Billy Joe Shaver (born August 16, 1939 in
Corsicana, TexasCorsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
) is an American
country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album
Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the
outlaw countryOutlaw country was a significant trend in country music during the late 1960s and the 1970s , commonly referred to as The Outlaw Movement or simply Outlaw music...
genre.
Biography
Shaver was raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver, after his father Virgil left the family before he was born. Until he was 12, he spent a great deal of time with his grandmother in
Corsicana, TexasCorsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
so that his mother could work in
WacoWaco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. The city has a 2008 estimated total population of 124,009. It is the 21st largest city by population in Texas, and 194th in the US...
. He sometimes accompanied his mother to her job at a local nightclub, where he began to be exposed to country music.
Shaver's mother remarried about the time that his grandmother died, so he 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 seventeenth birthday. Upon his discharge, he worked a series of dead-end jobs, including trying to be a
rodeoRodeo is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western...
cowboy. About this time, Shaver 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.
Shaver took a job at a lumber mill to make ends meet. One day his right hand (his 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 those missing fingers.
Shaver decided that life was too short to do something he didn't enjoy, so he set out one day to hitchhike to
L.A.Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. He couldn't get a ride west, and ended up accompanying a man who dropped him off just outside of
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
. The next ride brought him to
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
, where he found a job as a songwriter for $50/week. His work came to the attention of
Waylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer and musician. A self-taught guitar player, he rose to prominence as a bass player for Buddy Holly following the break-up of The Crickets. He escaped death in the February 3, 1959 plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie...
, who filled most of his album
Honky Tonk HeroesHonky Tonk Heroes is an album by Waylon Jennings, released in 1973 on RCA Victor. With the exception of the tenth and final track, all of the songs on the album were originally written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver, who helped shape Jennings' movement in the direction of outlaw country...
with Shaver's songs. Other artists, including
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
and
Kris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American writer, singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. He is best known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, began to record Shaver's music. This led to his own record deal.
Unfortunately for Shaver, the first few recording companies he signed with soon folded. 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 music musicians like
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, but remains iconic, especially in American popular culture.He has continued to tour, record and perform in recent years, and...
,
Nanci GriffithNanci Caroline Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.Griffith's career has spanned a variety of musical genres, predominantly country, Folk, and what she terms "folkabilly." Griffith won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994 for her...
,
Chuck LeavellChuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band during the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
and
Dickey BettsForrest Richard "Dickey" Betts is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, most known for his work as a founding member, with Duane Allman, of the southern blues/rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
(of the Allman Brothers),
Charlie DanielsCharlie Daniels is an American musician famous for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his Number One country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written...
,
Flaco JiménezLeonardo "Flaco" Jiménez is a Tejano music accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. Jiménez's father, Santiago Jimenez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music. He began performing with his father at age seven and recording at age fifteen, as a member of Los Caporales...
, and
Al KooperAl Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, probably best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity...
.
After losing his wife, Brenda, and his mother to cancer in 1999, Shaver lost his son and longtime guitarist Eddy, who died at age 38 of a
heroinHeroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine , is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine...
overdose on December 31, 2000. Shaver nearly died himself the following year when he had a heart attack on stage during an
Independence DayAn Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
show at
Gruene HallGruene Hall, built in 1878 in the town of Gruene, Texas , bills itself as "the oldest dance hall in Texas." Gruene Hall has hosted such acts as Willie Nelson, George Strait, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett, James McMurtry and the Old 97's. It was also used as a set for Michael ,...
in
New Braunfels, TexasNew Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 36,494 as of the 2000 census, and...
. After successful heart surgery, Billy Joe came back to release a new album entitled
Freedom's Child in 2002.
In 1999, Shaver was invited to perform at the
Grand Ole OpryThe Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, every Friday and Saturday night, as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from March through December...
. In November 2005, Billy Joe Shaver performed on the
CMT OutlawsCMT Outlaws was an annual concert featuring country music's outlaws. The CMT Outlaws show was aired on Country Music Television.-2004:* Hank Williams, Jr.* Lynyrd Skynyrd* Kid Rock* Big & Rich* Gretchen Wilson* Montgomery Gentry* Shooter Jennings...
