Singer/Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver Dead at 81

Gaas / AFF-USA.COM

Singer/Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver Dead at 81

Singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, 81, one of the architects of country’s Outlaw Movement of the 1970s, died on Oct. 28, following an illness.

In addition to releasing more than 20 albums, Billy Joe’s songs were recorded by a who’s who of artists, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, the Allman Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and many more. Some of his most well-known songs include “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” “I’ve Been to Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Ride Me Down Easy,” “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day),” and “Live Forever.”

The Texas native was honored with the first Americana Music Award for Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting in 2002, and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Led by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, the Outlaw Movement of the 1970s was a musical revolt against the so-called Nashville Sound, the polished country/pop fusion created to lure listeners back to country music in the late ’50s when rock came rolling along. Artists like Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allan Coe, Tom T. Hall, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Tompall Glaser and more looked to liberate country music by asserting their own creative independence and influence.

photo by Gaas, AFF-USA.com

Blogs

Chase McDaniel Shares Insight Into His Debut Radio Single, “Burned Down Heaven”

Chase McDaniel believes that listening to music in real-time can have a significant impact on listeners, rather than letting an algorithm choose what they hear. The new country artist recalls three life-changing moments he’s had while hearing songs on country radio, and McDaniel hopes his first radio single, "Burned Down Heaven," has a similar effect…

Chase McDaniel Shares Insight Into His Debut Radio Single, “Burned Down Heaven”

Chase McDaniel believes that listening to music in real-time can have a significant impact on listeners, rather than letting an algorithm choose what they hear. The new country artist recalls three life-changing moments he’s had while hearing songs on country radio, and McDaniel hopes his first radio single, “Burned Down Heaven,” has a similar effect…

Lainey Wilson Set To Make Feature Film Debut In Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders Of Him’

Lainey Wilson will make her feature film debut in the Universal adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, Reminders of Him. The Grammy-winning country superstar will join a star-studded cast that includes Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, and Lauren Graham, with the film set to be directed by Vanessa Caswill. This won’t be Wilson’s first…

Lainey Wilson Set To Make Feature Film Debut In Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders Of Him’

Lainey Wilson will make her feature film debut in the Universal adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, Reminders of Him. The Grammy-winning country superstar will join a star-studded cast that includes Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, and Lauren Graham, with the film set to be directed by Vanessa Caswill. This won’t be Wilson’s first…

Kacey Musgraves Says She Still Smokes Weed, Reveals She’s Working On New Music

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kacey Musgraves clarified her previous comments on her marijuana use, revealing that she still smokes, though not to the extent she did when she was younger. “I never said I don't ever partake,” says the 36-year-old singer. “I just don't wake up and hit a gravity bong…

Kacey Musgraves Says She Still Smokes Weed, Reveals She’s Working On New Music

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kacey Musgraves clarified her previous comments on her marijuana use, revealing that she still smokes, though not to the extent she did when she was younger. “I never said I don’t ever partake,” says the 36-year-old singer. “I just don’t wake up and hit a gravity bong…

Reba McEntire Thanks Her Fans For Her Legendary Music Career

Reba McEntire has been one of the top female country stars since the '80s, but she realizes she wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of her dedicated fans. In the new Variety cover feature on McEntire as part of their Power Of Women Nashville issue, the 70-year-old country music icon says she owes everything to…

Reba McEntire Thanks Her Fans For Her Legendary Music Career

Reba McEntire has been one of the top female country stars since the ’80s, but she realizes she wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of her dedicated fans. In the new Variety cover feature on McEntire as part of their Power Of Women Nashville issue, the 70-year-old country music icon says she owes everything to…

Sheryl Crow Praises Songwriting Of Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, And Phoebe Bridgers

In a new interview with Variety for their Power of Women Nashville issue, Sheryl Crow reflected on the evolving landscape of women in music, while celebrating the rise of young and talented female musicians. “The caliber of writing is just so good with Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Phoebe Bridgers, and these women are not…

Sheryl Crow Praises Songwriting Of Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, And Phoebe Bridgers

In a new interview with Variety for their Power of Women Nashville issue, Sheryl Crow reflected on the evolving landscape of women in music, while celebrating the rise of young and talented female musicians. “The caliber of writing is just so good with Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Phoebe Bridgers, and these women are not…