You can't talk about outlaw country without talking about the masks David Allan Coe wore. Literally. Long before modern marketing teams spent millions on "brand identity," Coe was out there in Nashville, a former convict with a chip on his shoulder the size of a Harley-Davidson engine, using his record jackets to troll the establishment. David Allan Coe album covers aren't just art; they’re a roadmap of a man trying to find out which version of "outlaw" the world would actually buy.
Honestly, the visuals were often as chaotic as the music. One minute he’s a glitzy comic book hero, the next he’s a greasy biker, and eventually, he’s a mail-order provocateur.
The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy and the Birth of a Persona
When Coe landed at Columbia Records in the early '70s, he didn't just want to be another guy in a hat. He showed up as the "Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy." Look at that 1974 cover. It's wild. He’s wearing a literal mask—a sequined, Lone Ranger-style thing—and enough rhinestones to blind a stadium.
It was a total middle finger to the "rhinestone" artists like Glen Campbell. Coe was saying, "You want a star? Here's a star, but he’s a freak who just got out of Ohio State Penitentiary." The contrast between the sparkly mask and his rough, bearded face told the whole story. He was a songwriter of immense depth hiding behind a cartoonish exterior.
Then came Once Upon a Rhyme in 1975. The cover is a bit more grounded but still carries that storybook, "legend-in-the-making" vibe. This was the era of "You Never Even Called Me by My Name." The artwork felt like a deliberate attempt to frame him as a folk hero, a man of the people who just happened to be a little dangerous.
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Longhaired Rednecks and Biker Boots
By 1976, the mask was off. The cover of Longhaired Redneck is arguably his most iconic. It’s just David. Long hair, beard, looking like the guy your mother warned you about at the truck stop.
He basically invented the term to bridge the gap between the hippies and the cowboys who were constantly brawling in Austin and Nashville. The cover art reflects that bridge. He looks like a guy who could play a Dylan song and then punch you in the mouth. It’s simple, effective, and 100% authentic to who he was at the time.
- The Biker Pivot: On Rides Again (1977), the transition is complete. He’s on the bike. He’s leaning into the Outlaws MC lifestyle.
- The Tattoo Era: The 1977 album Tattoo features him shirtless, showing off the ink he got "behind the walls." This wasn't trendy in '77. It was a warning label.
- The Family Man: Family Album (1978) tried to humanize him, showing a softer side that felt... kinda weirdly placed between the biker records.
The Mail-Order Mystery: Underground and Nothing Sacred
Now we get to the stuff that usually gets left out of the glossy retrospectives. If you’ve ever seen the David Allan Coe album covers for his independent releases, Nothing Sacred (1978) and Underground Album (1982), you know they look cheap. Because they were.
These weren't sold in Sears. You had to find them in the back of biker magazines or order them through the mail. The artwork is basic—mostly just photos of Coe—but the content was "X-rated." Coe claimed these were inspired by his friend Shel Silverstein’s comedy records, but the public didn't see the "humor."
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Nothing Sacred features a relatively tame photo of him, but the back cover tracklist was enough to get him banned from most radio stations. These covers are artifacts of a man who decided that if Nashville wouldn't let him in, he’d burn the gate down from the outside.
The Most Macabre Cover: A Matter of Life and Death
In 1987, things got dark. For the album A Matter of Life and Death, Coe did something that still makes people uncomfortable today. He put a photo of his own father, Donald Mayen Coe, in his casket on the cover.
His dad is wearing a shirt advertising one of David's concert tours.
It’s morbid. It’s strange. It’s peak David Allan Coe. Critics thought it was a publicity stunt; Coe argued it was the ultimate tribute to the man who made him. Regardless of how you feel about it, you can't stop looking at it. It’s a raw, unfiltered look at grief and "outlaw" defiance that no PR firm would ever approve today.
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Why These Covers Still Resonate
Most modern country stars have album covers that look like perfume ads. They’re polished, airbrushed, and safe. Coe’s covers were never safe. They were messy. They were often "low-rent." But they were honest about whatever headspace he was in—whether he was playing a rhinestone character or mourning his father.
If you’re a collector, looking for original pressings of these LPs is a journey through American subculture. The Columbia-era stuff is easy to find, but those independent "underground" records? They’re the holy grail for people who want the full, uncensored history of the man.
What to Look For as a Collector
If you're hunting for these records, keep a few things in mind to ensure you're getting the real deal:
- Check the Label: Original Columbia pressings from the '70s should have the red label with yellow "Columbia" lettering around the edge.
- The "Cut-Out" Mark: Many Coe albums were sold as "cut-outs" (with a clipped corner or a hole punched in the sleeve). These are common but lower the value for serious collectors.
- The Underground Pressings: Look for the "D.A.C. Records" logo. These were produced in much smaller numbers and often have plain white inner sleeves.
- Condition Matters: Because Coe fans were... well, Coe fans, many of these sleeves have seen some "action." Look for "EX" (Excellent) or "NM" (Near Mint) if you want the art to pop.
Start your collection with Longhaired Redneck and The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. They represent the two poles of his early career and feature the most striking visual identities he ever crafted. Once you have those, you can decide if you're brave enough to go looking for the casket photo.