Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter.

Billy Joe was a prominent figure in the outlaw country genre. He is considered one of the great American songwriters of his generation. He has received praise from Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and many others.

Artists including Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Tom T. Hall and Johnny Cash have recorded his songs.

Biography

Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas,

Shaver's mother remarried about the time that his grandmother died, and Shaver and his older sister Patricia moved in with their mother and new stepfather. Shaver left school after the eighth grade to help his uncles pick cotton, but occasionally returned to school to play sports.

Shaver joined the U.S. Navy on his 17th birthday. Upon his discharge, he worked on different jobs, including trying to be a rodeo clown. About this time, he met and married Brenda Joyce Tindell. They had one son, John Edwin, known as Eddy, who was born in 1962. The two divorced and remarried several times.|left|252x252px]]The first few recording companies he signed with soon folded. He lived in Waco, Texas.

Shaver's 2007 album country gospel style Everybody's Brother was Grammy-nominated. Many of the songs are duets with artists such as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Tanya Tucker. Musicians playing on the album included Randy Scruggs, Laura Cash, John Anderson, and Marty Stuart.

On May 22, 2014, Rolling Stone premiered the single-duet with Willie Nelson "Hard To Be An Outlaw". The album, Long in the Tooth was released on August 5, 2014, by Lightning Rod Records. After a 41-year career, Long in the Tooth became Shaver's first album to chart in Billboard's Top Country Albums, entering the chart at 19. The album also entered the Billboard 200, peaking at 157.

In 2019, Shaver received the Poet's Award from the Academy of Country Music to honor his achievements in songwriting.

In 2022 a tribute album of Shaver's songs was released Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver which include tracks from Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Bingham, Nikki Lane, Rodney Crowell, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Steve Earle, Nathaniel Rateliff, Amanda Shires, Margo Price, and others.

In 2023, Shaver's voice appeared on Tanya Tucker’s critically acclaimed album Sweet Western Sound. Shaver’s voice appeared at the beginning to open the album and at the end to close the album.

Death

Shaver died on October 28, 2020, from a stroke at the age of 81.

Discography

Artistry and influence

Billy Joe was a prominent figure in the outlaw country genre.

In an August 2014 NPR interview, Shaver said that he shot Coker because he was "such a bully" and that "I hit him right between a mother and a fucker. That was the end of that. He dropped his weapons and said, 'I'm sorry.' And I said, 'Well, if you had said that inside, there would have been no problem.'" where he reportedly told fans, "Don't forget to pray for me, and tell your kids to pray for me, too."

He was acquitted in a Waco court on April 9, 2010, after testifying that he acted in self-defense, with friends Willie Nelson and Robert Duvall in attendance for support.

Texas-based country musician Dale Watson wrote a song about the incident titled "Where Do You Want It?". The song has been recorded by Whitey Morgan and the 78's and appears on their self-titled second album, released by Bloodshot Records.

Acting

In 1996, Shaver took a part in the film The Apostle playing opposite Robert Duvall. He had additional speaking roles in the Duvall film Secondhand Lions (2003) and in The Wendell Baker Story (2005).

In 2004, a documentary of his life, A Portrait of Billy Joe, was released. The documentary was directed by Luciana Pedraza. In 2006, a documentary of a concert, Billy Joe Shaver – North Carolina 2006 was released on YouTube along with a limited number of DVDs. The documentary was directed by Guy Schwartz, whom Eddie Shaver listed as a musical mentor, and was shot at the Stevens Center at University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In 2008, he co-starred with Bill Engvall and Billy Ray Cyrus in the made-for-TV USA Network movie, Bait Shop. In 2016, he had a cameo in the TV series Still the King, also alongside Cyrus.

Comedian Norm Macdonald was an avid Shaver fan and personal friend, opening his book Based on a True Story with a quote from one of his songs, and praising his songwriting on his podcast Norm Macdonald Live. In 2018, Shaver appeared as a guest on Macdonald's Netflix program Norm Macdonald Has a Show. In addition, Shaver's song I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal, was chosen as the closing music for Macdonald's posthumous Netflix comedy release of 2022 Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special.

Shaver's voice is heard on the themes to the Adult Swim television show Squidbillies. The opening themes are only a stanza long and end with a sotto voce spoken-word portion. Season 1 Episode 5 of Mike Judge's Tales From The Tour Bus features the life of Shaver.

References

  • Entry at 45cat.com
  • Interview on Lone Star Music
  • Interview on Fresh Air (RealAudio)
  • At Rolling Stone magazine
  • At Starpulse
  • Interview At Twang Nation
  • Interview on NPR Morning Edition, 5 August, 2014