Question
I have a huge live oak and alot of new shoots are growing on and up the trunk and half the towering branches don't have leaves anymore

Answer
Sounds like the tree is dying. When oaks start to die they will sprout growth on the trunk to try to produce enough food for the tree. Several things could be causing the problem--hydroxyl canker and oak wilt are the two most common. I would suggest that you contact the Texas Forest Service and ask one of their Foresters to come take a look. Their number is in the local phone book. They have an excellent pest management staff that can be called of needed--the local Forester can call the specialist in. it would be much better if they looked at the tree in person rather than trying to describe the problem. Here is a web link to their contact page for the counties

http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?ctrl=13
Here is a web link to the Texas Forest Service pest management staff.

http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1170