David Allan Coe, the outlaw country musician whose songwriting produced the working-class hit “Take This Job and Shove It” and whose vocals featured “The Ride” in country music history, died on April 29, 2026, at age 86.
Coe passed away in a hospital at about 5 p.m. The reason for his death was not disclosed. His spouse, Kimberly Hastings Coe, verified his passing in a statement to Rolling Stone. Coe was married six times and had five children, including son Tyler Mahan Coe, a podcaster and guitarist, and daughter Tanya Coe, also a country singer. “My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years,” she wrote. “I’ll never forget him and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either.”
A message shared on Coe’s social media requested privacy and characterized him as “more than a singer, songwriter, and outlaw country legend.” Tanya Tucker, who took Coe’s “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” to No. 1, said he passed peacefully in his wife Kim’s arms. “Losing my buddy is hard,” Tucker wrote. “He was a part of my success in this business. A big part.” His wife had shared in September 2021 that he had been admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, and his live performances had reduced significantly afterward.
From Reform School to Nashville
Born Sept. 6, 1939, in Akron, Ohio, Coe was the child of Donald Coe, a Goodyear factory laborer, and Lucille Coe, who was employed at Sears and as a secretary to J.J. Buchholzer. He went to Betty Jane Elementary School, Ellet High School and Coventry High School with interruptions for reform school, where he was first admitted at age 9.
His early years were marked by difficulty. He completed four months in the Army before being released when officials learned he was underage. Three periods at the Ohio Reformatory followed, with offenses involving grand theft auto and possession of burglary tools. He was incarcerated in an Ohio prison from 1963 to 1967, and he later recounted that he killed a fellow prisoner with a mop bucket in 1963 after being threatened in the showers — one of many stories from his past that became increasingly uncertain with each retelling.
Songwriting sustained him. “I’d have never made it through prison without my music,” Coe told The Associated Press in 1983. “No one could take it (music) away from me. They could put me in the hole with nothing to do, but I could still make up a song in my head.”
Released in 1967, Coe moved to Nashville with barely any money, performing his guitar in taverns for meals. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, someone he had encountered while imprisoned, is credited as guiding him into the recording industry. His first album, “Penitentiary Blues,” debuted in 1970 on SSS International Records, a small label managed by Shelby Singleton alongside related imprint Plantation, featuring compositions he had written during his incarceration.
The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy
At 6-foot-4, displaying long hair and, starting in the mid-1970s, 365 tattoos, Coe marketed himself as the “Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy,” a moniker inspired by his rhinestone ensemble and a face covering he displayed during performances. He produced more than 60 tracks that appeared on the Billboard charts and developed a devoted fanbase that transcended typical boundaries — motorcycle enthusiasts, physicians, lawyers and investors all attended his concerts.
His compositional repertoire was expansive. Johnny Paycheck transformed “Take This Job and Shove It” into a 1977 No. 1 country success that garnered Coe his sole Grammy nomination. Tanya Tucker elevated “Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)” to the top of the country rankings in 1974. Coe was the inaugural country performer to record “Tennessee Whiskey,” penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, a composition that subsequently became a signature tune for George Jones and Chris Stapleton.
His signature recordings featured “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” composed by Steve Goodman with an undisclosed contribution from John Prine; “Longhaired Redneck” from his 1976 record of the same name; “The Ride” in 1983; and “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile” in 1984. He recorded “Rides Again” in 1977 and was showcased in the film “Heartworn Highways,” which documented a performance he delivered at a Tennessee correctional facility.
A Career Built on Edges
After settling in Key West, Florida, Coe self-published two R-rated albums: “Nothing Sacred” in 1978 and the “Underground Album” in 1982. Both contained material that Coe later stated had been “intended to be performed around the campfire for motorcycle riders.” A collection of objectionable, discriminatory material from those releases, which Coe claimed were satirical, persisted in drawing controversy for many years, as did his display of the Confederate flag as a concert visual element.
His partnerships broadened the style’s scope. Live performances featured him alongside Willie Nelson, Kid Rock and Neil Young. His last release, released in 2006, was “Rebel Meets Rebel,” a country-metal hybrid with former Pantera musicians Dimebag Darrell, Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown. He additionally participated in the movies “Stagecoach” and “Take This Job and Shove It.”
The touring lifestyle persisted. Coe performed at least 100 shows annually from 2008 through 2013. In 2016, he received a three-year probation sentence for obstructing the Internal Revenue Service and was instructed to remit more than $980,000 in restitution. His father, Donald, died Aug. 9, 1986, in Richmond, Indiana, while accompanying his son on the road; Coe dedicated the record “A Matter of Life … and Death” in his honor.
