Billy Joe Shaver is my favorite songwriter. Not country songwriter. Favorite songwriter. Period. End of story. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. There's Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Duvall... just to name a few. He's the quintessential country songwriter, but that's just a big word that doesn't do justice to the honesty, raw intensity, and outpouring of heart and soul in his lyrics. Over 50 artists have recorded his songs, but nobody does it better than Billy Joe, and that's why this show is so important. Recorded on August 14, 1984, Billy Joe holds nothing back. There's the grit, there's the attitude, there's the defiance. But there's also the intimacy, the poetry, the stories. And it's the story of Billy Joe - born and raised in and around Waco, Texas. Life has never come easy, but his optimism and faith in humanity is eternal, as he sings, "I'm just an old chunk of coal, but I'm gonna be a diamond some day." His late wife Brenda once said, "Billy Joe's a tall man with steel gray eyes that seem to go right through you, and a smile as big as Texas."

-Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®)

• Combo includes DVD video and audio CD
• Remastered in 5.1 DTS surround sound and 2.0 stereo
• NTSC, Region Free
• 47 mins

TRACKLIST:                    

1. Ride Me Down Easy
2. I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train
3. Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me
4. Black Rose
5. Woman Is The Wonder Of The World
6. Love You Till The Cows Come Home
7. Sweet Mama
8. Street Walkin' Woman
9. Fit To Kill And Going Out In Style
10. One Moving Part
11. Bottom Dollar
12. I'm Just An Old Chunk Of Coal
13. Oklahoma Wind
14. You Can't Beat Jesus Christ
15. Old Five And Dimers Like Me

Recorded August 14, 1984