After more than 30 years of singing together on concert stages around the world, the two friends finally team up for an original song
Joe Ely's new album Driven to Drive It arrives on August 2nd and the lead single “Odds of the Blues” features vocals from his longtime friend Bruce Springsteen.
The song was inspired by Ely's time at TV's Midnight Bar in Lubbock, Texas. “There was always a dice game going on in the back room, the pool table had a bad press and the jukebox played mostly old blues songs,” he said in a statement. “I wrote the song later when I set up my studio in Austin. I recently asked Bruce if he would like to sing with me on this song and he said he would love to.”
“We've been long-lost friends,” he continues. “One of my memories of us singing together was in Dublin, Ireland, when we both got on stage with Jerry Lee Lewis and Shane MacGowan and sang 'Great Balls of Fire'.”
Refers to a May 20, 1993 stop at Springsteen's Human Touch/Lucky Town tour at the RDS Arena in Dublin. During an extended encore, Ely appeared to perform the 1988 tune “Settle for Love” with Springsteen, then returned to the stage shortly after with Lewis for “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On”.
In the years that followed, Ely became a regular guest at Springsteen's shows around the world. Their most recent on-stage collaboration took place on May 6, 2014, when Ely joined Springsteen and the E Street Band at a concert in Houston, Texas for “Great Balls of Fire” and “Lucille”.
Springsteen and the E Street Band recently embarked on a European tour. A North American leg begins on August 15 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Eli doesn't currently have a date on the books, but it's highly likely he'll appear at a Springsteen performance for his live debut “Odds of the Blues.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/joe-ely-bruce-springsteen-odds-of-the-blues-song-1235025803/
