New West Records

Billy Joe Shaver is my favorite songwriter. Not country songwriter. Favorite songwriter. Period. End of story. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. There's Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Duvall... just to name a few. He's the quintessential country songwriter, but that's just a big word that doesn't do justice to the honesty, raw intensity, and outpouring of heart and soul in his lyrics. Over 50 artists have recorded his songs, but nobody does it better than Billy Joe, and that's why this show is so important. Recorded on August 14, 1984, Billy Joe holds nothing back. There's the grit, there's the attitude, there's the defiance. But there's also the intimacy, the poetry, the stories. And it's the story of Billy Joe - born and raised in and around Waco, Texas. Life has never come easy, but his optimism and faith in humanity is eternal, as he sings, "I'm just an old chunk of coal, but I'm gonna be a diamond some day." His late wife Brenda once said, "Billy Joe's a tall man with steel gray eyes that seem to go right through you, and a smile as big as Texas."