2005. In 2006, Shaver was inducted in the
Texas Country Music Hall of FameThe Texas Country Music Hall of Fame/Tex Ritter Museum, located in Carthage, Texas in Panola County, honors those who have made outstanding contributions to country music and were born in the state of Texas. This includes singers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others.A museum, a large multi-purpose...
. He recently served as spiritual advisor to Texas independent gubernatorial candidate
Kinky FriedmanRichard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office...
. For his efforts, the Americana Music Convention awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting. He currently lives in
Waco, TexasWaco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. The city has a 2008 estimated total population of 124,009. It is the 21st largest city by population in Texas, and 194th in the US...
.
Shaver sings the themes to the Adult Swim Television show,
SquidbilliesSquidbillies is an animated television series about a family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids, The Cuyler family, who live in poverty in the Appalachian region of North Georgia's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network...
.
Most notable records
Billy Joe Shaver's debut album was
Old Five and Dimers Like Me (1973). Almost every song on the album has become a classic (particularly the title track, as well as "I Been to Georgia On a Fast Train" and "Willy The Wandering Gypsy and Me"), many being performed by other artists such as
David Allan CoeDavid Allan Coe is an American country music singer who achieved popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. He has written and performed over 280 original songs throughout his career. As a singer, his biggest hits were "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", "The Ride", and "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile"...
.
When I Get My Wings (1976) included "Aint No God In Mexico" (also a hit for Waylon Jennings).
Gypsy Boy (1977) included "Honky Tonk Heroes".
Shaver is also known for his hit "Live Forever", co-written by his son Eddy, which was also performed by
The HighwaymenThe Highwaymen was a supergroup comprising four country music artists well known for, among other things, their involvement and pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson...
. Shaver also wrote numerous songs for artists such as
Patty LovelessPatty Loveless is an American country music singer....
and
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, but remains iconic, especially in American popular culture.He has continued to tour, record and perform in recent years, and...
.
Shaver continued to release records throughout the 1980's and 1990's; the most notable was the critically acclaimed
Tramp On Your Street, released in 1993, which prominently featured the guitar playing of Eddy Shaver.
Billy Joe Shaver's most recent album, 2007's
country gospelChristian country music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
style
Everybody's Brother was Grammy-nominated. Many of the songs are duets with artists such as
Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
,
Kris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American writer, singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. He is best known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
and
Tanya TuckerTanya Denise Tucker is an American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
. Musicians playing on the album included
Randy ScruggsRandy Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13. He has won a Grammy Award and was twice named "Musician of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards. He is the son of Earl Scruggs....
, Laura Cash and
Marty StuartJohn Marty Stuart is an American country music singer, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...
.
Shooting in Lorena, Texas
Police in Lorena, TX about 80 miles north of Austin, issued arrest warrants for Shaver April 2, 2007 on charges of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm in a prohibited place. This was in connection with an incident outside a tavern, Papa Joe's Texas Saloon in Lorena on March 31, 2007, in which Shaver shot a man, Billy Bryant Coker, in the face with a handgun. Coker's injuries were reported as not life-threatening.
Witnesses interviewed by police report hearing Shaver saying "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.
After unsuccessfully attempting to surrender to police in Austin, TX, who were unaware of the warrant, Shaver turned himself in at McLennan County Jail in Waco, TX on Tuesday, April 3. He was released after an hour on $50,000 bond and gave his scheduled performance at Waterloo Records in Austin that evening, where he reportedly told fans, "Don't forget to pray for me, and tell your kids to pray for me, too."
Acting
In 1996, Shaver took a part in the movie
The ApostleThe Apostle is a 1997 film, written and directed by Robert Duvall, who stars in the title role. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, and Miranda Richardson also appear...
, playing opposite
Robert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards....
. He had additional speaking roles in the Duvall film
Secondhand LionsSecondhand Lions is a family film about a introverted young man who goes to live with his eccentric bachelor uncles.-Plot:In the 1960s, 14-year old Walter Coleman goes to live with his bachelor uncles, who are rumored to have a secret fortune...
(2003) and in
The Wendell Baker StoryThe Wendell Baker Story is the first movie directed by actor Luke Wilson and his eldest brother Andrew Wilson, which premiered at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March, 2005. The film stars Luke Wilson, who also wrote the screenplay, as an ex-con working in a...
(2005).
