{"id":1585,"date":"2026-04-30T14:17:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=1585"},"modified":"2026-04-30T14:17:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:17:18","slug":"outlaw-country-legend-david-allan-coe-dead-at-86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/outlaw-country-legend-david-allan-coe-dead-at-86\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlaw Country Legend David Allan Coe Dead at 86"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On April 29, 2026, legendary country singer\/songwriter David Allan Coe<\/a> died at 86. Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, on September 6, 1939. Before becoming a country singer, Coe spent nearly two decades in correctional facilities. He spent three years in the Ohio Penitentiary, where he met Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Hawkins encouraged David Allan Coe to begin songwriting. After another three years in prison, he began his music career in 1967. His career began in Nashville, Tennessee, where Coe was living in a hearse. He was a street performer before catching the attention of Plantation Records owner Shelby Singleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coe released his debut album in 1970, titled Penitentiary Blues<\/em>. He then toured with Grand Funk Railroad following the release of his first album. He soon gained a cult following within outlaw country, and he wrote hits for other artists at the time. Those hits include “Souvenirs & California Mem’rys” by Billie Jo Spears in 1972, and “Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone) by Tanya Tucker in 1973. The latter became a No. 1 hit and gave Coe the push as a songwriter to get noticed by Columbia Records. He then became a well-known Nashville songwriter. He recorded his own version of the song, which was released on his 1975 album Once Upon A Rhyme<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Allan Coe Helped Popularize Outlaw Country<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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