Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 13 May 2026

NEWS

David Allan Coe (1939-2026)

David Allan Coe, born in 1939 in Akron, Ohio, died in a hospital on April 29 at age 86. According to PEOPLE, he was sent to reform school at age 9 and spent much of the next two decades in correctional facilities. After being released in 1967, he went to Nashville to pursue a music career. He released his debut album, Penitentiary Blues, in 1970. His 1974 album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, was his first country record. The name referred to his performance attire, wearing a mask with bedazzled jacket and hat. He wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1973 hit, “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)” and Johnny Paycheck’s 1977 hit, “Take This Job and Shove It.” His first successful single was “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” written by Steve Goodman and John Prine. In 1984 “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile” became his highest-charting single as a performer. Coe had four children, Tyler, Tanya, Shyanne, and Carson, with his first wife, Jody Lynn Coe, and later a daughter named Shelli. In 2010 he married his sixth wife, Kimberly Hastings.

PEOPLE reports that David Allan Coe’s estranged children are speaking out in the wake of his death. His son Tyler Mahan Coe, who later hosted the country music podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones, began playing in his dad’s band at age 15 and was the band leader until his father fired him in 2013. They haven’t spoken since. Tyler believes his firing came at the behest of his stepmother, Kimberly. “It hurt, but it’s not a new hurt,” he said a few years later. “I could probably count on one hand the number of times my father has said useful things to me.” He recently posted a video about his father’s death, saying, “David Allan Coe was always a difficult person to be close with, a difficult person to care about for several reasons. Nobody who ever knew him would disagree with that statement. But I did always care about him, even after it became clear that he and I were never going to speak to each other again.” He added, “Anyone who knows anything about that man knows how useless it would be to try to get him to make different choices. If that were possible, his career would have gone way differently.” His half-sister, Shelli, commented that she agreed “with a lot of what he has to say here.” Tanya Montana Coe, 39, posted on social media that she had not heard from her stepmother. She said, “Waking up to the news that your dad has died and not being given the opportunity to see him one last time is a hell I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. If anyone finds out about any funeral arrangements, please let me know as I would like to be at my dad’s funeral.” She said their estrangement was “truly a horrific pain and has been for some time now.”

Duane Richard Kuntz, known professionally as disc jockey Ratt Reno, died May 2 in Hills, Minnesota, at age 86. He was a founding member of KXRB Radio in Sioux Falls in 1969. Born in Iowa in 1940, he served six years in the South Dakota Air National Guard and was a ham radio operator and real estate broker. He played drums in many bands throughout the central U.S. In 1999, Ratt wrote the memoir, This Is My Country: Thirty Years of Music & Memories, to commemorate KXRB’s 30^th anniversary. He retired from KXRB in 2007, after five decades in radio. He and his wife, Laurie, spent their retirement years traveling around the world. Ratt was a long-time subscriber to my newsletter, and I’ve known him since KXRB came on the air. His memorial service was held May 8 in Sioux Falls.

In a recent Instagram video, Dolly Parton apologized for cancelling her upcoming six-show run at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; it had been rescheduled for this September after being postponed from December 2025. She began by saying she had some good news and a little bad news: “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day. Now the bad news is it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy headed, as my grandma used to say. And of course I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels.” She compared herself to an old classic car, that once restored can be better than ever: “When they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping. My oil pan is leaking and my muffler’s busted, and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced. And for sure, my spark plugs need to be changed, because you know, as well as I know, that I can’t lose my spark.” She joked that they didn’t say anything about her mental health. She explained that she’s long had problems with kidney stones, as well as “my immune system and my digestive system, they got all out of whack over the past couple of three years.” She said, “They’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those. And hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon.” She concluded with a list of all the projects she’s currently working on.

Willie Nelson acknowledged his 93^rd birthday by holding his usual two-day celebration on April 29-30. PEOPLE reports Willie once explaining, “I was born before midnight on the 29th, but it didn’t get registered in the county courthouse until the next day. It went out officially as the 30th. I just do both days.” In December, he told The New Yorker he regularly does sit-ups, arm rolls, leg lifts, and jogs in place. “I’m in pretty good shape, physically, for ninety-two,” he said. “Woke up again this morning, so that’s good.”

