Nobody fits the description "outlaw country" more than Billy Joe Shaver. He got his taste for country from accompanying his mama to work at a nightclub. He lost two fingers in a lumber mill accident, but taught himself to play guitar anyway. He went on to become an in-demand Nashville songwriter, songs performed by Kris Kristofferson and Elvis -- hell, Waylon Jennings' 1973 thesis on the outlaw country singer Honky Tonk Heroes is mostly comprised of Shaver's songs -- yet name recognition has eluded the 68-year-old from Corsicana, Texas, throughout most of his career. He gained recognition in alt-country circles in the late 1990s performing with his son Eddy as the duo simple called Shaver, but Eddy's tragic overdose in 2000 and Billy Joe's onstage heart attack in 2001 cut all that short. But he dusted off his boots and got back in the saddle with 2002's Freedom Child and hasn't stopped since. In April 2007, he shot a man in self-defense outside a nightclub in Lorena, Texas, and made it to an in-store performance in Austin the next night. Billy Joe Shaver is the real deal. He brings his timeworn songs and stage charm to Chelsea's on Saturday, Jan. 12.Read more....
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