Outlaw country pioneer Billy Joe Shaver once declared himself the “Wacko from Waco” after he shot a man in the face in self-defense in a bar near that city. But Corsicana claims him, too. The town, Shaver’s birthplace, erected a statue of the singer-songwriter on Oct. 28, the fifth anniversary of his death at 81.
Set in downtown Corsicana across from the Palace Theatre, the bronze sculpture is classic Shaver – big hat, big grin, acoustic guitar slung over his back. His arms are wide open, with eight fingers outstretched -- he lost two in a sawmill accident.
Shaver spent his childhood in the city, an hour southeast from Dallas, before moving to Waco and later Nashville. While he never had big hits of his own, his songs were covered by Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, who once told The Dallas Morning News “He’s as real a writer as Hemingway.”
Willie Nelson loved “Live Forever” so much he recorded it twice – first with the Highwaymen and again in 2022 for a tribute album. The new statue nails Shaver’s likeness, but his lyrics capture his legacy: “I will always be around / Just like the songs I leave behind me / I'm gonna live forever now.”
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