This list of country stars charged with truly awful crimes includes three Country Music Hall of Fame inductees and more than 40 years in prison.
Spoiler alert: they’re all men. That’s not to say the women of country music haven’t done some bad things, but we’ve not found a female artist who committed the kind of crime you hear about on the news.
Gun violence, robbery, statutory rape and drug charges help shape this list. There are even a couple of murder charges!
We’ve ranked them from least to most appalling and started with the controversial David Allan Coe, whose criminal record is long but not especially dense. Most of the 20 years he spent in jail were for crimes that triggered a probation violation — at least, that’s the way he tells it.
Jerry Lee Lewis is also featured. He once committed a crime outside of Elvis Presley’s home of Graceland. We’re pretty sure alcohol was involved.
Previously, we featured eight country stars who seemingly killed their career by making bad decisions, but still managed to find success afterward. It’s a video that features an uncomfortable number of country men — like Lewis — in relationships with underage women, all of whom can be found below.
Related: See the Best + Worst Celebrity Mug Shots!
The man known as “The Killer” was not formally charged for a crime in that case.
Scroll down to find all 11 country stars charged with awful crimes, plus a full description of the charges, verdicts and sentences.
Country Music’s Most Horrific Crimes
These 11 country stars were locked up for committing awful crimes. Some turned their life around while others (like No. 10) never seemed to have learned their lesson.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Celebrity Mug Shots, the Best and the Worst
Even celebrities can find themselves in hot water with the law, and when that happens, the mug shots can be quite eye opening. Here are some of the best, and the worst.
Gallery Credit: Wood
