The self-proclaimed “original outlaw” of country music isn’t quite done raising hell despite passing in April at the age of 86.
Self-proclamations tend to come with an asterisk, but a deep dive into the controversial lyrics of David Allan Coe’s decades-spanning career proves Bob Dylan was right — the times, they are a-changin’.
Thriving in the heyday of the ’70s alongside the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Coe wasn’t your average honky-tonker; he was a straight-shooter with an unabashed disregard for convention.
Who does that remind you of today? Perhaps Kid Rock…
The pair have joined forces for Coe’s curtain call, titled “A Million Reasons”.
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On the record are a pair of re-recordings of huge ’70s hits, one of which was Coe’s and another was one of his most famous compositions:
- “Ric Flair Intro”
- “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”
- “A Million Reasons”
- “Take This Job and Shove It”
- “Roll Me A Smoke”
- “Corner of Cash and Coe”
- “Free My Mind”
- “Only God Knows Why” featuring Kid Rock
- “Single Father” featuring Kid Rock
- “No Holes in These Hands”
- “A Million Reasons (Acoustic)”
“You Never Even Called Me By My Name” was Coe’s first Top 10 hit, reaching No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, while “Take This Job and Shove It” was written by Coe and famously taken to No. 1 by Johnny Paycheck. Now, Coe has reimagined it himself.
Tracks #8 and #9 feature one of modern-day music’s bad boys, if you will, despite Kid Rock announcing a gospel album, a far cry for Coe’s biggest hits with shameless, colorful words.
The album was recorded in 2017, but fans will be thrilled to hear Coe one last time, much like Johnny Cash had one final reinvention left in him with his haunting cover of “Hurt” before his death.
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Coe’s former co-manager revealed Coe wanted to go down swinging: “This album’s title track ‘A Million Reasons’ started being written the afternoon we took David Allan Coe to federal court in Cincinnati, where he was found guilty of owing the IRS a million dollars.”
He added, “This album contains songs that David Allan Coe has lived during his later years of life. He wanted that to be part of his outlaw legacy.”
“A Million Reasons” is slated for release October 16, 2026.