He could not get a ride west, so he went to the other side of the highway and headed east, accompanying a man who dropped him off just outside Memphis, Tennessee.

[7] His work came to the attention of Waylon Jennings, who filled most of his album Honky Tonk Heroes with Shaver's songs after meeting in a travel trailer at Willie Nelson's 4 July picnic.

On his records, he has been accompanied by other major rock and country musicians such as Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Chuck Leavell and Dickey Betts (of the Allman Brothers), Charlie Daniels, Flaco Jiménez, and Al Kooper.

Shaver is also the "hero" of the song, "Why Can't I Write Like Billy Joe" on the album Stormy Love by Bugs Henderson.

Shaver's debut album, Old Five and Dimers Like Me (1973), contained many songs noted for being performed by other artists that were written by him, such as David Allan Coe and Waylon Jennings.

Shaver is also known for his hit "Live Forever", co-written by his son Eddy; Robert Duvall performs it in the movie Crazy Heart, and it is included in the soundtrack.

Folk country artist Todd Snider wrote and dedicated his song "Waco Moon" to Eddy.

Shaver nearly died the following year when he had a heart attack on stage during an Independence Day show at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas.

Musicians playing on the album included Randy Scruggs, Laura Cash, John Anderson, and Marty Stuart.

[15] In 2022 a tribute album of Shaver's songs was released Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver which include tracks from Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Bingham, Nikki Lane, Rodney Crowell, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Steve Earle, Nathaniel, Amanda Shire, Margo Price, and others.

His losses and excesses inspired some of the greatest songs in the English languageIn 2023, Shaver's voice appeared on Tanya Tucker’s critically acclaimed album Sweet Western Sound.

Johnny Cash cited him as "One of the greatest songwriters" and Kris Kristofferson said that his lyrics were "on the same level of Ernest Hemingway's books".

[16][18] On April 2, 2007, police in Lorena, Texas, issued two arrest warrants for Shaver on charges of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm in a prohibited place, in connection with an incident outside a tavern, Papa Joe's Texas Saloon, in Lorena two days prior, on March 31, in which Shaver shot a man, Billy Bryant Coker, in the face with a handgun.

[19] In an August 2014 NPR interview, Shaver said that he shot Coker because he was "such a bully" and that "I hit him right between a mother and a fucker.

'"[1] After unsuccessfully attempting to surrender to police in Austin, who were unaware of the warrant, Shaver turned himself in at McLennan County Jail in Waco on April 3.

He was acquitted in a Waco court on April 9, 2010, after testifying that he acted in self-defense, with friends Willie Nelson and Robert Duvall in attendance for support.

[24] In 2006, a documentary of a concert, Billy Joe Shaver – North Carolina 2006 was released on YouTube along with a limited number of DVDs.

In 2008, he co-starred with Bill Engvall and Billy Ray Cyrus in the made-for-TV USA Network movie, Bait Shop.