Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums
by henrygreen0203 
"If you're nobody's business or you're front page news
Folk, Rock, Country or Delta Blues
Tell your truth however you choose
And do it all for the sake of the song"
-Hayes Carll
The following are selected records from many Texas singer-songwriter folk icons. Each album contains mostly original songwriting material by the featured artist.
- Chart updated: 05/04/2021 20:45
- (Created: 10/24/2016 18:43).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There is 1 comment for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Billy Joe Shaver. (Remove this filter)
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
1973
Track: Willie the Wandering Gypsy
All songs written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYa84zSxTXm_30GAr350oLppDhU1is_4y
Stories abound about Billy Joe Shaver, the tragedies endured, the stands taken, the paths chosen. Suffice to say that there is not an insincere bone in the body of this man. A son of Corsicana and Waco, Texas, Shaver’s songs leap straight from the heart and speak to those parts of us that need some dignity, some justice. This is poetry straight from the black soil of East Texas, earthy and real.
The word outlaw has a bit of a nefarious meaning. To the Nashville establishment in the early seventies, it was tagged to a number of country and western artists who weren’t as welcome on the Grand Ole Opry stage as the likes of Porter Waggoner or Dolly Parton. At the helm of the “outlaw movement”, as these artists came to be known, were Texans Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and the lesser known Shaver…maybe the truest outlaw of them all.
The trio’s work, and more importantly their attitudes and actions, led to a minor exodus out of Nashville and into Texas, where they found a much better reception for their heartfelt music and their wicked ways.
“It’s all right to call me an outlaw, but it’s hard to be an outlaw when you ‘ain’t wanted”, Shaver said in an interview. “No, back in those days when we first started that movement, it was more like outcast than outlaw. They didn’t want us in there.”
For his part, Shaver stayed out of the spotlight, likely not by choice. Rather, his penchant was for crafting indelible, gruff and spare country songs that bled authenticity. The kind of stuff that didn’t get played on the Opry stage too often.
These songs eventually got the attention of Jennings after he was confronted by Shaver in a Nashville studio. Billy Joe famously warned Jennings to listen to his music or get his “ass whupped”, and Jennings wisely chose to listen. The result was Honky Tonk Heroes, Waylon’s 1973 album of Shaver’s songs that ushered in the outlaw movement, instilling a more rock ’n’ roll approach to country, and influencing a slew of artists then, such as David Allan Coe and Kris Kristofferson, and now, such as Hank Williams III and Wayne Hancock.
Yet, for all it has accomplished, outlaw country has yet to be accepted by the Nashville elite, and that’s just fine with Shaver. “They were afraid we’d mess up what they had and they had something that was good,” Shaver added, “but it wasn’t as good as what we brought to the table. We were probably ten or fifteen years ahead. They claimed it was rock ‘n’ roll; it wasn’t. It was just kick ass country, the way we play down here in Texas.”
Shaver stands as one of country music’s true originals that is still actively writing, his latest release being the highly acclaimed Long in the Tooth, an album which has shed a brighter light on the honky-tonk hero. The album’s opener is a duet with Nelson, aptly titled “Hard to Be an Outlaw.” It’s the perfect frosting on the cake that is Shaver’s hard fought career, one that was never ideal in terms of development. However, he’s still standing and he remains the epitome of Texas music… independent, ornery as hell, and steadfast. Country as it gets, in all the right ways.
Three things you should know about Billy Joe Shaver: (1) at a young age he lost two fingers working in a sawmill, which shaped the way he plays guitar; (2) Shaver’s son, Eddy, performed alongside his father up until a tragic heroin overdose in 2000, and (3) his on again/off again wife Brenda refused to let Billy Joe play on Honky Tonk Heroes, telling Jennings “He don’t want to be on no outlaw album. He don’t want to go back to that kind of life.” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2017]
Track: Willie the Wandering Gypsy
All songs written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYa84zSxTXm_30GAr350oLppDhU1is_4y
Stories abound about Billy Joe Shaver, the tragedies endured, the stands taken, the paths chosen. Suffice to say that there is not an insincere bone in the body of this man. A son of Corsicana and Waco, Texas, Shaver’s songs leap straight from the heart and speak to those parts of us that need some dignity, some justice. This is poetry straight from the black soil of East Texas, earthy and real.
The word outlaw has a bit of a nefarious meaning. To the Nashville establishment in the early seventies, it was tagged to a number of country and western artists who weren’t as welcome on the Grand Ole Opry stage as the likes of Porter Waggoner or Dolly Parton. At the helm of the “outlaw movement”, as these artists came to be known, were Texans Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and the lesser known Shaver…maybe the truest outlaw of them all.
