Crazy and country go together because of ‘70s artists like David Allan Coe.

Born in Akron, Ohio, he was sent to reform school at age nine, only to be followed by the Ohio State Penitentiary, where upon final release in 1967, the former felon headed for the country music capital of the United States, Nashville, TN. The wide-eyed, tattooed criminal lived in a hearse in front of the Oly Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry, where he hoped to grab the attention of records labels. Bending the conventional country sounds, Coe connected with independent label Plantation Records and released his debut album Penitentiary Blues in 1968. The lyrics, all of which were inspired during his days behind bars, proved that this former outlaw had the talent to make it in the music biz.

Coe began touring with Grand Funk Railroad and was known for his outrageous and often unpredictable stage performances, often entering the stage on his Harley. He gained a cult following, but failed making mainstream success with his own work, though others, like the Coe single "Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)," made Tanya Tucker a mainstream star with a number one hit. Rather, the outlandish country felon created mainstream hits through his songwriting abilities, creating hits for some of Nashville's biggest stars like Willie Nelson and George Jones.

Columbia bought Coe's recording contract from the indie label, and in 1973 he released his debut Columbia record, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. He rarely cracked the Top 40 with any of his hits, in lieu of his Steve Goodman cover "You Never Even Called Me by My Name," which made the Top Ten. In the 13 years Coe spent with Columbia he released 26 albums, including the double-album set For the Record The First 10 Years.