David Allan Coe, Controversial Outlaw Country Star, Dead at 86

Legendary outlaw country music star David Allan Coe has died. The controversial singer-songwriter was 86. No cause of death has been disclosed, but USA Today reports that a representative for Coe confirmed the news.

Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939, Coe was well-known for performing iconic country songs such as “You Never Even Called Me by My Name“. Some of his other biggest hits include: “The Ride”, “Longhaired Redneck”, “She Used to Love Me a Lot”, and “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”.

David Allen Coe’s cause of death is unclear at this time

The songwriter also had a couple of songs that were wildly popular when covered by other artists. “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” performed by Tanya Tucker is one example. Johnny Paycheck’s take on “Take This Job and Shove It” is another.

It’s also notable that Coe was the first artist to record “Tennessee Whiskey“. Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove wrote the song. Today, most people are more familiar with Chris Stapleton’s version.

While his straightforward, mainstream country songs made big waves, Coe also had some underground music that was very controversial.

In the 70s, Coe wrote and recorded a musical comedy album, Nothing Sacred. Among the tracks are ones where Coe took verbal shots at people like Jimmy Buffett and late singer/anti-LGBTQ activist Anita Bryant.

The “Cheeseburger in Paradise” singer had previously accused Coe of plagiarism, which Coe denied. The pair wrote some songs about each other back and forth, with Coe’s, simply titled “Jimmy Buffett”, appearing on Nothing Sacred. As for Bryant, Coe seemed to feel like her anti-gay rhetoric was hypocritical, so he wrote a tune titled “F*** Anita Bryant.”

Coe’s most controversial song was released in 1982

In the early 80s, Coe released his Underground Album project. The songs were mostly sexual in nature, but one in particular caused quite a stir. Titled “N***** F***er”, the song recounts a story about a white guy whose wife has sex with a black man. The song spawned a critical New York Times article, lambasting Coe for being “racist, misogynist, [and] homophobic.”

In response, Coe told Country Standard Time that he was none of these. “I wrote the guy (Strauss), and he didn’t even acknowledge that I’d sent him an answer,” Coe explained. “I just told them that they could say whatever they wanted to about me, but 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 added. “I’ve got (black, former heavyweight boxing champion) Leon Spinks’ pictures all over my bus, pictures he took with my family.” The singer then concluded, “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.”

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