Famed Outlaw, David Allan Coe, Sticks It To Nashville In Rare Performance Of His Hit Song
on Aug 25, 2015
When you think of the outlaw country movement, certain names come to mind: Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson, but don’t forget David Allan Coe, because according to him, they’ll (Nashville) never even call him by his name.
The fact is, David never performed songs about mama, pick-up trucks, and getting drunk, like people stereotypically think country music is about.
David went to reform school as a kid and had been in and out of correctional facilities for the better part of twenty years, including three years at the Ohio State Penitentiary. That is where he first started writing music. In 1967, after finishing a prison term, he set off to Nashville.
One of David’s most well-known songs is “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”. He really sticks it to the Nashville music industry with this one. A lot of Coe’s songs were in the form of a parody and a tad humorous, and because he was a non-conformist, this one is no different. Released in 1975, “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” sheds light on the fact that those who considered themselves part of the outlaw genre felt they were ignored by the industry. Hilariously, he actually sticks in a stereotypical verse just to make his song “country and western”.
Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in the pick-up truck
She got runned over by a damned old train
Coe’s performance from 1975 is definitely a rare treat that y’all just have to see. He’s definitely got that classic, gritty style that is a throwback you definitely don’t want to miss.
