View source for Billy Joe Shaver

{{Short description|American country singer (1939–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Billy Joe Shaver
| image             = BillyJoe Shaver.jpg
| caption           = Shaver live in [[Fort Worth]], [[Texas]] on July 4th of 2011
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1939|8|16}}
| birth_place       = [[Corsicana, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2020|10|28|1939|08|16}}
| death_place       = [[Waco, Texas]], U.S.
| genre             = {{Hlist|[[Outlaw country]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://apnews.com/article/billy-joe-shaver-obituary-country-4bb0ce51bfa57e95f673c20b63ac6919|title= Outlaw country artist Billy Joe Shaver dead at 81|last=Hall |first=Kristen M.|date=October 28, 2020 |work= [[Associated Press]]|access-date=2023-07-25}}</ref>|[[progressive country]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.allmusic.com/style/progressive-country-ma0000002796 |title= Progressive country |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2023-07-22}}</ref>}}
| occupation        = Singer-songwriter
| instrument        = Vocals, guitar
| years_active      = 1970–2020
| label             = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[Monument Records|Monument]]
| website           = {{URL|billyjoeshaver.com}}
}}

'''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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |first1=Patrick |last1=Doyle |first2=Joseph |last2=Hudak |date=2020-10-28 |title=Billy Joe Shaver, Seminal Outlaw-Country Songwriter, Dead at 81 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/billy-joe-shaver-songwriter-dead-obituary-1082610/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sippell |first=Margeaux |date=2020-10-28 |title=Billy Joe Shaver, Legendary Outlaw Country Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/billy-joe-shaver-dies/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref>

Artists including [[Elvis Presley]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Tom T. Hall]] and [[Johnny Cash]] have recorded [[Billy Joe Shaver discography|his songs]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=2020-10-28 |title=Country Outlaw Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver Dies at 81 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billy-joe-shaver-dead-9474417/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Biography==
Shaver was born in [[Corsicana, Texas]],<ref name=autogenerated3 /> and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12, he spent a great deal of time with his grandmother in Corsicana, so his mother could work in [[Waco, Texas|Waco]]. He sometimes accompanied his mother to her job at a local nightclub, where he was first exposed to country music.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol17/issue49/music.shaver.html |title=The Christian Life |website=Austinchronicle.com |date=March 23, 2012 |access-date=February 24, 2013}}</ref>

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.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite web|url=http://www.texicanmusic.com/pearlbio.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230160237/http://www.texicanmusic.com/pearlbio.htm|url-status=dead|title=texicanmusic.com|archive-date=December 30, 2006|website=Texicanmusic.com}}</ref>

Shaver joined the [[U.S. Navy]] on his 17th birthday.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friskics-Warren |first=Bill |date=2020-10-29 |title=Billy Joe Shaver, Outlaw Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/music/billy-joe-shaver-dead.html |access-date=2024-03-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Upon his discharge, he worked on different jobs, including trying to be a [[rodeo]] clown.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weeks |first=Isaac |date=2015-06-15 |title=Songwriting legend Billy Joe Shaver is the real deal when it comes to outlaw country |url=http://charlestoncitypaper.com/2015/06/15/songwriting-legend-billy-joe-shaver-is-the-real-deal-when-it-comes-to-outlaw-country/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Charleston City Paper |language=en-US}}</ref> About this time, he met and married Brenda Joyce Tindell. They had one son, [[Eddy Shaver|John Edwin, known as Eddy]], who was born in 1962. The two divorced and remarried several times.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
[[File:Billy Joe Shaver MG 9213 (16839894887).jpg|thumb|242x242px|Billy Joe Shaver at the ''Redneck Country Club'' in [[Texas]], 2015]]
Shaver took a job at a lumber mill to make ends meet. One day, his right (dominant) hand became caught in the machinery, and he lost the better part of two fingers and contracted a serious infection. He eventually recovered, and taught himself to play the guitar without the missing fingers.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

Shaver set out to hitchhike to Los Angeles. He could not get a ride west, so he went to the other side of the highway and headed east, accompanying a man who dropped him off just outside [[Memphis, Tennessee]]. The next ride brought him to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], where he found a job as a songwriter for $50 per week.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> His work came to the attention of [[Waylon Jennings]], who filled his next album ''[[Honky Tonk Heroes]]'' almost entirely of Shaver's songs after meeting in a travel trailer at Willie Nelson's 4th of July picnic. Other artists, including [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Kris Kristofferson]], began to record Shaver's music. This led to him getting his own record deal.

[[File:Billy joe shaver BuffaloNY Dec2011.jpg|thumb|Shaver (pictured in 2011) lost two fingers in a sawmill accident when he was young.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite news
 | last = Greene
 | first = David
 | title = Billy Joe Shaver Writes Country Songs — And Lives Them, Too
 | newspaper = NPR Morning Edition
 | date = August 5, 2014
 | url = https://www.npr.org/2014/08/05/336615368/billy-joe-shaver-writes-country-songs-and-lives-them-too
 | access-date = August 5, 2014}}</ref>|left|252x252px]]The first few recording companies he signed with soon folded.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> He was never able to gain widespread recognition as a singer, although he never stopped recording his own music. On his records, he has been accompanied by other major rock and country musicians such as [[Willie Nelson]], [[Nanci Griffith]], [[Chuck Leavell]] and [[Dickey Betts]] (of the [[Allman Brothers]]), [[Charlie Daniels]], [[Flaco Jiménez]], and [[Al Kooper]].

