Country Music Legend Honors the Late Wayne Mills

On Thursday, February 18th, country legend Billy Joe Shaver played a gig at WorkPlay Theater in Birmingham.

Thursday night, Shaver took the stage, rocked through a healthy sized catalog of work, then left the stage without incident. The only thing different that night was when Shaver replaced his cowboy hat for a Wayne Mills logoed ball cap. In a way, tipping his hat to the late Alabama singer and songwriter.

Shaver was given the hat by Jeremy McCollough, a fan of Mills' music and supporter of The Last Honky Tonk Music Series, a series named in honor of the late Alabama singer.

McCollough said,

I was in the front row and he offered to wear it and of course I let him. I was just in the right place at the right time I guess for him to notice my hat.

Mills grew up in the north Alabama town of Arab where he played baseball at Wallace State Junior College and football at the University of Alabama. He earned an education degree before becoming a professional musician.

Mills was fatally shot in a Nashville bar on November 23, 2013. Musicians from all over the United States have since come together on several occasions to pay tribute to the late musician, husband and father. Billy Joe Shaver is one of those proud to acknowledge Mills' contribution to the world of country music.