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Official website:
www.billyjoeshaver.com
Below are a few video links
that may capture a little bit of his spirit.
From 1984, Billy Joe, and a painfully
young Eddy Shaver (his son who died of a drug overdose in 2000), performing his
classic "Black Rose" ("The devil made me do it the first time / The second time
I done it on my own").
From July 2006 in North Carolina, Billy
Joe performs two songs in memory of Eddy. After talking about his son's death,
he advises young people, "If you tempt God long enough, he'll take you... Be
very careful". He then performs, virtually solo, "Star of my Heart".
. He follows that with a song he co-wrote with
Eddy, "Live Forever".
A couple of Billy Joe stories:
"No Fool Like an Old Fool". A
story about a marriage that almost happened. Billy Joe's marriages are
part of his legend. He married his first wife three times (divorced
twice; she died of cancer in 1999). A few years ago, news came out he
was going to re-marry. Then he didn't. This tells that story.
Subsequently, he did marry, divorce, marry and divorce -- once again all
to/from the same woman.
The dynamite story. Billy Joe & Waylon
Jennings.
Other links
The documentary, Portrait of Billy Joe:
http://www.portraitofbillyjoe.com/ available on DVD.
Billy Joe's autobiography,
Honky Tonk Hero. The webpage includes the text to the
introduction and Chapter 1:
http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/excerpts/exshahon.html
Reviews of BJS recordings:
http://music.yahoo.com/ar-263557-reviews--Billy-Joe-Shaver
NOTE: My personal picks of Billy Joe's CD's are
(chronologically): Tramp on Your Street, Victory
& Freedom's Child. Many others cite Electric Shaver.
There are a few CD's of his early recordings that are worth
picking up as well. Read the article above to get more info.
Discography
http://www.texicanmusic.com/recordings.htm
Covers of Billy Joe Shaver songs: (this page lists about 150,
not including Waylon’s Honky Tonk Heroes or the new BJS
live tribute album
http://www.texicanmusic.com/oweds.htm
Articles and interviews:
No Depression
magazine’s excellent profile of BJS, Mar/Apr 2001
(NOTE: Unfortunately, it appears
that ND has removed this article from their website.
A good
recent article in American Cowboy, Jul/Aug 2005:
http://www.texicanmusic.com/cowboy.htm
National Public Radio, “Fresh Air” interview with Billy Joe July
13, 2005:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4751907
Interview on Puremusic
http://www.puremusic.com/shaver1.html
Austin Chronicle (circa 1998):
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol17/issue49/music.shaver.html
Sixty Minutes: Dan Rather did a profile on Billy (“the
greatest country singer you’ve never heard of”) on June 1, 2005.
This link contains a summary of the show:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/31/60II/main698811.shtml
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