David Allan Coe, outlaw country rebel, dead at 86

David Allan Coe, country singer and songwriter, died on Wednesday at age 86. No cause of death was revealed but his wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, gave a short statement to Rolling Stone: “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.”

Born in Akron, OH in 1939, Coe spent much of his early years in and out of prison and it was during a three-year stint in the Ohio Penitentiary that he met Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who encouraged him to write songs. He began his music career in earnest in the late ’60s and in 1970 released his debut album, Penitentiary Blues, and would soon have his songs recorded by Tanya Tucker, Billie Jo Spears and more. His song “Take This Job and Shove It” was a massive hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and was then turned into a 1981 movie (in which Coe appeared).

Despite his success, Coe remained on the fringes of country even while having his own hits, that included “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” (written by Steve Goodman and an uncredited John Prine), “Longhaired Redneck”, “The Ride”, “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”, and “She Used to Love Me a Lot.”

A contentious, controversial cult artist, Coe also released two “X-Rated” albums, 1978’s Nothing’s Sacred and 1982’s Underground Album, that were only sold via mail-order from ads in bikers magazines and were full of racist, homophobic and misogynist lyrics — they were records he later denounced. “Those were meant to be sung around the campfire for bikers, and I still don’t sing those songs in concert,” he told Billboard in 2001.

Rest easy, David.