David Allan Coe, the outlaw country singer-songwriter known for the working-class anthem Take This Job and Shove It, 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.” No cause of death was disclosed.
Coe wrote several classic country hits, including Take This Job and Shove It (a 1977 hit for Johnny Paycheck) and Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone) (a 1974 hit for Tanya Tucker). He also recorded his own hits such as You Never Even Call Me by My Name, The Ride, and Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile. His recording of Tennessee Whiskey later became a genre standard for George Jones and Chris Stapleton.
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. He later said, “I’d have never made it through prison without my music.”
Coe was a central figure in the outlaw country movement, performing with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, and Neil Young. He also appeared in films such as Stagecoach and Take This Job and Shove It. In 2016, he was ordered to pay over $980,000 in restitution to the IRS for obstructing the tax agency and received three years’ probation.
