David Allan Coe, the outlaw country singer-songwriter known for the working-class anthem 'Take This Job and Shove It' and hits such as 'You Never Even Called Me By My Name' and 'The Ride', has died at the age of 86. His wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Wednesday, describing him as one of the best singers and songwriters of our time.
A representative for Coe told People that he died around 5pm on Wednesday. The cause of death was not disclosed. Coe had been hospitalised with Covid-19 in September 2021, as his wife posted on Facebook, and he made few public appearances afterwards.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Coe spent time in reformatories and served a prison sentence from 1963 to 1967 for possession of burglary tools. He recorded his first album, 'Penitentiary Blues', using songs written while incarcerated. Despite his successes as a songwriter and singer, Coe remained an outsider in Nashville's music establishment, developing a loyal following for his raw, often obscene lyrics and mysterious past.
Coe wrote 'Take This Job and Shove It', a hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and 'Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)', a hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974. He was also the first to record 'Tennessee Whiskey', which later became a standard for George Jones and Chris Stapleton. His own hits included 'You Never Even Call Me by My Name', 'The Ride', and 'Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile'. Coe also toured with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, and Neil Young, and appeared in films such as 'Stagecoach' and 'Take this Job and Shove It'.
In 2016, Coe was ordered to pay the IRS more than $980,000 in restitution for obstructing the tax agency and received three years' probation. His last record, released in 2006, was a collaboration with Dimebag Darrell and former members of Pantera.
