Like a high ‘E’ string hitting the sweetest note of a soaring harmonious guitar solo, a collective exhalation of sincere grief, but undying gratitude pierces through the din to mark the death of the indomitable Dickey Betts.
Billy Joe Shaver was one of the greatest, most influential, and most colorful songwriter/performers in the history of country music. There may have never been a more important performer in country music who never had a Top 40 hit. Billy Joe’s son Eddy Shaver was no slouch either.
Billy Joe Shaver could be a hero to someone even if they didn’t give a fig about country music. But eventually, and somewhat inexplicably, Billy Joe Shaver did die, on October 28th 2020. Turns out, only his songs were immortal. But you can still see him.
20 years ago today (August 25th, 2001), Billy Joe Shaver had a heart attack right there on the stage of the historic Gruene Hall in Texas while performing. He thought it was the end, and in some ways, wanted it to be. “I said, ‘Thank you, Lord, for letting me die in the oldest honky-tonk in Texas.’”
It’s almost eerie how when it comes to the death of certain country legends, circumstances and premonitions align in a way that makes it seem like they knew something way before the rest of us did. It’s because so much of country music is about addressing mortality.