NFL legend and CMAs co-host Peyton Manning celebrated the conclusion of a successful Nashville awards show in the most appropriate way possible: By hitting the bars for a little classic country karaoke.
After the big night on Wednesday (Nov. 20), Manning was spotted at Music City hot spot Loser’s. He hopped onstage to sing “the perfect country & Western song”: David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.”
Manning gets an A for Effort for this performance. He seemed to have a handle on the lyrics, and he delivered a very Coe-esque rendition of the spoken section in the middle of the song.
The melody was off-key, but hey: Manning’s a football player, and he’s never claimed to be a singer. Coe would be proud of the passion and feeling behind his performance, and he certainly put on a great show for the Loser’s crowd.
All About David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”:
Coe had a Top 10 country hit with this quirky song after he released it in 1975, and Doug Supernaw later put out a version, too.
Fun fact: Steve Goodman and John Prine co-wrote “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” but only Goodman was credited on it since Prine thought it was a “goofy” song and didn’t want to offend the country music industry. The final verse — which includes references to country tropes like “Mama,” “trains” and “gettin’ drunk” was added by Goodman after he first pitched to Coe, who told him the song would never be a mainstream success without those topics included.
The 2024 CMA Awards took place in Nashville last Wednesday (Nov. 20.) Manning co-hosted the show with Lainey Wilson and Luke Bryan.