SAN ANGELO, TX – Outlaw Country music legend Billy Joe Shaver has died at the age of 81 following a stroke in his home state of Texas.
According to a family friend, on Oct. 28, Shaver died following a stroke.
Shaver was born on August 16, 1939 in Corsicana. He was raised by his mother who worked at a bar in Waco which exposed him to country music at an early age.
He then joined the Navy at the age of 17. Following his service Shaver did a number of odd jobs including a rodeo clown and working at a lumber mill. At the mill Shaver lost two of his fingers after an accident with the equipment.
Following the loss of his fingers, Shaver taught himself how to play guitar. Here is a photo of Shaver's hand:
After learning guitar, Shaver decided to the hit the road and head to Los Angelos, California. Shaver attempted to hitch hike there but failed to get a ride going to LA. He did however get a ride to Memphis which is where his fame began.
Quickly after moving to Memphis, Shaver got a job writing songs for a measly $50 per week. This oppurtunity allowed him to get noticed by a number of Stars including Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Elvis Presley.
This led to Shaver getting a record deal of his own which he produced his first album Old Five and Dimers Like Me in 1973. Following his debut album he produced a number of hits including I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday), Wacko from Waco (Featuring Willie Nelson), and Live Forever. Here is Live Forever:
Shaver went on to tour and write songs for years. In 2002 while performing on Independence Day at the Gruene Hall, Shaver suffered a heart attack. He had surgery and got back to writing that same year.
In 2007, Shaver had an arrest warrant issued for him after he shot a man outside the Papa Joe's Texas Saloon in Lorena. Later in an interview he claimed he shot the guy "right in-between mother and f--ker. 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."
He was later acquitted on the charges due to self defense.
Also in 2007, Shaver was at Blaine's Pub in San Angelo performing multiple times monthly. According to Joe Hyde during an interview, Shaver was selling bumper stickers reading "If you don't believe in Jesus then you can go to hell."
In 2019, Shaver received the Poet's Award from the Academy of Country Music to honor his achievements in songwriting.
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