One of my newsletter subscribers, Nashville-based publicist Scott Sexton, has launched his own company, Sexton Entertainment Group. Scott moved to Nashville in 2014 and joined 2911 Media in 2018, where he served as Vice President of Publicity. According to a press release, “the transition is beyond amicable and reflects great mutual respect and warm appreciation for the work accomplished together over the years.” Scott “aims to build meaningful visibility and long-term momentum for those he represents” and can be reached at sextonentertainmentgroup.com.

Country Now reports that Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert appeared together at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, to sing their new duet “Horses and Divorces.” Musgraves was celebrating her new album, Middle of Nowhere, and she surprised the crowd by inviting Lambert to join her onstage. Lambert hugged her and said, “Tonight we bury the hatchet.” Their rivalry began 13 years ago when Musgraves was talked into giving up “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she hoped would be her breakout single. It became a big hit for Lambert and a missed opportunity for Musgraves, who now calls their feud a “grass-fed, grade A” beef. She recalls, “One day I saw her on Instagram, riding one of her horses, and I thought, ‘Well, I guess we have two things in common: horses and divorces.’” She realized “that’s a song” and took it a step further. “What if I write it with her? What if it’s a duet? I’m gonna reach out. I hadn’t spoken to her in years.” She called Lambert, and they wrote “Horses and Divorces” with Shane McAnally. They then recorded it for Middle of Nowhere.

Just before eight-year-old Jameson started second grade in Michigan, he was diagnosed with multiple forms of aggressive cancer and given only weeks to live. Jameson and his parents, Amanda and Josh, turned to the music of Morgan Wallen as a source of comfort and support. Thanks to the efforts of Make-A-Wish Foundation, the family was able to attend his concert at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. They met him backstage, received several signed gifts, and got to ride home in a limo. When Jameson died, reports Country Now, Morgan Wallen covered the funeral expenses.

The Mavericks are going out on tour in tribute to Raul Malo, reports Saving Country Music, with The Music Lives On Tour playing 30 dates starting in July. Along with James Otto and Emily West, who both filled in during the tribute shows at the Ryman in December 2025, shortly before Malo’s death, the nucleus of the Mavericks band includes keyboard player Jerry Dale, guitarist Eddie Perez, and drummer Paul Deakin. Original band member Robert Reynolds, who plays bass and rhythm guitar, has returned; he left the band in 2014 due to substance abuse issues. This first leg of the tour will include stops in Missouri, Texas, the Northeast, Midwest, and Florida. Tickets can be purchased at themavericksband.com/tour.

MusicRow announces the release of Nobody Held Her Like Me, 50 Years From Home, the seventh volume in the Vince Gill EP series. To commemorate his departure from Oklahoma to begin his music career, Vince has been releasing a new EP each month, with a unifying theme and drawing from songs he has accumulated. The cover art for Nobody Held Her Like Me features two of his Fender Stratocasters, one a 1959 model formerly owned by Duane Eddy and the other a refinished 1965 model.

The National Memorial Day Concert will air live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on May 24. It will feature performances by, among others, Mickey Guyton, Jamey Johnson, Alan Jackson, and the National Symphony Orchestra. “Joe Mantegna and I are deeply honored to co-host this 37-year tradition at the U.S. Capitol and salute those who have worn the uniform – past and present – and their families who have stood beside them,” says co-host Gary Sinise. The night will feature segments including 1776 American Revolution, WWII 85th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, 25th Anniversary Remembrance of 9/11 Attacks, Vietnam War Veterans Tribute, Gold Star Families Tribute and more. The concert will stream here.

The latest in the sexual assault lawsuit filed against Garth Brooks in 2024 occurred last week when the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied his motion to speed things up. The litigation consists of two cases: A lawsuit filed in California by Garth’s former hairdresser accusing him of sexual assault and his lawsuit filed against her in Mississippi a few days earlier in an attempt to block her lawsuit. She used Garth’s name but not hers, while he used pseudonyms for both parties. Garth amended his complaint to include the names of both parties. His accuser filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to prevent her name from being released. The denial of Garth’s request to expedite the appeal means the actual lawsuits in the lower courts cannot proceed until the issue of pseudonyms has been resolved.

Whiskey Riff reports that Willie Nelson has joined Dolly Parton as the only two artists in country music history to appear on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for seven straight decades. Dolly’s 2024 collaboration with Beyoncé on “Tyrant,” followed by three other features, put her in the seventh decade. Dolly first entered the chart in 1967 with “Dumb Blonde.” She is the only country music artist to reach the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart in every decade since the 1960s. Willie’s seventh-decade song comes with being featured with Kacey Musgraves on “Uncertain, TX,” which has debuted at #50. This gives Willie the longest-running chart history in country music, stretching 64 years and two months since he debuted with “Willingly” in March 1962.

