'Long-Haired Redneck' David Allan Coe headlines at the MontBleu

By Lake Tahoe Action,

David Allan Coe has pursued his muse across the nation, onto the stage, screen and under water. And now it brings the outlaw roots-rocker to Tahoe.

Coe performs country and rock shows, as well as Vegas-type shows in casinos. He takes the stage at the MontBleu Casino Resort and Spa at 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, with Tahoe blues rockers the Josh Martin Band opening.

In addition to being a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Coe has also been a magician, movie star, author and deep-sea treasure hunter. The “Long-Haired Redneck�?has toured not only with Willie Nelson but also Neil Young and Kid Rock (and joined three members of Pantera in the country-metal band Rebel Meets Rebel, according to Wikipedia). He also been a prisoner, an outlaw biker and a lightning rod for controversy.

“Over the years people have gotten the impression that I am prejudiced,�?Coe said in a news release from concert promoter Renegade Productions. “I’m not prejudiced. Sure, I have this thing about controversy. But I don’t dislike anybody because of their color or sexual beliefs or whatever.�?BR>
Coe signed with Sun Records in 1968 to record his first album, “Penitentiary Blues,�?all songs he wrote in prison. Five years later, Columbia bought his contract, and he recorded “The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy�?a year later �?shortly before Glen Campbell scored a hit song with “Rhinestone Cowboy.�?BR>
Since then, Coe has landed 63 singles on Billboard’s charts including “Willie, Waylon and Me,�?and “You Never Even Call Me By Name.�?He’s also written songs for Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, the Oak Ridge Boys and more, most notably “Take This Job and Shove It,�?which Johnny Paycheck covered and sold 2 million copies �?and also led to roles for himself and Paycheck in the 1981 movie of the same name.

While Coe has penned some notable drinking songs, including “Jack Daniels, If You Please�?and “Drink Canada Dry,�?he claims that he’s never been much of a drinking man.

“I only started drinking whiskey a couple of years ago, when I was 58 years old,�?he said. “I will take a couple of shots of whiskey when I am onstage at night, but that’s the only time I drink.

“I’ve written songs about having babies, but I’ve never had one,�?he said. “I think as a songwriter you can tune into other people’s emotions and whatever, and you can write about that experience.�?BR>
Coe’s greatest hits album is platinum, his “First Ten Years�?gold, and he released “Songwriter of the Tear,�?a compilation of songs he wrote, on Cleveland International Records in 2001.

Coe, who turned 69 on Sept. 6, is a single father who travels with his homeschooled oldest son and has a singer-songwriter daughter living in Austin, Texas. He performs three or four nights a week, from biker bars like the Iron Horse Saloon and honky-tonks, to state fairs and blues clubs, to college campuses and music halls.