Singer-songwriter David Allen Coe has died at the age of 86, his wife Kimberly Coe confirmed in an emotional statement.
The country star found fame in the 70s as part of the outlaw country music scene, but his career was marred by controversy as he used slurs and racist stereotypes throughout his songs. David’s death comes after fellow country singer Dylan Carter died in a car crash.
In a statement, David’s wife Kimberly said, “One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time [and] never to be forgotten.”
“My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years. I’ll never forget him and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either,” she told Rolling Stone.
A representative for David also confirmed his death, telling People Magazine, “David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans. Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and A great singer, songwriter, and performer.”
David found fame in the 70s with songs such as You Never Even Called Me by My Name and Longhaired Redneck. In the 80s, he had hits with The Ride and Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.
His songs were widely criticized due to David’s use of slurs and racial stereotypes. He also frequently used the Confederate flag, however, he denied being a racist.
In the 70s and 80s, David released two underground albums which featured hate speach. The New York Times wrote in 2000, “In the early ’80’s the outlaw country singer David Allan Coe released very small quantities of two underground albums of songs that are among the most racist, misogynist, homophobic and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter.”
The songs were bootlegged for years, but David started selling them on his website in 2000. He sold the songs without putting his name on them.
After the criticism from The New York Times, David insisted the publication mischaracterized the songs. He also claimed they didn’t give him a chance to respond.
Speaking to Country Standard Time, David said he told The New York Times “they couldn’t call me a racist or White supremacist because that wasn’t true.”
David added, “I’ve got a Black drummer who’s married to a White chick. I’ve got [Black former heavyweight boxing champion] Leon Spinks pictures all over my bus, pictures he took with my family. My hair’s in dreadlocks. I’m the farthest thing from a White supremacist that anybody could ever be. I’m really [ticked] off, ya know.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
