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Country, Music Calendar

Today: Billy Joe Shaver is 74 – Happy Birthday

billy joe shaver

‘Cause movin’s in my soul, i guess a gypsy boy got a hold
Of somebody in my family long ago
If some night while half asleep you hear the back door softly squeak
You’ll touch my empty pillow, then you’ll know
That restless wind, is calling me again
– Billy Joe Shaver (from “Restless Wind” (one of his best songs))

–

“He may be the best songwriter alive today”
– Willie Nelson

«He’s a real writer like Hemingway. He’s timeless»
– Kris Kristofferson

«Billy Joe is unique. One of a kind. They threw away the mold. The best.»
– Robert Duvall

I’m listening to Billy Joe Shaver And i’m reading James Joyce
-Bob Dylan (I Feel a Change Comin’ On)

Restless Wind:

Billy Joe Shaver is one of my greatest “Honky Tonk Heroes”.

«Throughout my career as a songwriter, I’ve just written songs about me – the good and the bad, the funny and the sad….. The songs are my story»
– Billy Joe shaver

«..I’ve lost part of three fingers, broke my back, suffered a heart attack and a quadruple bypass, had a steel plate put in my neck and 136 stitches in my head, fought drugs and booze, spent the money I had, and buried my wife, son & mother in the span of one year… I’m not proud of my misfortune – I’m proud of my survival»
– Billy Joe Shaver

billy joe shaver

From Wikipedia: 

Birth name Billy Joe Shaver
Born August 16, 1939 (age 74)
Origin Corsicana, Texas, United States
Genres Country Music
Outlaw Country
Occupations Singer and Songwriter
Instruments Acoustic Guitar
Associated acts Lee Clayton
Jessi Colter
Waylon Jennings
Kris Kristofferson
Willie Nelson
Mickey Newbury
Steve Young
Johnny Cash
Website www.billyjoeshaver.com

–

From amazon.com: Willie Nelson says “Billy Joe Shaver may be the best songwriter alive today,” and legions of fans agree that Billy Joe is the real deal. Many describe his songs as pure poetry. Shaver sings about a life that’s been full of hard times, wild living, and a forty-year-long passion for his late wife Brenda. His songs are raw, honest, and so true that people hear the story of their own lives in his music. No wonder, then, that his songs have also been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Patty Loveless, John Anderson, Tom T. Hall, the Allman Brothers, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Tex Ritter.

 

billy joe shaver

Here is my list of his 15 best songs:

  1. Live Forever
  2. Restless Wind
  3. Georgia on a Fast Train
  4. When The Fallen Angels Fly
  5. Fit To Kill And Going Out In Style
  6. I’m just an old Chunk of Coal
  7. Black Rose
  8. Old Five & Dimers Like Me
  9. Honkey Tonk Heroes
  10. You Asked Me To
  11. Ride Me Down Easy
  12. Highway of Life
  13. Heart of Texas
  14. Willie The Wandering Gypsy and Me
  15. Moonshine & Indian Blood

Some videos from youtube:

Live Forever (best version):

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna cross that river
I’m gonna catch tomorrow now
You’re gonna wanna hold me
Just like I’ve always told you
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone

Nobody here will ever find me
But I will always be around
Just like the songs I leave behind me
I’m gonna live forever now

You fathers and you mothers
Be good to one another
Please try to raise your children right
Don’t let the darkness take ’em
Don’t make ’em feel forsaken
Just lead ’em safely to the light

When this old world is blown us under
And all the stars fall from the sky
Remember someone really loves you
We’ll live forever you and I

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna cross that river
I’m gonna catch tomorrow now

 

billy joe shaver

Georgia on a Fast Train:

When the Fallen Angels Fly:

Black Rose – GREAT live version (Austin City Limits):

A lot of his best songs.. and best versions of his best songs missing on spotify.. but here are some:

Recommended reading:

“Honky Tonk Hero” (Billy Joe Shaver)

billy joe shaver book

Other August 16:

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Elvis Presley, Memphis, Music Calendar

Today: Elvis Presley passed away in 1977 – 35 years ago

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is music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country.

President Jimmy Carter
August 17, 1977

From Wikipedia:

Birth name Elvis Aaron Presley
Born January 8, 1935
Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.
Died August 16, 1977 (aged 42)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres Rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, country, blues, gospel, R&B
Occupations Musician, actor
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 1953–77
Labels Sun, RCA Victor
Associated acts The Blue Moon Boys, The Jordanaires, The Imperials
Website elvis.com

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is commonly known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King“.

From Allmusic (Richie Unterberger):

Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent. But no one could argue with the fact that he was the musician most responsible for popularizing rock & roll on an international level. Viewed in cold sales figures, his impact was phenomenal. Dozens upon dozens of international smashes from the mid-’50s to the mid-’70s, as well as the steady sales of his catalog and reissues since his death in 1977, may make him the single highest-selling performer in history.
More important from a music lover’s perspective, however, are his remarkable artistic achievements.Presley was not the very first white man to sing rhythm & blues; Bill Haley predated him in that regard, and there may have been others as well. Elvis was certainly the first, however, to assertively fuse country and blues music into the style known as rockabilly. While rockabilly arrangements were the foundations of his first (and possibly best) recordings, Presley could not have become a mainstream superstar without a much more varied palette that also incorporated pop, gospel, and even some bits of bluegrass and operatic schmaltz here and there. His ’50s recordings established the basic language of rock & roll; his explosive and sexual stage presence set standards for the music’s visual image; his vocals were incredibly powerful and versatile.

Read more @ allmusic.com

Suspicious Mind:

Mystery Train:

If I Can Dream:

Album of the day:

Other August-16:

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