Three years after shooting a man outside a Texas saloon, self-styled “Honky Tonk Hero” Billy Joe Shaver put his legal problems to rest this week by pleading no contest to a misdemeanor gun charge.
Shaver’s problems started in 2007 when he shot and wounded Billy Coker outside a drinking establishment near Lorena, Texas. Shaver always claimed the shooting was self-defense and in April a jury acquitted the 70-year-old country artist of aggravated assault.
This week’s legal proceedings dealt with the Shaver’s alleged illegal possession of a .22-caliber pistol in the bar. After Shaver pleaded no contest the judge fined him $1,000.
Shaver, who was part of country music’s “outlaw” movement during the ‘70s has recorded more than 20 albums since his rise to fame more than three decades ago. His songwriting credits include “Georgia On A Fast Train” and “I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be A Diamond Someday).” Artists who have recorded his songs include Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.