Here's the scoop:
Congratulations to Willie Nelson on his Grammy win last night! The legendary songwriter was awarded Best Country Album for "A Beautiful Time" and Best Country Solo Performance for his rendition of Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever” at last night’s 65th Annual Grammy Awards. It's a big win for Willie, Billy Joe and real country music.
The song is the opening track of the critically acclaimed album Live Forever: A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver which was released last year on New West Records & Pedernales Records. The 12-song set was co-produced by Charlie Sexton & Freddy Fletcher and featured renditions of Shaver songs lovingly recorded by George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Nathaniel Rateliff, Ryan Bingham and Nikki Lane, Steve Earle, Edie Brickell, Rodney Crowell, Margo Price (featuring Joshua Hedley), Allison Russell, and Amanda Shires in addition to Nelson. Upon its release, Nelson, who once stated “Billy Joe Shaver is definitely the best writer in Texas,” said “He was just real; there wasn’t one phony drop of blood in him.”
About Billy Joe Shaver
In 1965, Billy Joe Shaver hitchhiked to Nashville and convinced the country singer Bobby Bare to listen to his songs. Bare quickly signed Shaver to a $50 a week job as a songwriter and recorded his song “Ride Me Down Easy.” Kris Kristofferson’s rendition of “Good Christian Soldier” and Tom T. Hall’s recording of “Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me” soon followed. Shaver’s breakout moment came in 1973 when Waylon Jennings’ landmark album Honky Tonk Heroes was released. Hailed as the first “Outlaw Country” record, ten of its eleven songs were written or co-written by Shaver. One of which, “You Asked Me To,” was a top 10 hit for Jennings and was later recorded by Elvis Presley. Shaver’s legendary debut album, Old Five and Dimers Like Me, was produced by Kristofferson and issued in 1973 as well. He went on to release more than 20 albums, including the Grammy-nominated Everybody’s Brother in 2007. His final album, 2014’s acclaimed Long in the Tooth was his first to chart in Billboard’s Top Country Albums. Shaver's songs have been recorded and performed by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Allman Brothers, and countless other legendary artists and his signature song, “Live Forever,” was performed by Robert Duvall in the 2009 film Crazy Heart. He was honored with the first ever Americana Music Award for Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting in 2002, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Billy Joe Shaver died on October 28th, 2020.
Get a copy of the Billy Joe Shaver tribute album Live Forever from New West Records right here.
Listen to Willie's version of "Live Forever" followed by Billy Joe Shaver's performance of his song on Austin City Limits with support from his pal Willie Nelson and son Eddy Shaver below.
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