The trio’s work, and more importantly their attitudes and actions, led to a minor exodus out of Nashville and into Texas, where they found a much better reception for their heartfelt music and their wicked ways.
“It’s all right to call me an outlaw, but it’s hard to be an outlaw when you ‘ain’t wanted”, Shaver said in an interview. “No, back in those days when we first started that movement, it was more like outcast than outlaw. They didn’t want us in there.”
For his part, Shaver stayed out of the spotlight, likely not by choice. Rather, his penchant was for crafting indelible, gruff and spare country songs that bled authenticity. The kind of stuff that didn’t get played on the Opry stage too often.
These songs eventually got the attention of Jennings after he was confronted by Shaver in a Nashville studio. Billy Joe famously warned Jennings to listen to his music or get his “ass whupped”, and Jennings wisely chose to listen. The result was Honky Tonk Heroes, Waylon’s 1973 album of Shaver’s songs that ushered in the outlaw movement, instilling a more rock ’n’ roll approach to country, and influencing a slew of artists then, such as David Allan Coe and Kris Kristofferson, and now, such as Hank Williams III and Wayne Hancock.
Yet, for all it has accomplished, outlaw country has yet to be accepted by the Nashville elite, and that’s just fine with Shaver. “They were afraid we’d mess up what they had and they had something that was good,” Shaver added, “but it wasn’t as good as what we brought to the table. We were probably ten or fifteen years ahead. They claimed it was rock ‘n’ roll; it wasn’t. It was just kick ass country, the way we play down here in Texas.”
Shaver stands as one of country music’s true originals that is still actively writing, his latest release being the highly acclaimed Long in the Tooth, an album which has shed a brighter light on the honky-tonk hero. The album’s opener is a duet with Nelson, aptly titled “Hard to Be an Outlaw.” It’s the perfect frosting on the cake that is Shaver’s hard fought career, one that was never ideal in terms of development. However, he’s still standing and he remains the epitome of Texas music… independent, ornery as hell, and steadfast. Country as it gets, in all the right ways.
Three things you should know about Billy Joe Shaver: (1) at a young age he lost two fingers working in a sawmill, which shaped the way he plays guitar; (2) Shaver’s son, Eddy, performed alongside his father up until a tragic heroin overdose in 2000, and (3) his on again/off again wife Brenda refused to let Billy Joe play on Honky Tonk Heroes, telling Jennings “He don’t want to be on no outlaw album. He don’t want to go back to that kind of life.” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2017]
2Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1970s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 24 | 24% | |
| 2000s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2010s | 15 | 15% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Steve Young | 1 | 1% | |
| Tish Hinojosa | 1 | 1% | |
| Susan Gibson | 1 | 1% | |
| Joe Ely | 1 | 1% | |
| David Rodriguez | 1 | 1% | |
| Gary Clark, Jr. | 1 | 1% | |
| Lightnin' Hopkins | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums chart changes
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas 50/50 Songwriters | henrygreen0203 | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| 100 Male Texas Singer-Songwriters | henrygreen0203 | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| Decades of Texas Singer-Songwriters | henrygreen0203 | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Country 1-100 |  briggs54 | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| 100 Favorite Country Albums |  samistake2ice | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | henrygreen0203 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| My KICK-ASS Texas Chart! YeeHaw!! | samistake2ice | Custom chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | henrygreen0203 | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| A Taste of Country - Good Albums by Good Country Music Artists | henrygreen0203 | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | henrygreen0203 | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by henrygreen0203
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums ratings
86/100 (from 2 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 02/18/2019 00:39 | BorderFreeAndrew | | 81/100 |
| 85/100 | 06/03/2017 14:13 |  bobbyb5 | | 90/100 |
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums favourites
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a favourite
Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums comments
Showing all 1 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
85/100
From bobbyb5 06/03/2017 14:15
bobbyb5 06/03/2017 14:15
Cool. I just wanted to see if u put Jerry Jeff Walker, and sure enough u did. Awesome.
#191908 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Texas Troubadours - 100 Singer-Songwriter Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
| Best Artists of the 1970s | |
|---|---|
| 1. Pink Floyd | |
| 2. David Bowie | |
| 3. Led Zeppelin | |
| 4. Neil Young | |
| 5. The Rolling Stones | |
| 6. The Clash | |
| 7. Black Sabbath | |
| 8. Fleetwood Mac | |
| 9. Stevie Wonder | |
| 10. The Who | |
| 11. Genesis | |
| 12. Brian Eno | |
| 13. Joni Mitchell | |
| 14. Paul McCartney | |
| 15. Yes | |
| 16. Bob Dylan | |
| 17. Bob Marley | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. Nick Drake | |
| 20. Marvin Gaye |
