That’s some high praise from a country music legend.
Although we lost the legendary outlaw country icon David Allan Coe back on April 29 at the age of 89, we’re finally getting to hear his final studio album.
Coe’s final album, A Million Reasons, dropped last week, an 11-track project that was recorded all the way back in 2017 before being shelved until now. The album was acquired in 2022 by Coe’s former co-manager, Ken Madson, and he set out to finish it for an eventual commercial release. Of course, the album didn’t end up getting released during Coe’s lifetime, but Madson felt it important to finish it anyways and ultimately get it to his fans:
“A few years ago, I was able to acquire the master recordings from Average Joes Entertainment. After David’s passing earlier this year, finishing what we started and sharing what has now become his final completed studio album has felt more important than ever.
When I began working with David Allan Coe in 2017 to record this album, my goal was to capture his voice and musical legacy in the best way possible. The project ultimately took a different path than we anticipated, but I remained committed to seeing the recordings completed and made available to his fans.”
It’s a quintessential David Allan Coe album, with the title track being inspired by his 2015 legal troubles that saw him plead guilty to obstruction and ordered to pay $450k in unpaid taxes. Speaking on the song and the inspiration for the album, Coe’s former co-manager and songwriter David Wade said it’s a reflection of outlaw country legend’s later life:
“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. 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.”
And not only does the album perfectly capture his own legacy, but one also shouts out some of the next generation of artists carrying on his legacy.
“Corner of Cash and Coe” is a tribute to Coe’s late friend Johnny Cash, and their shared outlaw country legacy:
“There’s this place I love to go
I call it the corner of Cash and Coe
It’s a honky tonk and the music’s loud
You can hear Hank singin’ about being proud”
While name dropping outlaw country legends like Waylon, Willie and Kristofferson, Coe also gives credit to Justin Moore and Eric Church for carrying the torch for the next generation of artists:
“It’s Willie Nelson and Waylon too
It’s new grass, bluegrass and Emmylou
It’s Justin Moore and Eric Church, you know
It’s at the corner of Cash and Coe”
I mean, those are two of the best to have on your list if you’re looking for the best artists in country music. And it’s gotta be pretty cool to be recognized by a country music legend like David Allan Coe.
