On April 29, 2026, legendary country singer/songwriter David Allan Coe died at 86. Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, on September 6, 1939. Before becoming a country singer, Coe spent nearly two decades in correctional facilities. He spent three years in the Ohio Penitentiary, where he met Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Hawkins encouraged David Allan Coe to begin songwriting. After another three years in prison, he began his music career in 1967. His career began in Nashville, Tennessee, where Coe was living in a hearse. He was a street performer before catching the attention of Plantation Records owner Shelby Singleton.
Coe released his debut album in 1970, titled Penitentiary Blues. He then toured with Grand Funk Railroad following the release of his first album. He soon gained a cult following within outlaw country, and he wrote hits for other artists at the time. Those hits include “Souvenirs & California Mem’rys” by Billie Jo Spears in 1972, and “Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone) by Tanya Tucker in 1973. The latter became a No. 1 hit and gave Coe the push as a songwriter to get noticed by Columbia Records. He then became a well-known Nashville songwriter. He recorded his own version of the song, which was released on his 1975 album Once Upon A Rhyme.
David Allan Coe Helped Popularize Outlaw Country
In 1974, David Allan Coe released his third album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. The album was revolutionary for the emerging outlaw country genre. Years before Glen Campbell’s hit song “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Coe created a gimmick involving a rhinestone suit and a Lone Ranger mask. In 1975, Coe released Once Upon A Rhyme, which contained the hit song “You Never Even Call Me By My Name.” The song was written by Steve Goodman and John Prine, and was previously released by Goodman in 1971. It peaked at No. 8 and became Coe’s first top-10 hit. He wrote Johnny Paycheck’s No. 1 hit “Take This Job And Shove It,” released in 1977. Coe continued a string of successful albums in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. He was considered one of the greatest outlaw country singer/songwriters.
Coe’s wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death with Rolling Stone in a statement. “One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time, and never to be forgotten. My husband, my friend, my confidant, and my life for many years. I’ll never forget him, and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either.”
