• Country music singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver canceled his Thursday night show at the Heights Theater in Houston due to illness. Shaver also canceled his Friday show at the Kessler Theater in Dallas.See which concerts Houstonians can look forward to in 2018...
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Country music singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver canceled his Thursday night show at the Heights Theater in Houston due to illness. Shaver also canceled his Friday show at the Kessler Theater in Dallas.

See which concerts Houstonians can look forward to in 2018...
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Country music singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver canceled his Thursday night show at the Heights Theater in Houston due to illness. Shaver also canceled his Friday show at the Kessler Theater in Dallas.

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Black Label Society

Jan. 15, House of Blues
Black Label Society

Jan. 15, House of Blues
Photo: Paul A. Hebert, Associated Press
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Marilyn Manson 

Jan. 24, House of Blues
Marilyn Manson 

Jan. 24, House of Blues
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Big Boi

Jan. 26, Warehouse Live 
Big Boi

Jan. 26, Warehouse Live 
Photo: Michael Buckner, Staff
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Kid Rock

Feb. 3, Toyota Center
Kid Rock

Feb. 3, Toyota Center
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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Lana Del Rey

Feb. 10, Toyota Center 
Lana Del Rey

Feb. 10, Toyota Center 
Photo: Photo By C Flanigan/WireImage, WireImage
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Marc Anthony

Feb. 16, Toyota Center
Marc Anthony

Feb. 16, Toyota Center
Photo: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images
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RodeoHouston 

February 27-March 18, NRG Stadium
RodeoHouston 

February 27-March 18, NRG Stadium
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
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Steve Aoki

March 2, Revention Music Center
Steve Aoki

March 2, Revention Music Center
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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Noel Gallagher 

March 3, House of Blues 
Noel Gallagher 

March 3, House of Blues 
Photo: File, Handout
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Dropkick Murphys

March 3, Revention Center 
Dropkick Murphys

March 3, Revention Center 
Photo: ANDREW BUCKLEY
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Flogging Molly

March 8, House of Blues
Flogging Molly

March 8, House of Blues
Photo: Slimspresents.com
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Lorde, Run The Jewels

March 19, Toyota Center
Lorde, Run The Jewels

March 19, Toyota Center
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Romeo Santos 

March 20, Toyota Center
Romeo Santos 

March 20, Toyota Center
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
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In Bloom Music Festival 

March 24-25, Eleanor Tinsley Park
In Bloom Music Festival 

March 24-25, Eleanor Tinsley Park
Photo: Jay Dryden, For The Houston Chronicle
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Foo Fighters 

April 19, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Foo Fighters 

April 19, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Photo: Chris Pizzello, Associated Press
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"Weird Al" Yankovic

April 24, Stafford Centre
"Weird Al" Yankovic

April 24, Stafford Centre
Photo: Contributed Photo
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Jack Johnson

April 26, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Jack Johnson

April 26, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Photo: Susan Walsh, AP
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Eric Church

April 27, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Eric Church

April 27, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Photo: Mindy Small/FilmMagic
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Pink

April 28-29, Toyota Center
Pink

April 28-29, Toyota Center
Photo: John Shearer/WireImage
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Judas Priest

April 29, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Judas Priest

April 29, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
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Jason Isbell

May 2, Smart Financial Centre
Jason Isbell

May 2, Smart Financial Centre
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Franz Ferdinand

May 8, White Oak Music Hall
Franz Ferdinand

May 8, White Oak Music Hall
Photo: KMazur, WireImage
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Tom Jones 

May 16, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Tom Jones 

May 16, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Photo: Jordan Strauss, Associated Press
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Justin Timberlake

May 23, Toyota Center
Justin Timberlake

May 23, Toyota Center
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers

May 24, Smart Financial Centre 
Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers
May 24, Smart Financial Centre 
Photo: Al Pereira, Getty Images
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Stryper

May 31, Proof Rooftop Lounge
Stryper
May 31, Proof Rooftop Lounge
Photo: handout
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Harry Styles

June 7, Toyota Center
Harry Styles

June 7, Toyota Center
Photo: Photo By Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
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Kacey Musgraves

June 7, Toyota Center
Kacey Musgraves

June 7, Toyota Center
Photo: Terry Wyatt/WireImage
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Shania Twain

June 9, Toyota Center
Shania Twain

June 9, Toyota Center
Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
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Maroon 5 

June 10, Toyota Center
Maroon 5 

June 10, Toyota Center
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Eagles and Chris Stapleton

June 15, Minute Maid Park
Eagles and Chris Stapleton

June 15, Minute Maid Park
Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
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Yanni

June 16, Smart Financial Centre
Yanni

June 16, Smart Financial Centre
Photo: Unknown
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Kesha and Macklemore 

June 23, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Kesha and Macklemore 

June 23, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images For IHeartMedia
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Weezer and Pixies

June 29, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Weezer and Pixies

June 29, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
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Niall Horan

July 18, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Niall Horan

July 18, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Photo: David Needleman
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Sam Smith 

July 18, Toyota Center
Sam Smith 

July 18, Toyota Center
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Coachella
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ELO 

Aug. 10, Toyota Center
ELO 

Aug. 10, Toyota Center
Photo: ANNAMARIA DISANTO, File
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Taylor Swift 

Sept. 29, NRG Stadium
Taylor Swift 

Sept. 29, NRG Stadium
Photo: Associated Press
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Ed Sheeran 

Nov. 3, Minute Maid Park
Ed Sheeran 

Nov. 3, Minute Maid Park
Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle
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Country music singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver canceled his Thursday night show at the Heights Theater in Houston due to illness. Shaver also canceled his Friday show at the Kessler Theater in Dallas.

The Corsicana native is 78, but perhaps with more miles on him than others his age. He was a central figure in the fast-living Outlaw Country music set in the 1970s that made stars of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.

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Never a household name like those two performers, he nevertheless wrote some of the most enduring songs and phrases in country music in that era including "Honky Tonk Heroes," the title track of one of Jennings' best-known albums. Nine of the 10 songs on that album were written by Shaver.

His rough and tumble life started early, when his mother ran off, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother.

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In those 78 years, he's found himself drunk, strung out, involved in numerous fights, and the recipient of two devastating heartbreaks when his wife and son died between 1999 and 2000. A heart attack followed in 2001 necessitating a quadruple bypass surgery.

Through it all Shaver kept writing and recording. He remained stoic and pugnacious through it all. In 2010 he was acquitted for shooting a man outside a Leona bar in 2007.

More on his life story here.

And more on his condition to come.