Lone Star Jukebox

HE WROTE NINE OUT OF TEN SONGS ON THE ALBUM THAT HELPED CREATE OUTLAW COUNTRY. MOST PEOPLE STILL DON'T KNOW HIS NAME. Billy Joe Shaver lost parts of two fingers in a sawmill accident. His dominant hand. His guitar hand. He learned to play anyway.

Then he found Waylon Jennings. Or maybe he cornered him. Shaver pushed his songs toward Waylon until Waylon finally listened. What came out of that collision was H***y Tonk Heroes in 1973 — nine of ten songs written by a man most people have never heard of. Waylon had the voice, the attitude, and the danger. But Billy Joe had the words.

He lost his mother. Lost his wife Brenda — the woman he married more than once — to cancer. Had a heart attack mid-show at Gruene Hall, the oldest honky-tonk in Texas. Said he thanked God for letting him die there. He survived anyway.

Willie Nelson called him the greatest living songwriter. Elvis recorded his songs. Johnny Cash recorded his songs. Bob Dylan recorded his songs. But Billy Joe Shaver never became as famous as the men who carried his words.

He died in 2020. Still writing. Still showing up. Maybe it's time the rest of us learned his name. - Country Music
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QUESTION OF THE DAY: Setup - It's the middle of the summer, you're starting a road trip, and you just pulled out on the highway.
What's the first song on your playlist or what album you start with?