David Allan Coe: Outlaw Country Legend Passes

0:00It's April 30th from Hollywood to your headphones. This is Entertainment and Celebrity News. Today, powered by AI, I'm Cory with the Story. Country legend David Allen Coe passed away at 86. His rep called him a true outlaw, a killer singer, songwriter, and performer who treasured his fans. He blew up in the 70s outlaw country wave with tracks like, you never even call me by my name, and long haired Redneck, then hit big in the 80s with the ride and Mona Lisa lost her smile. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1939, Coe got sent to reform school at 9 and spent nearly 20 years locked up. Music sparked for him behind bars, and after getting out in 1967, he hustled streets in Nashville before dropping his debut. Pinnitentiary Blues in 1970. He wrote monster hits for others, like tying a tucker's number one, would you lay with me, and Johnny Pagex, take this job and shove it, which snagged his lone Grammy nod. He's loved his rhinestone cowboy vibe, but he caught heat for slurs, racial jabs and

1:04songs, and waving the Confederate flag he always denied being racist. In the late 70s and early 80s, underground albums packed with ugly stereotypes got bootlegged and slammed hard. Coe fired back, saying they were biker party jokes from his wild days, not his core sound, and he wasn't caching in any way after bankruptcy. For 40 albums deep, six marriages including a polygamous claim and a tax beef that cost him nearly a million bucks in 2016. Survived by his wife and kids, Coe leaves a raw outlaw stamp on country that nobody else could touch.