmail.com or for any written physical material, please send to Joe Ely, 4 San Francisco St, P.O. Box # 170, Ranchos De Taos 87557, USA.