LETTERS

Phil Davies says, “Many thanks. As enjoyable and informative as always. Excellent transcript of your interview about Faron and Marty.”

Bobby Fischer writes from Nashville, “Thanks for showing the picture of Helen and Cee Cee in Holland. We were hanging out with Randy Travis and Freddy Fender on those shows. What a blast. Cor Sanne was so good to us. We stayed at his house.”

Ron Wood writes, “Certain musical instruments are definitely important in country music and many instruments, and their players have made distinctive sounds stand out in certain songs. I wonder if you have considered adding a section to your newsletter that honors those instruments and their various players? I have read several books about outstanding country music musicians, and I remember reading somewhere that they often don’t get recognized for what they contribute to the songs. Of course, your newsletter is already great as is. I remember reading a line that is attributed to fiddler Dale Potter when he was playing for Webb Pierce. He said I can carry four parts myself. Webb said, ‘Sure enough, he did and played Maiden’s Prayer and carried all four parts. It was one of the most unbelievable feats I’d ever heard.’”

Diane: That’s a great suggestion, Ron. I lack the sources to do that on a regular basis. The research would take too much time. I agree musicians are underacknowledged. That’s why I make a point of mentioning all band members in my biographies and telling some of their stories.

Jackie Allen Thomas in Arizona says, “Thanks again for your great newsletter. So sorry to see the deaths, especially Don Schlitz the great songwriter, gone too soon. Enjoyed the conversation with Carl Lamm many years ago.”

Carolyn Berry writes from Charlottesville, Virginia, “Thanks once again for the wonderful newsletter. I look forward to reading them each time. They are so informative.”

Danney Yates says, “I’ve read your informative newsletter from some that were forwarded. Could you subscribe me?”

Dominique ‘Imperial’ Anglares writes from France, “Thank you very much for that welcome newsletter. Always a pleasure to read the news and the letter. Keep the good work going on for our pleasure. Warmest regards from your French friend.”

COUNTRY MUSIC DISC JOCKEY HALL OF FAME – 2000 (first half)

Dave Donahue got his radio start in 1954 as host of a daily one-hour show, Teen Time, in Homer, Louisiana. He served in the U.S. Air Force and then joined KTIX in Pendleton, Oregon, where he played country music for the first time. In 1961, he became the night personality at KRLA, Los Angeles, followed by two decades in various roles (Program Director, Operations Manager, Consultant, and Radio Syndicator) for numerous radio stations across the nation. He worked as an air personality at WSM in Nashville (1984-1991), KVOO in Tulsa (1991-1995), WFDI in Wichita (1999-2000), and then WCTH-FM in the Florida Keys. In 2016, he published his memoir, DJ Diaries: Radio’s Remarkable Listeners. The latest information I could find has Dave Donahue living in Newport, Oregon, as owner of Voice-Over Studios, voicing radio and TV commercials worldwide.

Bob Grayson first went on the air as a singer at the age of three in Des Moines, Iowa, where his father preached daily. He was born in Iowa Falls in 1945 and graduated from Brown Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked at rock stations until joining Country WAME in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1971. At various stations over the years, he served as Program Director, Operations Director, and Morning Drive Air Personality. Bob died at age 60, in 2005, following a three-year battle with cancer.

Lee Moore, born in Ohio in 1914, started singing on radio in 1931 while still in high school. After playing dobro and guitar with Doc Schneider and His Texas Yodeling Cowboys, he worked at radio stations in Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia, sometimes performing at the coal camps at night. He joined Wheeling, West Virginia’s WWVA in 1949, where he hosted the overnight show and performed on the WWVA Jamboree. With WWVA’s nighttime signal the only source of Country music for stretches of the Northeast, Lee received mail from Newfoundland to Bermuda. During his twenty-five years at WWVA, he became known as The Coffee Drinking Nite-Hawk because of his coffee drinking routine. He would elaborately describe preparing his favorite beverage, as well as promoting sales of red top baby chicks, the Lord’s Last Supper tablecloths, and used work clothes. After leaving WWVA in 1974, Les played bluegrass festivals throughout the Northeast until his death in 1997 at age 82.