Red Simpson

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Red Simpson (1966)

Red Simpson (born March 6, 1934 as Joseph Cecil Simpson in Higley , Arizona , † January 8, 2016 in Bakersfield , California ) was an American country singer and songwriter who was successful with trucker songs from the mid-1960s .

Life

Red Simpson grew up in a large family who moved from Arizona to Bakersfield, California in the 1930s. He made his first musical appearances at the age of eleven in clubs in the vicinity. He formed his first band while serving in the US Navy during the Korean War . After returning to civilian life, he worked temporarily as an ice cream seller. In the evenings he performed in a Bakersfield club for little money. Fuzzy Owens , who would later manage Merle Haggard , hired him as a piano player. On weekends he represented the rising star Buck Owens .

In addition to his club appearances, Simpson wrote numerous songs during these years, which he always carried with him in a small suitcase, which earned him the nickname "Suitcase Simpson" - "Suitcase Simpson". Buck Owens recorded some of his songs and had a top 10 hit in 1962 with "Gonna Have Love". The breakthrough came in 1966 when Ken Nelson , the influential producer of the Capitol label, was looking for a country singer who recorded trucker songs. Merle Haggard refused, and Simpson got his chance. His first single, Roll Truck Roll , became a mean hit and the album of the same name was also a success. His next albums also mostly contained trucker songs. Red Simpson, who had driven an ice cream delivery van only once in his life for a short time, had risen to be the musical king of the highway.

In 1967, Buck Owens achieved a number one hit with the Simpson song Sam's Place . Red Simpson himself had his greatest success four years later with the top five hit I'm A Truck . In 1972 he first appeared in the Grand Ole Opry . In 1976 he moved to Warner Bros. , where he had a few minor hits by the end of the decade.

Discography

Albums

  • 1966 - Roll, Truck, Roll (Capitol)
  • 1966 - The Man Behind The Badge (Capitol)
  • 1967 - Truck Drivin 'Fool (Capitol)
  • 1967 - Red Simpson Sings A Bakersfield Dozen (Capitol)
  • 1971 - I'm A Truck (Capitol)
  • 1972 - The Very Real Red Simpson (Capitol)
  • 1973 - Trucker's Christmas (Capitol)
  • 2005 - The Bard of Bakersfield (Windsor Music)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bakersfield Sound pioneer Red Simpson dies at 81 ( Memento from July 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Simpson, Red
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Simpson, Joseph Cecil (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Higley , Arizona
DATE OF DEATH January 8, 2016
Place of death Bakersfield , California