[[Bob Dylan]] mentioned Shaver in his song "I Feel a Change Comin' On" (Bob Dylan and [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]]) on the album, ''[[Together Through Life]]'' (2009) – "''I'm listening to Billy Joe Shaver, And I'm reading James Joyce''". Shaver is also the "hero" of the song, "Why Can't I Write Like Billy Joe" on the album ''Stormy Love'' by [[Bugs Henderson]].

Shaver's debut album, ''Old Five and Dimers Like Me'' (1973), contained many songs noted for being performed by other artists that were written by him, such as [[David Allan Coe]] and [[Waylon Jennings]]. ''When I Get My Wings'' (1976) included "Ain't No God In Mexico" (also a hit for Waylon Jennings). ''Gypsy Boy'' (1977) included "Honky Tonk Heroes" and "You Asked Me To", both songs written by Shaver for Jennings' 1973 album ''[[Honky Tonk Heroes]]''.

Shaver is also known for his hit "Live Forever", co-written by his son Eddy; [[Robert Duvall]] performs it in the movie ''[[Crazy Heart]]'', and it is included in the soundtrack. The song was also performed by [[The Highwaymen (country supergroup)|The Highwaymen]], [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Joe Ely]]. Shaver also wrote numerous songs for artists such as [[Patty Loveless]] and Willie Nelson.[[File:Billy Joe Shaver May 2015.jpg|thumb|Shaver performing in 2015]]After losing his wife, Brenda, and his mother to cancer in 1999, Shaver lost his son and longtime guitarist [[Eddy Shaver]], who died at age 38 on December 31, 2000. The listed cause of death was a heroin overdose, but there were suspicious circumstances surrounding the case as his face was bruised as if he had been punched multiple times, and the daughter of an Austin police officer was at the residence at the time. Folk country artist [[Todd Snider]] wrote and dedicated his song "Waco Moon" to Eddy. 

Shaver nearly died the following year when he had a heart attack on stage during an [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] show at [[Gruene Hall]] in [[New Braunfels, Texas]]. After successful heart surgery, Shaver came back to release ''[[Freedom's Child]]'' in 2002.

Shaver continued to release records throughout the 1990s; the most notable was the critically acclaimed ''Tramp On Your Street,'' released in 1993, which prominently featured the guitar playing of Eddy Shaver. In 1999, Shaver performed at the [[Grand Ole Opry]]. In November 2005, he performed on the ''CMT Outlaws'' in 2005. In 2006, Shaver was inducted in the [[Texas Country Music Hall of Fame]]. He later served as spiritual advisor to Texas independent gubernatorial candidate [[Kinky Friedman]]. For his efforts, the Americana Music Convention awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Billy Joe Shaver |url=http://www.puremusic.com/shaver1.html |access-date=February 24, 2013 |website=Puremusic.com}}</ref> 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 (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' premiered the single-duet with Willie Nelson "Hard To Be An Outlaw".<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Hudak, Joseph |date=May 22, 2014 |title=Hear Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver's 'Outlaw' Duet – Premiere |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-willie-nelson-and-billy-joe-shavers-outlaw-duet-premiere-20140522 |access-date=September 17, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |publisher=Wenner Media LLC}}</ref> The album, ''[[Long in the Tooth (Billy Joe Shaver album)|Long in the Tooth]]'' was released on August 5, 2014, by Lightning Rod Records.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 22, 2014 |title=Outlaw Legend Billy Joe Shaver to Release New Album |url=http://radio.com/2014/05/22/outlaw-legend-billy-joe-shaver-to-release-new-album/ |work=Radio.com |publisher=CBS Radio, Inc}}</ref> After a 41-year career, ''Long in the Tooth'' became Shaver's first album to chart in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard's]]'' [[Top Country Albums]], entering the chart at 19.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 22, 2014 |title=Billy Joe Shaver's 41 Year Journey to the Top 20 |url=http://www.musictimes.com/articles/9123/20140822/billy-joe-shaver-41-year-journey-top-20.htm |access-date=September 17, 2014 |work=Music Times |publisher=Music Times, LLC}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liptak |first=Carena |date=August 20, 2019 |title=Everything You Need to Know About the 2019 ACM Honors |url=https://theboot.com/2019-acm-honors-details-information/ |website=Theboot.com}}</ref>

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, Amanda Shire, Margo Price, and others.

