By 1974, Coe stepped fully into the spotlight with his debut album The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. A year later, his album Once Upon a Rhyme delivered what would become his signature song: “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.” The track, filled with humor and self-awareness, famously includes the spoken line where Coe calls it “the perfect country and western song.”
Country Music legend dead at 86..see more
He even wrote himself into his own legend, singing, “But the only time I know I’ll hear ‘David Allan Coe’ / Is when Jesus has His final judgment day.”
That self-referential style carried through much of his work, including songs like “Longhaired Redneck,” “Willie, Waylon and Me,” and “Son of the South.”
Though his biggest commercial success came in the 1970s, Coe proved his staying power. In 1983, he staged a comeback with Castles in the Sand, featuring the fan-favorite track “The Ride.”
Country Music
His influence stretched far beyond his own recordings. Coe also penned “Take This Job and Shove It,” a No. 1 hit for Johnny Paycheck that became a blue-collar anthem.
