David Allan Coe, Steve Goodman, and the singing mailman's 'perfect' country song

Those who fancy themselves outlaw country fans certainly admire David Allan Coe and his 1974 hit "You Never Even Called Me by My Name." Among the many facets of his legacy, the hit track caught the attention of many on April 29 when the decorated, yet controversial country musician died at 86.

While Coe's ways and demeanor made him a fringe figure in the mainstream Nashville country music scene, the man had a cult following thanks to his singles "The Ride," "Longhaired Redneck" and "Tennessee Whiskey," which achieved massive success after Chris Stapleton's 2015 cover.

From the age of 9, Coe spent much of his childhood and early adulthood in reform schools and Ohio prisons for burglary, auto theft and other crimes. Released in 1967, he moved to Nashville and famously busked out of and lived in a hearse parked near Ryman Auditorium.

In 1974, his days as a struggling artist ended thanks to "You Never Even Called Me by My Name," written by Steve Goodman and the singing mailman, John Prine.

Who wrote David Allan Coe's most famous song?

It was 1971, Goodman and Prine had both established themselves as talents in New York City, and the latter was just months away from releasing his iconic self-titled debut album.

On an arbitrary night in the city, Goodman decided to stay in the two's shared Roosevelt hotel room. Prine decided to go out on the town, but when he got home and peered over his pal's shoulder to see what he was working on, off-the-cuff magic ensued.

When Prine arrived home that night, Goodman was in the middle of writing "You Never Even Called Me by My Name." Feeling pretty good, he jumped up on the bed with an imaginary fiddle and yelled out, "You don’t have to call me darling, darling, but you never even call me by my name," Prine recalled at one of his concerts.

"Steve and I started laughing and we just decided to have some fun with it," added Prine in his anecdote.

Months later, Goodman released the track on his self-titled debut album. Prine, per his own decision, didn't receive any credit on the song.

Why David Allan Coe's hit, 'You Never Even Called Me by My Name,' wasn't credited to John Prine

Goodman's original version didn't chart or catch much attention. However, Coe's did, as it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and remained on the chart for 17 weeks.

Needless to say, Coe and Goodman made a pretty penny off this track, and Prine could have too. So, why did he refuse credit?

As the story goes, Prine reportedly didn't want credit for the song because he viewed it as a novelty piece and didn't want to offend the country music community. That being so, Prine received no royalties on the song, but his good pal Goodman paid him back in another way.

With his own royalties, Goodman bought Prine a 1942 Wurlitzer jukebox, which was donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame by Prine's family after his death in 2020.

Why is David Allan Coe's hit often referred to as 'the perfect country and western song?'

The "perfect country & western song" title is a self-proclaimed one, as a verse in the song features Coe claiming that Goodman called it that: "Well, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song and he told me it was the perfect country & western song," says Coe in the song.

According to the song's lyrics, Coe later agreed with Goodman, but only after the "City Of New Orleans" songwriter penned another verse about prison, momma, getting drunk, and trucks. "After reading it I realized that my friend had written the perfect country & western song," added Coe in the song.

Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at [email protected]