Billy Joe Shaver
Induction Year: 2004
Birth Name: Billy Joe Shaver
Birth Date: August 16, 1939
Place of Birth: Corsicana, TX
Biography
The song catalog of Billy Joe Shaver is impressive not for its size, but for its quality. Few country songwriters have as high a percentage of true gems as he has. Always enthralled with poetry, Billy Joe began writing songs around 1965. Initially quite shy and not very good at promoting himself, he commuted back and forth between Texas and Tennessee for a few years until Bobby Bare finally signed him to a songwriting contract. Since then, some of the greatest names in Country-music history have recorded Billy Joe Shaver songs, including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Tom T. Hall, Tex Ritter, George Jones and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Billy Joe’s three BMI awards to date are for “I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal,” “I Couldn’t Be Me Without You” and “You Asked Me To,” though he has other compositions that are just as famous — notably “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “Black Rose,” “I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train,” “Ride Me Down Easy” and “Old Five And Dimers Like Me.” In 2004 he became the subject of a feature-length documentary film, Billy Joe.
Discography / Career Highlights
Catalog Highlights:
“It’s Freezing In El Paso” - Bobby Bare, 1970
“How About You” - Bobby Bare, 1970
“Rosalie” - Bobby Bare, 1971
“Short And Sweet” - Bobby Bare, 1971
“Good Christian Soldier” - Bobby Bare, 1971 • Kris Kristofferson, 1973
“West Virginia Woman” - Bobby Bare, 1971
“New York City Snow” - Bobby Bare, 1971
“Jesus Is The Only One That Loves Us” - Bobby Bare, 1971
“Music City U.S.A.” - Bobby Bare, 1972
“Bottom Dollar” - Jerry Lee Lewis, 1972 • Mike Auldridge, 1974 • Billy Paul, 1997
“Old Five And Dimers” - Billy Joe Shaver, 1973 • Tom T. Hall, 1973 • Waylon Jennings, 1973 • Willie Nelson, 1985 • Jerry Jeff Walker, 1991
“Honky Tonk Heroes” - Waylon Jennings, 1973 • Willie Nelson, 1976
“Ain’t No God In Mexico” - Waylon Jennings, 1973
“L.A. Turnaround” - Billy Joe Shaver, 1973
“Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me” - Tom T. Hall, 1973 • Waylon Jennings, 1973 • Chris Ledoux, 1974 • Tex Ritter, 1976 • Dan Crary, 1993
“I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train”- Billy Joe Shaver, 1973 • Commander Cody, 1975 • Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1976 • Johnny Cash, 1982 • Willie Nelson, 1985 • BR5-49, 1998 • Cory Morrow, 2001
“Ride Me Down Easy” - Bobby Bare, 1973 (#11) • Waylon Jennings, 1973 • Jerry Lee Lewis, 1973 • David Allan Coe, 1977 • Seldom Scene, 1978
“You Ask Me To” - Waylon Jennings, 1973 (#8) • Elvis Presley, 1975 • Billy Joe Shaver, 1977 • Jack Clement, 1978 • John Hartford, 1987 • Alison Krauss, 2003
“Black Rose” - Waylon Jennings, 1973 • Willie Nelson, 1985 • Scott Walker, 1997 • Rodney Harden, 2003
“Jesus Was Our Savior (Cotton Was Our King)” - Johnny Cash, 1974
“Slow Rollin’ Low” - Waylon Jennings, 1974
“Sweet Mama” - Allman Brothers Band, 1975
“I Couldn’t Be Me Without You” - Johnny Rodriguez, 1976 (#3) • also: Bobby Bare
“The Cowboy Who Started The Fight” - Johnny Cash, 1980
“It Ain’t Nothing New Babe” - Johnny Cash, 1980
“Ragged Old Truck” - Johnny Paycheck, 1980
“My Mother’s Name Is Victory” - Rattlesnake Annie McGowan, 1980
“Lowdown Freedom” - Billy Joe Shaver, 1981
“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal”- John Anderson, 1981 (#4) • Stonewall Jackson, 1981 • Johnny Cash, 1982 • Roy Bookbinder, 1998 • Willie Nelson, 2001 • Lewis Family, 2002
“Oklahoma Wind” - Billy Joe Shaver, 1982
“To Be Loved By A Woman” - Keith Whitley, 1982
“Way Down Texas Way” - Asleep At The Wheel, 1987
“Hill Country Love Song” - Robin & Linda Williams, 1990
“When The Fallen Angels Fly” - Patty Loveless, 1994
“If I Give My Soul” - Marty Stuart, 1994
“Live Forever” - Highwaymen, 1995 • Pat Green, 2001 • Cory Morrow, 2003
“West Texas Waltz” - Billy Joe Shaver, 1996
“Tramp On Your Street” - George Jones, 2001
“Hottest Thing In Town” - Boilers, 2001
“Earth Rolls On” - Billy Joe Shaver, 2001
