Billy Joe Shaver Recovering After Heart Surgery

Singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver is recovering from minor heart surgery, including undergoing a stent procedure on Monday (July 12). The Austin American-Statesman reports that Billy Joe canceled three scheduled July shows due to chest pain, including an appearance at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic last week.

The 71-year-old, who suffered a heart attack on stage in 2001 at the Gruene Hall while playing a New Year's Eve show, is expected to make a full recovery and will resume performing in August, according to manager Greg Henry.

"He's scheduled for a bunch of shows in August, and we'll take stock but we don't intend to cancel anything at this point," Henry tells the newspaper. "He even thought he could do his show in Luckenbach on the 17th, but we decided it was better to have him rest for a while."

In April, Billy Joe was found not guilty of aggravated assault stemming from a shooting outside a Texas bar in 2007. Last month he spent one night at the Heart Hospital of Austin after doctors placed a stent in a coronary artery supplying blood to the heart.

Download Billy Joe Shaver Songs