Red Simpson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Simpson
Red Simpson in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Joe Cecil Simpson
Also known as	The Bard Of Bakersfield
Born	(1934-03-06)March 6, 1934 Higley, Arizona, U.S.
Died	January 8, 2016(2016-01-08) (aged 81) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Genres	Country, truck-driving country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, keyboard, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel
Years active	1966–2016
Labels	Capitol

Joe Cecil "Red" Simpson (born March 6, 1934 – died January 8, 2016) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He was famous for his songs about truckers and their lives on the road.

About Red Simpson

Red Simpson was born in 1934 in Higley, Arizona. He grew up in Bakersfield, California. He was the youngest of 12 children! Red wrote his very first song when he was just 14 years old.

Starting His Music Career

Red worked at a place called the Wagon Wheel. A music producer named Fuzzy Owen saw him there. Fuzzy helped Red get a job playing piano at the Clover Club. Later, Red took over for famous singer Buck Owens at the Blackboard Club on weekends.

Red was inspired by other musicians like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. A musician named Bill Woods asked Red to write songs about trucks. Red wrote four truck songs, but Bill Woods stopped recording music.

In 1962, Red started writing songs with Buck Owens. One of their songs, "Gonna Have Love," became a Top Ten hit!

Becoming a Trucking Song Star

In 1965, a producer from Capitol Records, Ken Nelson, wanted someone to record songs about trucking. He first asked Merle Haggard, but Merle wasn't interested. Red Simpson, however, was very excited to do it!

Red's first trucking song was "Roll, Truck, Roll." It became a Top 40 country hit. He then recorded a whole album with the same name. That year, he released two more truck songs that also became popular.

As a songwriter, Red had his first number one hit with "Sam's Place." Buck Owens recorded this song. After this success, Red decided to focus on writing songs full-time.

Returning to Performing

In 1971, Red started performing again. He had a big hit with "I'm a Truck," which was written by a postman named Bob Staunton. This song reached the Top Five on the music charts.

In 1972, Red performed at the famous Grand Ole Opry for the first time. He had two more "truck" hits with Capitol Records. In 1976, he signed with Warner Brothers and released "Truck Driver's Heaven." The next year, he sang duets with Lorraine Walden, including "Truck Driver Man and Wife."

Red's last song to appear on the charts was "The Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver" in 1979. In 1988, Merle Haggard recorded Red's song "Lucky Old Colorado."

Later Years and Legacy

Red Simpson continued to write and perform music. In 1995, he recorded two duets with Junior Brown: "Semi Crazy" and "Nitro Express."

Red often performed in the Bakersfield area, including a regular show on Monday nights at Trout's in Oildale. He also released a song called "Hey, Bin Laden."

Red Simpson passed away on January 8, 2016, at a hospital in Bakersfield. He was 81 years old. He had complications from a heart attack.

After he passed away, Red Simpson was honored at the 2016 Ameripolitan awards. His son, David Simpson, accepted the "Founder of the Sound" award for him.

Red finished his last album, Soda Pops and Saturdays, in December 2015 with Mario Carboni. The album was released on January 9, 2016, the day after he died.

Music Albums

Red Simpson released many albums during his career. Here are some of his most well-known ones:

Singles

Here are some of the single songs Red Simpson released:

See also

• Truck-driving country
• Honky Tonk
• Bakersfield Sound
• Dick Curless