UPC: 4000127169440
Format: CD (5 disc)
Release Date: Feb 27, 2012
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Recording information: Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Bakersfield, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Hollywood, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Los Angeles, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (03/08/1966-03/10/1966); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (03/1973); Bakersfield, CA (03/1973); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (03/1973); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (03/1973); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (03/1973); Hollywood, CA (03/1973); Los Angeles, CA (03/1973); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (03/1973); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (03/1973); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (03/1973); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (05/17/1967); Bakersfield, CA (05/17/1967); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/17/1967); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/17/1967); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/17/1967); Hollywood, CA (05/17/1967); Los Angeles, CA (05/17/1967); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (05/17/1967); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (05/17/1967); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/17/1967); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (05/1962); Bakersfield, CA (05/1962); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/1962); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/1962); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/1962); Hollywood, CA (05/1962); Los Angeles, CA (05/1962); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (05/1962); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (05/1962); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/1962); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (05/1972); Bakersfield, CA (05/1972); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/1972); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/1972); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/1972); Hollywood, CA (05/1972); Los Angeles, CA (05/1972); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (05/1972); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (05/1972); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/1972); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Bakersfield, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Hollywood, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Los Angeles, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (05/26/1966-05/27/1966); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (06/06/1966); Bakersfield, CA (06/06/1966); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/06/1966); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/06/1966); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/06/1966); Hollywood, CA (06/06/1966); Los Angeles, CA (06/06/1966); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (06/06/1966); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (06/06/1966); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/06/1966); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (06/13/1966); Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1966); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1966); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/13/1966); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/13/1966); Hollywood, CA (06/13/1966); Los Angeles, CA (06/13/1966); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (06/13/1966); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (06/13/1966); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1966); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Hollywood, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Los Angeles, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Tally Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/13/1975-06/15/1973); Audio Media Recorders, Nashville, TN (06/15/1966); Bakersfield, CA (06/15/1966); Buck Owens Studio, Bakersfield, CA (06/15/1966); Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/15/1966); Central Songs Demo Studio, Hollywood, CA (06/15/1966); Hollywood, CA (06/15/1966); Los Angeles, CA (06/15/1966); Ripcord Studio Vancouver, WA (06/15/1966); Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA (06/15/1966).
Illustrators: Mohns Mohnssen; Red Simpson.
Photographers: Mohns Mohnssen; Red Simpson.
Red Simpson never drove a truck but he sang plenty of songs about big rigs. No less than 27 of the 165 songs on Bear Family's 2012 box Hello, I'm Red Simpson -- a five-disc set containing all of his Capitol recordings, along with his early singles and a wisely curated selection of latter-day recordings stretching into the early '80s plus several unreleased acoustic songwriter demos -- contain the word "truck" in their titles, and that count excludes tunes with "Wheels" or "Road" in the titles, or other truck-driving classics like "Give Me Forty Acres" and "Nitro Express." Simpson certainly didn't spark the truck-driving country phenomenon of the '60s -- in fact, he received his recording contract with Capitol solely because its president, Ken Nelson, wanted to cash in on the craze, figuring Red Simpson looked the part of a weathered long-distance trucker -- but he wound up defining it, his electrified Bakersfield twang sounding tougher and more road-ready than the steady-rolling rhythms of Dave Dudley or Dick Curless. Simpson's records were designed for the long haul -- they felt like the open road -- but it wasn't just sonics that made Red superior to other truck-driving singers: he was a sharp songwriter, author of such West Coast country classics as "Close Up the Honky Tonks," "Gonna Have Love," "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," and "Sam's Place," a skill that came in handy when he was tasked with cutting collections of songs about truckers or policemen, as he did on his Man Behind the Badge album.
