On this day (October 28) in 2020, Outlaw Country artist/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver died after having a stroke at the age of 81. From threatening to fight Waylon Jennings in RCA studios to getting away with shooting a man in a Texas bar, Shaver lived a life full of unforgettable stories that have become the stuff of legends. He shared these stories in the songs he wrote, many of which were covered by some of the biggest names in country music and beyond.
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Borin in Corsicana, Texas, Shaver lived a hardscrabble life. He was raised by his grandmother and dropped out of school in the eighth grade to pick cotton with his uncles to make money for his family. When he was able, he joined the United States Navy. The next few years saw him take several jobs, including a stint at a sawmill that cost him two fingers on his right hand. In 1966, at the age of 27, he hitchhiked from Texas to Nashville to begin his songwriting career.
[RELATED: 4 Timeless Country Songs Written by Outlaw Legend Billy Joe Shaver]
According to a biography, Shaver got his first big break when Bobby Bare hired him as a staff songwriter. Bare then recorded Shaver’s “Ride Me Down Easy.” Bare was far from the last to record the Texan’s songs. Tom T. Hall cut “Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me,” Kris Kristofferson recorded “Good Christian Soldier,” and Waylon Jennings recorded nearly an entire album of his songs. Additionally, Elvis Presley recorded a rendition of “You Asked Me To,” a Shaver-Jennings co-write.
Billy Joe Shaver and Waylon Jennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes
In 1973, Waylon Jennings released Honky Tonk Heroes. Today, it is hailed as a seminal Outlaw Country LP. Billy Joe Shaver wrote or co-wrote all but one of the album’s songs.
The story of Honky Tonk Heroes begins in Dripping Springs, Texas. During a large country festival, Shaver was hanging out in a camper and playing songs with a small group. As he was playing one of his originals, Jennings came out of the trailer’s bathroom. He praised Shaver’s songwriting and expressed interest in recording some of his songs. The two parted ways shortly thereafter. However, Shaver, who was trying to claw his way to the top of the country world, didn’t forget Jennings’ words.
Months later, Shaver came to RCA Studios, where Jennings was working on an album. He demanded to see the country star, but was waved away. At one point, Jennings sent an assistant to give Shaver $100 and send him on his way. This infuriated the songwriter.
“I said, ‘Take that back and tell him to shove it up his ass and twist it,’” Shaver recalled. “A few minutes later, Waylon come bustin’ out with these two bikers on each side of him. Big ol’ boys. He said, ‘What do you want, Hoss?’ and I said, ‘Waylon, I’ll tell you what I want. If you don’t listen to the rest of these songs–at least listen to ’em–I’m gonna have to kick your ass right here in front of God and everybody.’ He didn’t like that worth a damn.”
Jennings took Shaver, who was carrying his guitar at the time, into an office. He told him to start playing songs, and if he heard one he didn’t like, their impromptu meeting was over. After hearing what Shaver had to offer, Jennings agreed to cut several of his songs. The result was Honky Tonk Heroes.
Shaver Shoots a Man in Texas
Billy Joe Shaver shot and nearly killed a man in 2007. According to Rolling Stone, Shaver was at a bar called Papa Joe’s Saloon in Leona, Texas, just outside of Waco. He was there to have a drink with his ex-wife when Billy Coker was rude to the pair. This led to the pair stepping outside. Details of the interaction that followed are hazy. However, it is clear that Shaver asked him, “Where do you want it?” before shooting him with a pocket-sized .22 pistol. The bullet lodged in the roof of Coker’s mouth, injuring but not killing him.
Prosecutors argued that Shaver could have left the bar if he felt threatened instead of shooting Coker. “I’m from Texas,” he told the court. “If I was a chicken sh*t, I would have left.”
Shaver pleaded self-defense. “I felt he was gonna kill me,” he told the court. “He was a big bully, the worst I ever seen–a big bad one. And I been all around the world,” he said. In the end, he was acquitted after a three-day trial.
Shaver told the story of the incident in the song “Wacko from Waco.” Whitey Morgan and the ’78s offered a rendition of the story in their song “Where Do Ya Want It?”
You’ve Probably Heard Billy Joe Shaver’s Songs
If you’re a country fan, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard at least one Billy Joe Shaver song without knowing it.
The Allman Brothers Band recorded Shaver’s “Sweet Mama” in 1975. Four years later, Johnny Paycheck recorded the Shaver-penned “Ragged Old Truck.” Bobby Bare and Billy Joe Shaver co-wrote “Jesus Christ, What a Man,” which was recorded by the Oak Ridge Boys in 1971.
John Anderson took “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” to No. 4 in 1981.
Multiple artists, including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, the Highwaymen, and Joe Ely, have covered “Live Forever.” Since Shaver’s death, the song’s lyrics have taken on a deeper meaning for fans and fellow artists alike.
Nobody here will ever find me / But I will always be around. / Just like the songs I leave behind me / I’m gonna live forever, now.
Featured Image by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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