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.
2024 CMA Awards Red Carpet Pictures
Check out the best pictures from the 2024 CMA Awards red carpet.Country couples and solo stars walked the red carpet ahead of the CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 20). See pictures of the best and worst dressed stars, plus some of the wildest looks. There were certainly some bold hat decisions.