Billy Joe Shaver

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What a year it's been for our music heroes. First John Prine, Justin Townes Earl and then Jerry Jeff Walker. Now Billy Joe Shaver, who was probably the greatest country songwriter ever, has crossed that river. When will this end?

Billy Joe was 81 years when he passed away on October 28, 2020. He apparently had a bout with COVID-19 over the summer and then a fall in September. The last time we saw him, four years ago at Riley's Tavern in Hunter Texas (November of 2016), he was hale and hearty, full of piss and vinegar. And having a hell of a time: "Fit to kill and goin' out in style." As you can see from the picture at left he's grinnin' like the "Wacko from Waco" -- which of course he sang.

Click on the image to see more pictures from that event.

We had seen him at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto with his son Eddy as "Shaver" many years ago. So we were really excited to see him again at Riley's Tavern -- we don't often get to see legends like Billy Joe and, as time has shown, they don't last forever, even if their songs do.

We had never been to Hunter Texas -- it's a small town (barely a crossroad) just a few miles north of Gruene (where you'll find the famous Gruene Hall -- where Billy Joe had his heart attack on stage and continued to play!). It's just off the IH35 between Austin, where we were staying, and San Antonio. It was about an hour away from our holiday long stay home in South Austin. 

Riley's Tavern is a very small club/Honky Tonk in a country setting with bikes and pickup trucks parked around. There's a bar at front and a bit of performance area attached where, unlike Austin clubs, smoking was permitted. Packed, as it was that night, you might squeeze in 100 people. An intimate environment. Billy Joe, the "Honky Tonk Hero", was up front at the bar glad handing fans as we arrived. We arrived early and found ourselves in a prime location up front to stage right where we had seats (there were very few, mostly it was standing room only). I was able to get some pretty good photos. The front band was the Texas KGB. They played a good set but were really blown out of the water by Billy Joe and his band. They played without a break and went on forever. Billy Joe was smiling and laughing, telling stories, never tiring and making sure that a) we knew that all these songs were written by him and b) he had been saved by Jesus Christ. In spite of buggered up knees and hip surgery he would get down on his one knee to praise Jesus Christ. I recall he said he was waiting to get the other hip done, or was it the other knee?

It was quite a night in Hunter Texas and one we'll long remember.

While there's lots of great music in Austin, we've never caught Billy Joe there. He sometimes played the White Horse Tavern, and that would be a great place to see him. He was honored at the Ameripolitan Awards in February of 2015 which we did attend. Unfortunately at that time he was not well and Joe Ely accepted the award for him. Joe Ely sang Bill Joe's song "Live Forever" in his honor. Cowritten with his son Eddy, it's a song that's fitting now:

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

Nobody here will ever find me

But I always be around

Just like the songs I leave behind me

I'm gonna live forever now

Of all the many tunes Billy Joe wrote we are especially fond of "(We Are) The Cowboys". Willie Nelson has recently released a version on the album "First Rose of Spring" (2020). The verse that we especially like is:

We are the cowboys, the true sons of freedom

We are the men who will get the job done
We're picking our words so we don't have to eat 'em

We're rounding them up and then driving them home

Billy Joe certainly had a way with words. And, at least in our house, he will live forever in his songs.

Ps. the album "Live at Billy Bob's Texas" (2012) is a very good sample of what the show at Riley's was like. Unfortunately, that album seems to be out of print. It's still available on iTunes and Spotify.