WATCH: Whiskey Riff exclusively premiered the music video & interviews former D.A.C. manager and
songwriter David Wade
RADIO PROGRAMMER ACCESS: “A Million Reasons” [PlayMPE] | “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” [PlayMPE]
ICYMI: “A Million Reasons” songwriter & former D.A.C. manager David Wade joins Country Gold with Steve Harmon & Hooked On Sonix Podcast
“It’s a quintessential David Allan Coe album”
— Aaron Ryan, Whiskey Riff
“Fans will be thrilled to hear Coe one last time.”
— Parade Magazine
“Among its highlights is this fine reworking of the artist’s wry, witty 1975 hit.”
— Robert K. Oermann, Music Row
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 05, 2026) — The final chapter in the remarkable and often turbulent life of outlaw country legend David Allan Coe comes full circle with the November 06 official YouTube release of the music video for “A Million Reasons,” the title track from his final completed studio album, released October 16 via F3 Entertainment/Symphonic [Stream/Download]. Premiering exclusively with country music outlet Whiskey Riff yesterday [watch here], the documentary styled video features footage captured during Coe’s emotional 2015 return to Ohio’s historic Mansfield Reformatory, where he had been incarcerated decades before becoming one of country music’s most recognizable and controversial figures.
More than a traditional music video, “A Million Reasons” offers a rare look at Coe confronting a formative chapter of his past. Filmed during his return to the former prison, the footage captures the outlaw country pioneer walking through the imposing institution and revisiting the cell where he once spent time as a young man. Nearly a decade after the footage was recorded, and following Coe’s death on April 29, 2026, those images take on renewed significance as a visual reflection on a life shaped by hardship, rebellion, consequences and perseverance.
The video’s setting is especially poignant given the circumstances surrounding the song’s creation. Written by Jim “Moose” Brown, Shane Grove, David Wade and Erik Westfall, “A Million Reasons” originated during a difficult period in Coe’s later life, when the singer faced federal tax-related legal proceedings in Cincinnati in September 2015. What began as a song inspired by those circumstances ultimately developed into a broader message about finding a reason to keep going when life offers countless reasons to give up.
“This album’s title track ‘A Million Reasons’ started being written the afternoon we took David Allan Coe to federal court in Cincinnati,” recalled former Coe co-manager and songwriter David Wade. “This album contains songs that David Allan Coe has lived during his later years of life. He wanted that to be part of his outlaw legacy.”
The video arrives on the heels of renewed media attention surrounding A Million Reasons, Coe’s first newly released completed studio album in years. The project has received coverage from Parade, Whiskey Riff, Saving Country Music, BroadwayWorld, MusicRow and the Akron Beacon Journal, among other publications. Outlaw Country News also premiered the official teaser of the music video on Instagram [watch here] in October.
View this post on Instagram
The album has also earned playlist support on Apple Music’s New in Country and the Country Music Association’s Fresh From Nashville playlist, introducing the late singer’s final recordings to listeners alongside contemporary country releases.
Recorded in 2017 through Average Joes Entertainment, A Million Reasons was spearheaded by Colt Ford, with production from Noah Gordon (Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Brooks & Dunn) and Lex Lipsitz (Taylor Austin Dye, Sean Stemaly, Jon Wolfe). The 11-track collection remained unreleased until former Coe co-manager Ken Madson acquired the master recordings in 2022 and began working toward their eventual release following Coe’s death on April 29, 2026, at age 86.
“When I began working with David Allan Coe in 2017 to record this album, my goal was to capture his voice and musical legacy in the best way possible,” Madson previously explained. “The project ultimately took a different path than we anticipated, but I remained committed to seeing the recordings completed and made available to his fans.”
The album also features a newly recorded version of Coe’s signature song “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” which premiered exclusively at Taste of Country, and was officially released on September 06, what would have been Coe’s 87th birthday. The song was originally released in 1975 and became Coe’s first Top 10 country hit, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard country chart, while also being ranked at No. 52 on SiriusXM Prime Country’s Top 100 Country Songs Of All Time, and No. 160 on Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Country Songs Of All Time.
Other highlights include a Johnny Cash tribute on “Corner of Cash and Coe,” a genre-blending tribute to the musicians who inspired him on “Free My Mind,” and two songs co-written by Kid Rock: “Single Father,” co-written with Coe, and “Only God Knows Why.” Another familiar favorite includes a southern-rock rendition of Coe’s own ‘Take This Job and Shove It,’ the working-class anthem he wrote and Johnny Paycheck famously took to No. 1 in 1978. That song ranked at No. 33 on SiriusXM’s Prime Country Top 100 Country Songs Of All Time and No. 56 on Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Country Songs Of All Time. Coe also previously recorded a country rap version of the song in 2017 with the Moonshine Bandits.
For Coe, whose career took him from correctional institutions to country music stages around the world, the Mansfield Reformatory footage provides an unusually personal glimpse into the experiences that shaped his songwriting and public identity. The video connects those early struggles with the message of his final album’s title track, offering fans a lasting visual document of the man behind the outlaw persona.
A Million Reasons Track Listing & Songwriters:
- Ric Flair Intro (Ric Flair)
- “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” (Steve Goodman)
- “A Million Reasons” (Jim “Moose” Brown, David Wade, Shane Grove, Erik Westfall)
- “Take This Job and Shove It” (David Allan Coe)
- “Roll Me A Smoke” (David Allan Coe)
- “Corner of Cash and Coe” (Rick Troyer, Erik Westfall, Shane Grove, David Wade)
- “Free My Mind” (David Allan Coe)
- “Only God Knows Why” (John Travis, Matt Shaffer, Robert Ritchie)
- “Single Father” (Robert Ritchie, David Allan Coe)
- “No Holes in These Hands” (David Wade, Gary Edwards, Rick Troyer, David Allan Coe)
- “A Million Reasons” (Acoustic) (Jim “Moose” Brown, David Wade, Shane Grove, Erik Westfall)
About David Allan Coe:
David Allan Coe was an American singer-songwriter whose career spanned more than five decades and whose music became closely associated with the outlaw country movement of the 1970s. Born in Akron, Ohio, Coe began releasing music in the early 1970s, establishing himself as both a recording artist and songwriter. His debut album, Penitentiary Blues, was released in 1970.
As a songwriter, Coe wrote songs recorded by numerous country artists, including Tanya Tucker’s No. 1 country hit “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” and Johnny Paycheck’s “Take This Job and Shove It.” As a recording artist, Coe became best known for songs including “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” “Longhaired Redneck,” “The Ride” and “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.”
Coe’s prolific recording career included dozens of studio albums, along with live recordings, collaborations and other releases. His 1975 album Once Upon a Rhyme featured “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” which became his first Top 10 country single, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard country chart.
Throughout his career, Coe maintained a distinctive identity outside Nashville’s traditional establishment and became a prominent figure in outlaw country. His songwriting and recordings earned him a lasting following among country music audiences and influenced generations of artists.
David Allan Coe died on April 29, 2026, at age 86.
# # #
Album Art:
[Album art | Download JPG]