Penitentiary Blues
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The packaging will be as extravagant as the music is raw. The digipak will replicate the original die-cut, gatefold of the original LP, which featured a photo of Coe behind bars that lifted away when the front cover was opened. Inside the package will be two booklets: The first will include a new essay from Grammy®-winning historian Colin Escott and a new introduction handwritten by Coe himself. The second booklet, “David Allan Coe’s Guide To Surviving In (And Out) Of Prison,” is a 20-page guide excerpted from Coe’s out-of-print book, Ex-Convict.
The most controversial performer in country music history, Coe’s legend is based as much on his bad-ass behavior as it is on his astounding talent. At a time when Outlaw Country implied “creative freedom,” Coe was crashing the party with a loaded gun and a half-empty bottle of Jack. In the decades that followed the release of Penitentiary Blues, Coe became a country legend, landing hits like “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and “The Ride” and writing songs for Tanya Tucker (#1 with “Would You Lay with Me in a Field of Stone”), Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. But no song brought him more acclaim than “Take This Job and Shove It,” the #1 blue-collar anthem he wrote for Johnny Paycheck in 1977.
Coe is currently in the midst of a career revival and has recently recorded with Pantera (Dimebag Darrell gave Coe the guitar he now plays on stage every night) and was sought out by Kid Rock to contribute songs for his latest album.
Preview and Purchase David Allan Coe music
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