Like Barry Bonds’ home run record, Billy Joe Shaver’s Greatest Hits should come with an asterisk and fine print, this one explaining that these are more recent recordings of much older original material. The album is packed with beer-joint-quality reprises […]
Billy Joe Shaver’s first dabble at producing himself illustrates just how important a firm guiding hand is, as well as what an indispensable element Eddy Shaver’s fiery guitar was to his father’s art. Heavily grounded in mid-tempo honky-tonk, The Real […]
There must be a special tincture of anguish reserved for parents who outlive their child, especially when that child is taken by wanton or self-destructive circumstances. And if an equally bitter draught exists for the loss of other loved ones, […]
Thirty years ago, Billy Joe Shaver burst upon the scene with the brutal honesty of his mostly autobiographical songs and changed the face of country music for many of us. His songs were covered by everyone from Waylon to Elvis […]
The hard part to remember now is that this man was once regularly described by many, himself included, as a rough-edged, brawling fight-picker and general maker of trouble. It’s hard because the 63-year-old performer we see onstage these days, the […]
Wait long enough and Billy Joe Shaver’s entire catalogue will be in print, at least for an instant. Which in itself is a striking endorsement of the work of a gifted songwriter who has never more than waved at commercial […]
Billy Joe Shaver is the real deal. Born in Corsicana, Texas, raised in Waco. Mother worked in a honky-tonk. Shaver himself worked as a bull rider and a bronco buster, in addition to more pedestrian go-rounds as a gas station […]
