David Allan Coe to play Texas Club

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By Ryan Rhodes

One the most colorful and provocative characters in country music history will make a stop in Baton Rouge at the Texas Club on Friday, Feb. 22. David Allan Coe is famous for being one of the main pioneers of the outlaw country movement. He definitely embodies the movement with his heavily tattooed, earring-wearing, long-haired appearance, plus the fact that he claims a good portion of his life (22 years) was spent in Ohio State Prison.

Coe has written more than 280 songs, the most well-known probably being “Take this Job and Shove it.” The song was performed by Johnny Paycheck and reached No. 1 in 1977.

The song was so popular that it was made into a motion picture in which Coe played a minor role.

He is also well known for his 1983 ballad style song “The Ride,” which depicts a meeting between Coe and the ghost of Hank Williams. He’s also written and performed several humorous songs such as “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” and several other in which he frequently pokes fun at other country stars and himself, specifically his time in prison and other various troubles with the law.

Coe over the years has not been one of the most popular country artists according to Nashville or the charts, but he has acquired a huge cult following from country music fans. He is considered by fans and country greats like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr. to be a living legend. His fans have rallied behind his music and use it as a cry against the status quo.

Many people have accused Coe of being racist due to his choice of lyrics in some of his songs or the relative amount of anger used when singing about certain issues, but Coe swears that he is not prejudiced.

His Web site includes a statement from him saying, “Over the years people have gotten the impression that I am prejudiced. I’m not prejudiced. Sure, I have this thing about controversy. But I don’t dislike anybody because of their color or sexual beliefs or whatever.”

Coe has become famous for still having energetic, exciting and unpredictable shows despite being almost 70 years old. Often he would ride his Harley onto the stage while cursing at the crowd. Coe plays up to his fans at every show, giving them everything they want and more. He does this because he feeds off of the crowd’s energy like nobody else. The noise level of his audience always determines the rowdiness and unpredictability of his show, and the crowd is usually always whooping and hollering like banshees.

In addition to collaborating with legendary country music stars, Coe has also worked with artists in other genres of music. His most recent project was forming a band named Rebel Meets Rebel and recording an album of the same name with Dimebag Darrell, Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown from Pantera.

The album was recorded between 1999 and 2001 and released in 2006. It was the last work released by Dimebag Darrell before his murder in 2004. The band was a hybrid project consisting of a mix of outlaw country and metal. Coe sang vocals for the band as well as wrote most of the lyrics.

Coe’s most recent tour brings him to Baton Rouge’s famous Texas Club this Friday, Feb. 22. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased in advance or at the door. Doors open for the show at 7 p.m. and patrons must be 18 years or older to enter. Visit www.davidallancoe.com for more details.

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Originally Published: Issue 597 - February 20, 2008

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