{{Quote|text=His losses and excesses inspired some of the greatest songs in the English language|author=Andrew Dansby|title=article of the [[Houston Chronicle]], 2007}}

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.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|access-date=15 June 2024 |author=Robert L. Doerschuk |date=28 October 2020 |language=en |title=Amazing Grace: The Life and Salvation of Billy Joe Shaver |url=https://americansongwriter.com/amazing-grace-the-life-and-salvation-of-billy-joe-shaver/ |website=American Songwriter}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

=== Death ===
Shaver died on October 28, 2020, from a [[stroke]] at the age of 81.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hudak |first1=Joseph |last2=Doyle |first2=Patrick |date=October 28, 2020 |title=Billy Joe Shaver, Seminal Outlaw Country Songwriter, Dead at 81 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/billy-joe-shaver-songwriter-dead-obituary-1082610/ |access-date=October 28, 2020 |website=Rollingstone.com}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Billy Joe Shaver discography}}

== Artistry and influence ==
{{Quote|text=You fathers and you mothers/ Be good to one another/ Please try to raise your children right/ Don't let the darkness take 'em/ Don't make 'em feel forsaken/ Just lead them safely to the light/|author=Billy Joe Shaver|title=Live Forever}}
Billy Joe was a prominent figure in the [[outlaw country]] genre.<ref name=":0" /> He is considered one of the greatest songwriters in country history. [[Johnny Cash]] cited him as "''One of the greatest songwriters"'' and [[Kris Kristofferson]] said that his lyrics were "''on the same level of Ernest Hemingway's books''".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

==Controversy==

=== Shooting at [[Lorena, Texas]] ===
On April 2, 2007, police in [[Lorena, Texas]], issued two arrest warrants for Shaver on charges of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm in a prohibited place, in connection with an incident outside a tavern, Papa Joe's Texas Saloon, in Lorena two days prior, on March 31, in which Shaver shot a man, Billy Bryant Coker, in the face with a handgun. Coker's injuries, however, were not reported as life-threatening.

Witnesses interviewed by police report hearing Shaver say "Where do you want it?" and then, after the shot was fired, "Tell me you are sorry." and "No one tells me to shut up." Coker told police the attack was unprovoked. Shaver's attorney declared that Shaver had shot Coker "in self-defense" after Coker threatened Shaver with a knife.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/pdf/04/040407shaver_affidavit.pdf |title=Affidavit |website=Alt.coxnewsweb.com |access-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309105627/http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/pdf/04/040407shaver_affidavit.pdf |archive-date=March 9, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.'"<ref name=autogenerated3 />

After unsuccessfully attempting to surrender to police in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]],  who were unaware of the warrant, Shaver turned himself in at McLennan County Jail in Waco on April 3. He was released after an hour on $50,000 bond and gave his scheduled performance at Waterloo Records in Austin that evening,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1053195/arrest-warrant-issued-for-billy-joe-shaver|title=Arrest Warrant Issued For Billy Joe Shaver|date=April 3, 2007|website=Billboard.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2007/04/4shaverbail.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429024444/http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2007/04/4shaverbail.html|date=April 29, 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/04/09/arts/AP-US-People-Shaver-Shooting-Trial.html Country Singer Shaver Acquitted in Texas Shooting] New York Times (requires reg. to verify)</ref><ref>[http://www.countryweekly.com/billy_joe_shaver/news/4660 Country Weekly.com published April 14, 2010 by Bob Paxman] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423204545/http://www.countryweekly.com/billy_joe_shaver/news/4660 |date=April 23, 2010 }} Billy Joe Shaver Acquitted in Shooting</ref>

Texas-based country musician [[Dale Watson (singer)|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 [[Whitey Morgan and the 78's (album)|self-titled second album]], released by [[Bloodshot Records]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/whitey-morgan-and-78s |title=Whitey Morgan and the 78's |publisher=Bloodshot Records |access-date=February 24, 2013}}</ref>

==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]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Pedraza|first=Luciana|title=Portrait of Billy Joe|date=2004|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420084/|others=Billy Joe Shaver|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref> 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 (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==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
*{{allMusic}}
* {{Discogs artist|Billy Joe Shaver}}
* [http://www.45cat.com/artist/billy-joe-shaver Entry at 45cat.com]
* {{IMDb name|id=0789522}}
* [http://www.lonestarmusic.com/billyjoeshaver Interview on Lone Star Music]
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4751907 Interview on Fresh Air (RealAudio)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060305124559/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoeshaver At Rolling Stone magazine]
* [http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Shaver,_Billy_Joe/ At Starpulse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182324/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Shaver,_Billy_Joe/ |date=March 3, 2016 }}
* [http://www.twangnation.com/2008/01/21/a-conversation-with-billy-joe-shaver/ Interview At Twang Nation]
* [https://www.npr.org/2014/08/05/336615368/billy-joe-shaver-writes-country-songs-and-lives-them-too Interview on NPR Morning Edition, 5 August, 2014]
{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{s-new|First|reason=None recognized before}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Americana Music Association|AMA Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting]]|years=2002}}
{{S-aft|after=[[John Prine]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaver, Billy Joe}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Texas]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Texas]]
[[Category:Monument Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers with disabilities]]
[[Category:Musicians from New Braunfels, Texas]]
[[Category:Outlaw country singers]]
[[Category:People acquitted of assault]]
[[Category:People from Corsicana, Texas]]
[[Category:Musicians from Waco, Texas]]
[[Category:Progressive country musicians]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Texas]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:American musicians with disabilities]]
[[Category:Amputee musicians]]