In 2004, a documentary of his life,
A Portrait of Billy Joe was released. The documentary was directed by
Luciana PedrazaLuciana Pedraza is an Argentine actress of Italian descent and is married to American actor Robert Duvall.Born in the Argentine Northwest, she was the oldest of five girls. After graduating from the University of Buenos Aires with an MBA and minor in English she became the marketing director of W....
.
In 2008, he co-starred with
Bill EngvallWilliam Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr. is an American comedian best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group. In 2007 TBS began airing his sitcom The Bill Engvall Show. He has released multiple comedy albums on Warner Bros. Records as well.-Early life:Engvall...
and
Billy Ray CyrusBilly Ray Cyrus is a Grammy Award-nominated American country music singer, songwriter and actor, best known for his #1 single "Achy Breaky Heart." Cyrus, a multi-platinum selling recording artist, has scored a total of eight top-ten singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart...
in the made for TV USA Network Movie,
Bait Shop.
Quotes
- "If you don't love Jesus, you can go to hell."
- "May the God of your choice bless you." (Lent to his friend Kinky Friedman
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office...
for his gubernatorial campaignThe 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006 to select the next governor of the state of Texas, who is serving a four year term that began on January 16, 2007. The Republican and Democratic Parties chose their candidates by primaries and convention. Primaries were held on...
)
- "God loves you when you dance." (used extensively at a show in Kansas City.)
- "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. So I don't work."
- "This next tune... today's Father's Day, and my son passed away this New Year's Eve, and uh, I don't know, a lot of y'all knew him. He was a great guitar player by the name of Eddy Shaver, and this is a song that he and I wrote together and we're gonna do it here. Robert (Earl Keen) was so graciously... (Robert interrupts requesting Todd Snider's appearance) Yeah, bring Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider is a singer-songwriter born October 11, 1966 in Portland, Oregon.Best known for his wry humor, Snider has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and folk scene since his debut on MCA, entitled Songs for the Daily Planet, named for the bar where Snider used to play...
up here, he's a good friend of ours. Thank you Robert, thank you for this cause, uh, it's Father's Day and it means a lot to me." (KPIG live performance of "Live Forever" from the Robert Earl KeenRobert Earl Keen, Junior is a Texan singer-songwriter. He is popular with traditional country music fans, folk music fans, the college radio crowd and alt-country fans. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up, Keen was interested...
Swine Soiree in Watsonville, CaliforniaWatsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 44,265 at the 2000 census while the city's own estimates put the population at 51,703 as of 2007....
in 2001 where Snider, not knowing Shaver was in attendance, had earlier performed the song "Waco Moon" written in memory of his friend Eddy Shaver who played guitar on Snider's Debut record "Songs for the Daily Planet.")
Studio albums
| Year |
Album |
US Christian |
Label |
| 1973 |
Old Five and Dimers Like Me |
|
Monument |
| 1976 |
When I Get My Wings |
|
Capricorn |
| 1977 |
Gypsy Boy |
|
| 1981 |
I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal |
|
| 1982 |
Billy Joe Shaver |
|
Columbia |
| 1987 |
Salt of the Earth |
|
| 1993 |
Tramp on Your Street |
|
Volcano |
| 1995 |
Unshaven: Live at Smith's Olde Bar |
|
| 1996 |
Highway of Life |
|
Justice |
| 1998 |
Victory |
|
New West |
| 1999 |
Electric Shaver |
|
| 2001 |
The Earth Rolls On |
|
| 2002 |
Freedom's Child |
|
Compadre |
| 2003 |
Live from Down Under |
|
Sphincter |
| Try and Try Again |
|
Compadre |
| 2004 |
Billy and the Kid |
|
| 2005 |
A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver: Live |
|
| The Real Deal |
|
| 2007 |
Storyteller: Live at the Bluebird |
|
Sugar Hill |
| Everybody's Brother |
50 |
Compadre |
Compilations
| Year |
Album |
Label |
| 1994 |
Honky Tonk Heroes |
Bear Family |
| 1995 |
Restless Wind |
Razor & Tie |
| 2007 |
Greatest Hits |
Compadre |
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart Positions |
Album |
| US Country Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
|
CAN Country |
| 1973 |
"I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train" |
88 |
|
Old Five and Dimers Like Me |
| 1978 |
"You Asked Me To" |
80 |
|
Gypsy Boy |
| 1993 |
"Live Forever" |
|
96 |
Tramp on Your Street |
External links