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

Cole Swindell Announces 2025 Headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour”

On Monday (April 7), Cole Swindell unveiled the dates and details of his highly anticipated 2025 Happy Hour Sad Tour. Opening acts on select dates will be rising country stars Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby, and Greylan James. The tour will showcase songs from Swindell’s upcoming album, Spanish Moss, which is set for release on June…

Cole Swindell Announces 2025 Headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour”

On Monday (April 7), Cole Swindell unveiled the dates and details of his highly anticipated 2025 Happy Hour Sad Tour. Opening acts on select dates will be rising country stars Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby, and Greylan James. The tour will showcase songs from Swindell’s upcoming album, Spanish Moss, which is set for release on June…

Ella Langley Tends To Riley Green’s “Injury” On Tour Bus After Their Show

Following their recent show in Toronto, Ontario, Ella Langley performed extremely minor surgery on Riley Green while the two artists were on their tour bus. In a TikTok video of the incident, Green can be heard exclaiming, “What are you gonna do?!” as Langley grabs a pair of scissors while holding his wounded hand. “I’m…

Ella Langley Tends To Riley Green’s “Injury” On Tour Bus After Their Show

Following their recent show in Toronto, Ontario, Ella Langley performed extremely minor surgery on Riley Green while the two artists were on their tour bus. In a TikTok video of the incident, Green can be heard exclaiming, “What are you gonna do?!” as Langley grabs a pair of scissors while holding his wounded hand. “I’m…

Kenny Chesney Pays Tribute To Megan Moroney Following Her Headlining Shows In Georgia

Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney are continuing their heartwarming friendship on social media. Following Moroney’s celebratory Instagram comment of “Deserved!!!!” about Chesney's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the music superstar sent Moroney a warm message after her two headlining shows at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia. Moroney captured photos of the…

Kenny Chesney Pays Tribute To Megan Moroney Following Her Headlining Shows In Georgia

Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney are continuing their heartwarming friendship on social media. Following Moroney’s celebratory Instagram comment of “Deserved!!!!” about Chesney’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the music superstar sent Moroney a warm message after her two headlining shows at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia. Moroney captured photos of the…

Luke Bryan Announces Fall 2025 Farm Tour Dates

On Monday (April 7), Luke Bryan announced the dates and details of his fall 2025 Farm Tour, marking a return to the Midwest roots where the Farm Tour first began. The shows are scheduled from September 18-20, and will take place at family farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, bringing Bryan's big time concert experience…

Luke Bryan Announces Fall 2025 Farm Tour Dates

On Monday (April 7), Luke Bryan announced the dates and details of his fall 2025 Farm Tour, marking a return to the Midwest roots where the Farm Tour first began. The shows are scheduled from September 18-20, and will take place at family farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, bringing Bryan’s big time concert experience…

Stagecoach Festival Will Once Again Be Livestreamed By Amazon Music

Amazon Music has renewed its partnership with Stagecoach, announcing that for the third straight year they are the exclusive livestream provider for the sold-out 2025 edition of the country music festival. Livestream coverage will commence at 4 p.m. PT each day from April 25-27 via Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, or Twitch, airing content…

Stagecoach Festival Will Once Again Be Livestreamed By Amazon Music

Amazon Music has renewed its partnership with Stagecoach, announcing that for the third straight year they are the exclusive livestream provider for the sold-out 2025 edition of the country music festival. Livestream coverage will commence at 4 p.m. PT each day from April 25-27 via Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, or Twitch, airing content…