Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Outlaw country artist Billy Joe Shaver dead at 81

Outlaw country singer songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, who penned songs for Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Bobby Bare, has died

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 28 October 2020 17:53 GMT
Obit Billy Joe Shaver
Obit Billy Joe Shaver (2017 Invision)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Outlaw country singer songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote songs like “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” has died He was 81.

His friend Connie Nelson said he died Wednesday in Texas following a stroke.

Born in Corsicana, Texas, Shaver was among the original group of outlaw country artists in the early '70s, penning songs for Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall and Willie Nelson

Shaver's lyrics reflected his hardscrabble upbringing in Texas, where he lost part of two fingers while working at a lumber mill. He came to Nashville in 1968 and was signed as a writer to Bare's publishing company.

His big break came when Jennings recorded several of Shaver's songs for his 1973 album “Honky Tonk Heroes," which helped popularize the outlaw country genre. Shaver wrote songs that were covered by Elvis Presley, Patty Loveless, George Jones, Tex Ritter, Tennessee Ernie Ford and John Anderson.

Anderson had a No. 4 country hit with Shaver's “I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal," and Johnny Rodriquez took Shaver's song, “I Couldn’t Be Me Without You," to No. 3 on the country chart. He wrote “Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me" about Nelson.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in