<P> David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was popular in the 1970s and 1980s . His biggest hits were "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile", "The Ride", "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", "She Used to Love Me a Lot", and "Longhaired Redneck". His most popular songs are the number - one hits "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)" and "Take This Job and Shove It". The latter inspired the movie of the same name . </P> <P> Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, on September 6, 1939 . His favorite singer as a child was Johnny Ace . After being sent to the Starr Commonwealth For Boys reform school at the age of 9, he spent much of the next 20 years in correctional facilities, including three years at the Ohio Penitentiary . Coe claimed he received encouragement to begin writing songs from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, with whom he had spent time in prison . </P> <P> After concluding another prison term in 1967, Coe embarked on a music career in Nashville, living in a hearse which he parked in front of the Ryman Auditorium . He caught the attention of the independent record label Plantation Records and signed a contract with the label . </P> <P> Early in 1970, Coe released his debut album, Penitentiary Blues, followed by a tour with Grand Funk Railroad . In October 1971, he signed as an exclusive writer with Pete and Rose Drake's publishing company Windows Publishing Company, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, where he remained until 1977 . Although he developed a cult following with his performances, he was not able to develop any mainstream success, but other performers achieved charting success by recording songs Coe had written, including Billie Jo Spears' 1972 recording "Souvenirs & California Mem'rys" and Tanya Tucker's 1973 single "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," which was a number - one hit, and responsible for Coe becoming one of Nashville's hottest songwriters and Coe himself being signed by Columbia Records . Coe recorded his own version of the song for his second Columbia album, Once Upon a Rhyme, released in 1975 . AllMusic writer Thom Jurek said of the song, "The amazing thing is that both versions are definitive ." Johnny Cash covered the song in his album American III: Solitary Man in 2000. The album also contained a cover of Steve Goodman and John Prine's "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", which was a top - 10 Billboard hit, and was followed by a string of moderately successful hits . </P>

Who sang where ever i lay my hat