Billy came to prominence as a writer rather than a singer when he almost bullied Waylon Jennings into listening to a bunch of his songs at one of Willie Nelson's 4th of July parties. When Waylon eventually listened he decided to record almost all the songs and they became the backbone of his breakthrough outlaw country album Honky Tonk Heroes. Shaver was a band that came together when Billy Joe Shaver invited his son Eddie to support him on guitar. This gave Billy's songs a much rockier feel as Eddie's guitar work was dynamic and forceful.
I bought these two albums ( Tramp on Your Steet and Unshaven - Live at Smith's Old Bar) together at a little CD shop in Pasadena, back when MWH's head office was there and I was making regular trips there. I had been keeping an eye out for them for a while but had not been able to find them in NZ. They find Billy injecting renewed energy into his back catalogue and delivering dynamic versions of songs like Georgia on a Fast Train, Honky Tonk Heroes, Old Five and Dimers and the mighty Live Forever (no relation to the Oasis song). I followed up these purchases with a few more Shaver CDs and was saddened and disappointed when shortly after starting to listen to them Eddie died of a heroin overdose and Shaver were no more. Billy still plays and records and maybe one day I will get a chance to see him.
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