Shaver cancels summer tour dates

Long in the Tooth

Billy Joe Shaver does a lot of looking back on life and the travails of love on his first release since 2008's "Everybody's Brother." That's understandable given the rough-and-tumble life of Shaver, who lived up to the outlaw country moniker of his music. Shaver continues in the long line of ace Texas singer/songwriter types like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. Shaver puts his cards on the table on the opening "Hard to Be an Outlaw." With help from Willie ...

Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Waylon and Willie and Johnny and Kris may have lit the fire of public awareness, but those in the know will likely attest to the fact that when the so-called outlaw country movement first took flight, it was Billy Joe Shaver who helped lead the charge. His album "Old Five and Dimers" remains an undisputed classic of the genre, the perfect prototype when it comes to hard-bitten narratives with a rowdy, rambunctious appeal. Likewise, no one questioned his credibility when he unabashedly ...

Everybody's Brother

There's often a fine line between sin and salvation and, like most outlaws, Billy Joe Shaver has one foot in the honky tonk and one in the church pew. Shaver has long expressed the desire to record a "gospel" album and it's fitting...the same weathered voice that speaks convincingly of barrooms and broken hearts is also perfectly suited for singing the praises of Jesus. And it's not like religion is a little-traveled path for Shaver; he has typically included a spiritual ...