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billy joe shaver

Biography

Billy Joe Shaver was born on August 6, 1939, in Corsicana, Texas, during the Great Depression. Raised primarily by his grandmother while his mother worked in a Waco honky-tonk, Shaver's early life embodied the hardscrabble existence that would later infuse his songwriting with authenticity and grit. He dropped out of school after eighth grade to pick cotton with his uncles, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 17th birthday, and subsequently worked various jobs including as a rodeo clown and sawmill operator. A devastating accident at the sawmill cost him two fingers on his right hand, but rather than surrender his musical ambitions, Shaver taught himself to play guitar and aspired to become a songwriter. His path to Nashville began almost by accident—initially planning to hitchhike to Los Angeles, he ended up in Memphis and eventually Nashville, where he signed on as a songwriter earning $50 per week.

Shaver's breakthrough came in 1972 when Waylon Jennings heard him perform "Willy The Wandering Gypsy and Me" at Willie Nelson's Dripping Springs Reunion. This encounter led to Shaver's most significant achievement: writing nine of the ten songs on Jennings's landmark 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes, which became a cornerstone of the outlaw country movement. That same year, Kris Kristofferson produced Shaver's debut album Old Five and Dimers Like Me, establishing him as a major songwriting force. His compositions were recorded by an impressive array of artists including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Bobby Bare, and Tom T. Hall. Despite his profound influence on outlaw country's architecture, Shaver never achieved the same level of mainstream fame as his contemporaries Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.

Throughout the 1970s and beyond, Shaver remained active in the outlaw movement, appearing on the platinum-selling 1976 compilation Wanted! The Outlaws. He recorded the 1993 album Tramp on Your Street with his son Eddy, and released subsequent works including Highway of Life and Victory in the late 1990s. Tragedy struck repeatedly: his wife Brenda and mother died in 1999, followed by his son Eddy's death from a heroin overdose in 2000. Despite these losses, Shaver continued performing and recorded a final album featuring a duet with Willie Nelson titled "It's Hard to Be an Outlaw." Ray Wylie Hubbard named Shaver alongside Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark as members of the "holy trinity" of Texas songwriters. Shaver passed away on October 28, 2020, in Waco, Texas, from a stroke at age 81, leaving behind a legacy as one of country music's most enduring and respected songwriters.

Fun Facts

  • Shaver lost two fingers on his right hand in a sawmill accident but taught himself to play guitar anyway, becoming one of country music's most prolific songwriters despite this disability.
  • In a legendary confrontation at Hillbilly Central (Tompall Glaser's Nashville studio) in the 1970s, Shaver physically cornered Waylon Jennings in a hallway and threatened to 'whip your ass right here in front of God and everybody' if he didn't listen to his songs—a bold move that directly led to Jennings recording the entire Honky Tonk Heroes album of Shaver compositions.
  • On April 2, 2007, Shaver shot a man named Billy Bryant Coker in the face at Papa Joe's bar south of Waco, Texas, in what became legendary through the song 'Where Do You Want It.' Despite eyewitness accounts of the incident, Shaver was acquitted of all charges, with character witnesses including Willie Nelson and actor Robert Duvall testifying on his behalf.
  • Shaver suffered a heart attack while performing at the legendary Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas (the oldest honky-tonk in Texas), and remarkably recalled thinking 'Thank you, Lord, for letting me die in the oldest honky-tonk in Texas'—he survived the incident and continued performing.

Associated Acts

  • Shaver

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

  • Kris Kristofferson - Producer of Shaver's debut album and early career supporter who recognized his songwriting talent (Old Five and Dimers Like Me (1973)) [1973]

Key Collaborators

  • Waylon Jennings - Primary recording artist of Shaver's compositions; recorded nine of ten songs on landmark album (Honky Tonk Heroes (1973)) [1972-1973]
  • Willie Nelson - Longtime friend and collaborator; performed duet with Shaver late in his career (It's Hard to Be an Outlaw (duet), Dripping Springs Reunion (1972)) [1972, late 1990s-2000s]
  • Eddy Shaver - Son and band member; collaborated on multiple albums (Tramp on Your Street (1993), Highway of Life, Victory) [1993-1990s]
  • Johnny Cash - Major artist who recorded Shaver's compositions (Various recordings of Shaver songs) [1970s-1980s]

Artists Influenced

  • Whitey Morgan and his band The 78's - 2nd generation outlaw singer who recorded 'Where Do You Want It' inspired by Shaver's 2007 incident (Where Do You Want It (2010)) [2010]
  • Dale Watson - Songwriter who immortalized Shaver's story in song (Where Do You Want It) [2007 incident, song written after]

Connection Network

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Discography

Albums

Title Release Date Type
Tramp On Your Street 1993-09-09 Album
Billy Joe Shaver 1982 Album
I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal...But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday 1981 Album
Live at Billy Bob's Texas 2012-07-17 Album
Old Five And Dimers Like Me 1973-04-27 Album
Salt Of The Earth 1987 Album
The Essential Billy Joe Shaver 2015-10-02 Album
Long in the Tooth 2014-08-05 Album
Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver 2022-11-11 Album
The Complete Columbia Recordings ('81-'87) 2014-01-28 Album
Unshaven - The Live Album 1995-09-09 Album
One Night At Luckenbach Texas (Live) 2023-06-09 Album
Live Down Under 2002 Album
Live From Austin, TX 2012-03-13 Album

Top Tracks

  1. Live Forever (Tramp On Your Street)
  2. I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train (Billy Joe Shaver)
  3. I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday) (I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal...But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)
  4. Wacko from Waco (Live at Billy Bob's Texas)
  5. The Devil Made Me Do It the First Time (Salt Of The Earth)
  6. Black Rose (Old Five And Dimers Like Me)
  7. Ragged Old Truck (I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal...But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)
  8. Georgia On A Fast Train (Tramp On Your Street)
  9. Hard to Be an Outlaw (feat. Willie Nelson) (Long in the Tooth)
  10. Oklahoma Wind (Billy Joe Shaver)

Tags: #country, #outlaw-country

Heard on WWOZ

billy joe shaver has been played 2 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.

DateTimeTitleShowSpotify
Nov 28, 202520:46ramblin' feverMusic of Mass Distractionw/ Black Mold
Sep 29, 202523:41I Wanna KnowKitchen Sinkw/ Derrick Freeman