David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86
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Coe died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, his representative said in a statement to PEOPLE
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Coe was part of country's outlaw movement in the '70s and was widely criticized for his use of slurs and racial stereotypes in his songs, as well as frequently using the Confederate flag
David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86.
Coe died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, his representative said in a statement to PEOPLE.
"David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans," his rep said. "Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and A great singer, songwriter, and performer."
The country singer-songwriter found fame in the ‘70s as part of the outlaw country music scene, with songs like "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" and "Longhaired Redneck." In the '80s, he scored country hits with "The Ride" and "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.” Coe was widely criticized for his use of slurs and racial stereotypes in his songs; he claimed he was not racist. He was also criticized for frequently using the Confederate flag.
Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939. At age 9, he was sent to reform school and then spent much of the next two decades of his life in correctional facilities. His interest in music began while he was incarcerated. After he was released in 1967, he headed to Nashville to pursue a music career, busking on the street for money.
Coe released his debut album,Penitentiary Blues, in 1970. Though he struggled to find success as a singer, others had hits performing songs he wrote. In 1973,Tanya Tuckercovered his composition, “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone),” which was a No. 1 country single. Johnny Paycheck also hit No. 1 on the chart in 1977 with Coe’s “Take This Job and Shove It.” The song also garnered Coe his only Grammy nomination.
Coe’s 1974 albumThe Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboywas his first country record. The name was taken from his attire at the time: he would wear a mask and bedazzled jacket and hat for performances.Once Upon a Rhyme, released the following year, had his first successful single, a cover of Steve Goodman's “You Never Even Called Me by My Name" that hit the country Top 10.
In 1976, he releasedLonghaired Redneck, with the title track directly referencing the outlaw country genre. A year later, he releasedRides Again. However, he never found the same sustained mainstream success as others in the sub-genre, likeWillie Nelson. “I did it," he told thePhoenix New Timesin 1993 of his outlaw credentials. "I was singing that stuff for years. I was living it for years. Willie,Waylon [Jennings]— they just got more famous. I was the original outlaw.”
Consistent commercial success continued to elude him in the late '70s and into the early '80s. Then he had a major comeback in 1983 withCastles in the Sand; its single “The Ride" was a Top 10 country hit. "I like good music, I don't care what it's about, as long as it's good music," he toldThe Oklahomanin 1985 about selecting songs. "I'm not limiting myself to singing protest songs. I just know when I hear it if it's a good song or not, or whether I want to sing it or not."
In 1984, he releasedDivorced, which produced the No. 2 country hit “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile,” his highest-charting single as a performer. “She Used to Love Me a Lot” from 1985'sDarlin', Darlinreached No. 11.
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Coe used slurs and racist stereotypes in his songs throughout his career. Most notably, he released two underground albums in the late '70s and early '80s that made liberal use of hate speech.The New York Timeswrote in 2000, “In the early '80's the outlaw country singer David Allan Coe released very small quantities of two underground albums of songs that are among the most racist, misogynist, homophobic and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter.” After the songs were bootlegged for years, Coe began selling them on his website in 2000, though without his name on them.
Coe claimed in a 2000 interview withCountry Standard TimethatThe New York Timesmischaracterized the songs and did not give him a chance to respond. He said that off the record, he had told the outlet “they couldn't call me a racist or White supremacist because that wasn't true."
"I've got a Black drummer who's married to a White chick," Coe toldCountry Standard Time. "I've got [Black former heavyweight boxing champion] Leon Spinks pictures all over my bus, pictures he took with my family. My hair's in dreadlocks. I'm the farthest thing from a White supremacist that anybody could ever be. I'm really [ticked] off, ya know." He claimed that he had previously sold the rights to all his songs in bankruptcy proceedings and that he was no longer making money off of them.
The Austin Chroniclereported at the time that Coe wrote a letter on his website explaining why the albums existed. “I was a young man living with a motorcycle club. . . . I had given up on any commercial success and country radio wouldn't play my songs anyway. . . . I made these albums for bikers to play at parties . . . . Not everyone appreciates biker humor, even in music,” he wrote, adding, “I don't apologize for these albums, because they are very funny, but don't expect me to sing these songs at my shows!"
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Coe released over 40 studio albums in total.
Coe was married six times. For a time in the ‘80s, he claimed to be a Mormon polygamist. In 2010, he married sixth wife Kimberly Hastings, perThe Boot. He had four children, Tyler, Tanya, Shyanne and Carson, with ex-wife Jody Lynn Coe. He also had a daughter Shelli. Tanya also became a musician. Coe’s son Tyler hosted the country music podcastCocaine & Rhinestonesand was Coe’s band leader until his father dismissed him in 2013. Tyler toldGQin 2021 that they had not spoken since.
In 2015,he pleaded guiltyto obstructing the IRS from collecting taxes. In 2016, he was ordered to pay nearly $1 million, per theAssociated Press.
Coe is survived by his wife and children.
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