Country music singer-songwriter and outlaw pioneer David Allan Coe died at around 5:08 p.m. on Thursday at the age of 86. The cause of death was not immediately available. His widow (sixth wife), Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone:
“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.”
David Allan Coe’s rep told 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.”
Besides Kimberly Hastings Coe, The Ride singer is survived by his five children: daughters Shelli, Shyanne, Carla, and Tanya Montana, and only son, Tyler Mahan. None of them have spoken publicly about their father’s demise.
All you need to know about David Allan Coe’s children
David Allan Coe welcomed Tyler Mahan, Tanya Montana, Shyanna, and Carson (now Carla) with his ex-wife, Jody Lynn Benham of Laingsburg, Michigan. They were raised by a single mother.
The identity of Shelli’s mother remains unknown.
According to Yardbarker, Shelli was three years old when she appeared on her father’s 1978 LP Family Album. In later years, she served as his backup singer-songwriter before going on a hiatus to raise her own family. She returned in 2006 and began performing at clubs and radio stations across her hometown in Austin, Texas.
In December 2015, Shelli Coe released a song titled All They Ever Wanted Was Your Name. It focused on David Allan Coe’s strained relationship with his children, his near-fatal car accident, and trouble with tax law and the IRS. At the time, she told Saving Country Music:
“‘All They Ever Wanted Was Your Name’ was written about a celebrity who falls in love with someone who does not have their best interests at heart, who can’t wait for them to get out of the way so that they can take over and be the celebrity. I used a real-life experience to create the song, but honestly, the song could be about anyone who falls in love with someone who is not good for them. And everyone sees this and they try to warn them, but they’re just not listening because they’re in love, and love is blind.”
Shelli Coe was seemingly referring to her stepmom, Kimberly. She continued:
“This song was very hard for me to write because I love my friends and my family very much, and I don’t want to see them getting taken advantage of. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me after shows and tell me how that song personally spoke to them. So, I’m happy I was able to write it in a universal way to allow everyone to relate to it.”
Not much is known about her sisters, Shyanne and Carla, although they appear in their dad’s biographies.
Tanya Montana, 39, is a musician, best known for her studio albums Silver Bullet and Hide Your Emotion. She also runs a clothing line, Goodbuy Girls, in East Nashville, Tennessee. Earlier, she was a corporate employee who graduated from Middle Tennessee State University.
Speaking with Country Queer, the LGBTQ+ ally noted:
“My relationship with my father is a heartbreaking one; we have essentially been estranged for almost 20 years. It is very painful for me to talk about him because I honestly just don’t know what to say or what I can or should say. I wish things were different. Our relationship has a lot to do with why I so desperately needed a creative outlet, but it’s also the biggest reason why I considered not putting myself and my art out into the world.”
The Americana star spoke about performing with Lavender Country at the Westport Roots Music Festival in Kansas City, immersing herself in a “long and organic” journey to create her albums, and being a fan of Deanna Carter and Ben Kweller.
Tanya added:
“I like all kinds of music as long as it speaks to my soul. Most of the time I spend listening to music is when I am in the car and I pretty much exclusively keep it on 101.1 the beat jams. I love hip hop and R&B. I grew up on Merle Haggard, Roger Miller, CCR and Aretha Franklin. I love Lana Del Rey and Mazzy Star. I love old blues and jazz. I like old country and new country. I like indie and mainstream. I’m influenced by all of it.”
Tyler Mahan is a former touring rhythm guitarist and bandleader for David Allan Coe, a role he served for over 13 years. In fact, at 15, his father included him in one of his live concert albums. Today, he hosts a country music podcast called Cocaine & Rhinestones (launched in 2017) as well as a blog, Baby Black Widows.
Tyler has a girlfriend named Lotus and a cat called Zoskia. His interests include tarot, traditional wet shaving, dietary/ physical wellness, and engaging in horror, humor, and happiness. The Nashville, TN, native is also a social media specialist, freelance digital marketer, and blogger at Thee Medea Complex.
Just like his siblings, Tyler Mahan Coe has also publicly spoken about having a difficult and distant relationship with his father and held his stepmother accountable for the same. He wrote in his Baby Black Widows blog:
“To be fair, I don’t like her. So, I’ve told you that up front…”
Tyler also claimed that David Allan Coe’s claim that everyone except his wife abandoned him after his auto accident was untrue. He also defended his dad’s ex-employees, Bruce and Linda Smith, stating they “did NOT steal” anything from him, nor did the members of Coe’s band “quit.” Tyler claimed:
“The members of the David Allan Coe band did NOT quit their positions or abandon anyone. Steve Wood and Jake Stringer did not “abandon” their employer in a difficult time. They weren’t even contacted about continuing in their positions as touring band members. Let no person call into question their professional integrity.”
He further noted:
“I did NOT quit my job working for my father. The last contact I received from David Allan Coe was a text from him telling me that he was going to play some shows by himself, without a band, to get back into the swing of things and then we’d figure things out from there.”
Tyler Mahan Coe, 41, said his dad stopped responding to his texts and calls despite his trying to help him find a record label in Europe who were interested in reissuing his older records. The son alleged that thereafter, David Allan Coe began performing with a new band without informing him or his former bandmates, which “deeply hurt” their feelings.
In 2021, David Allan Coe’s only son confirmed to GQ that ever since his father fired him in 2013, they hadn’t been in contact. It is noteworthy that David Allan Coe told Review Magazine in 2003 that he despite his controversial life and career, he was proud that his children “like me.”
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Edited by Pallavi K