NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Billy Joe Shaver, a king of country music's outlaw movement, died on Wednesday. He was 81.
Shaver lived the life he wrote with a turned phrase and an early desire for respect.
His old-school style and blue jean wardrobe never changed.
Billy Joe Shaver career in pictures
(MANDATORY CREDIT Ebet Roberts/Getty Images) MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MISSOURI, U.S.A. - OCTOBER 04: Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver and Lukas Nelson perform at Farm Aid 2009 held at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on October 4, 2009 in Maryland Heights, Missouri. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
Robert Duvall, Luciana Duvall and Billy Joe Shaver (Photo by Arun Nevader/WireImage for CineVegas)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver is interviewed by Steve Earle for "The Steve Earle Show: Hardcore Troubadour Radio" on SiriusXM's "Outlaw Country" at the SiriusXM Studios on December 5, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Billy Joe Shaver at Wise Fool's Pub, Chicago, Illinois, March 23, 1980. (Photo by Kirk West/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 07: Producer Gary Nicholson (L) and singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver perform during The Drop: Billy Joe Shaver at The GRAMMY Museum on August 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 20: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was taken with a GoPro and converted to black and white.) Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum historian Michael McCall interviews Billy Joe Shaver during the Billy Joe Shaver Songwriter Session at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum during the Americana Music Festival & Conference on September 20, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 20: Michael McDonald, Holly Williams, Billy Joe Shaver, and Bobby Bare Jr. attend the Music City Food + Wine Festival Harvest Night Presented By Infiniti on September 20, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Music City Food + Wine Festival)
SOLANA BEACH, CA - MARCH 08: Singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver performs on stage at Belly Up Tavern on March 8, 2015 in Solana Beach, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/FilmMagic)
INDIO, CA - APRIL 29: Musician Billy Joe Shaver performs onstage during 2016 Stagecoach California's Country Music Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 29, 2016 in Indio, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
(MANDATORY CREDIT Ebet Roberts/Getty Images) Billy Joe Shaver performing with Mickey Raphael on Harmonica at the City Winery in New York City on December 17, 2014. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
STAFFORD, TX -- NOV 18: Billy Joe Shaver before performing at the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas Nov. 18, 2016. (Photo by Michael Stravato/For the Washington Post)
STAFFORD, TX -- NOV 18: Billy Joe Shaver before performing at the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas Nov. 18, 2016. (Photo by Michael Stravato/For the Washington Post)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JULY 04: Singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver performs onstage during the 46th Annual Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic at Austin360 Amphitheater on July 04, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage for Shock Ink)
MACON, GA - AUGUST 20: Capricorn recording artist and songwriter Billy Joe Shaver relaxes at the 5th annual Capricorn Barbecue at Phil Walden's Lakeside Park on August 20, 1976 in Macon, Georgia. (Photo by Tom Hill/Getty Images)
He was confident and often critical of the country music played on the radio today.
It's been a tough few days for Texas Outlaw country music. Jerry Jeff Walker died last week and now Shaver - music inspirations to so many.
STAFFORD, TX -- NOV 18: Billy Joe Shaver before performing at the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas Nov. 18, 2016. (Photo by Michael Stravato/For the Washington Post)
Shaver's songs covered all the themes of traditional country music - God, love, trains, drinking and more.
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