On the surface, all these songs about trucks and patrolmen seem like nothing more than novelties, and while Red certainly had a taste for the silly -- stretching all the way back to his second single "The Big Bank Robbery," a lark written in the style of Dallas Frazier -- Simpson's eye for small, telling details meant he found songs where others couldn't. A great deal of the pleasure of Hello, I'm Red Simpson is hearing these tales of the road, running all the way down to crafting an entertaining truck-driving Christmas album, something only a master craftsman could do. Simpson's sturdy workmanship wasn't limited to his writing; his deceptively casual delivery camouflaged how reliably sturdy his music and singing were, how he managed to hit a sweet spot with ease. Simpson wound up being limited by commercial constraints -- a reason he cut so many songs about trucks is that they were the only thing of his that sold, and when they stopped shifting units, he left Capitol and whiled away the rest of the '70s and early '80s re-recording hits and a few new songs for tiny budget labels. Bear Family chose to include only his newly composed tunes and covers from this period -- but that is no reflection of the quality of his music, which was consistently and thoroughly satisfying. And that's why the five discs of Hello, I'm Red Simpson are by no means overkill: through its seven hours there are no dead spots, the music is always moving forward, always the perfect soundtrack for long treks on the wide-open highway. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Illustrators: Mohns Mohnssen; Red Simpson.
Photographers: Mohns Mohnssen; Red Simpson.
Red Simpson never drove a truck but he sang plenty of songs about big rigs. No less than 27 of the 165 songs on Bear Family's 2012 box Hello, I'm Red Simpson -- a five-disc set containing all of his Capitol recordings, along with his early singles and a wisely curated selection of latter-day recordings stretching into the early '80s plus several unreleased acoustic songwriter demos -- contain the word "truck" in their titles, and that count excludes tunes with "Wheels" or "Road" in the titles, or other truck-driving classics like "Give Me Forty Acres" and "Nitro Express." Simpson certainly didn't spark the truck-driving country phenomenon of the '60s -- in fact, he received his recording contract with Capitol solely because its president, Ken Nelson, wanted to cash in on the craze, figuring Red Simpson looked the part of a weathered long-distance trucker -- but he wound up defining it, his electrified Bakersfield twang sounding tougher and more road-ready than the steady-rolling rhythms of Dave Dudley or Dick Curless. Simpson's records were designed for the long haul -- they felt like the open road -- but it wasn't just sonics that made Red superior to other truck-driving singers: he was a sharp songwriter, author of such West Coast country classics as "Close Up the Honky Tonks," "Gonna Have Love," "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," and "Sam's Place," a skill that came in handy when he was tasked with cutting collections of songs about truckers or policemen, as he did on his Man Behind the Badge album.
On the surface, all these songs about trucks and patrolmen seem like nothing more than novelties, and while Red certainly had a taste for the silly -- stretching all the way back to his second single "The Big Bank Robbery," a lark written in the style of Dallas Frazier -- Simpson's eye for small, telling details meant he found songs where others couldn't. A great deal of the pleasure of Hello, I'm Red Simpson is hearing these tales of the road, running all the way down to crafting an entertaining truck-driving Christmas album, something only a master craftsman could do. Simpson's sturdy workmanship wasn't limited to his writing; his deceptively casual delivery camouflaged how reliably sturdy his music and singing were, how he managed to hit a sweet spot with ease. Simpson wound up being limited by commercial constraints -- a reason he cut so many songs about trucks is that they were the only thing of his that sold, and when they stopped shifting units, he left Capitol and whiled away the rest of the '70s and early '80s re-recording hits and a few new songs for tiny budget labels. Bear Family chose to include only his newly composed tunes and covers from this period -- but that is no reflection of the quality of his music, which was consistently and thoroughly satisfying. And that's why the five discs of Hello, I'm Red Simpson are by no means overkill: through its seven hours there are no dead spots, the music is always moving forward, always the perfect soundtrack for long treks on the wide-open highway. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks:
Disc 1:
1 - Sweet Love
2 - Dolly Blues
3 - Big Bank Robbery
4 - Big Bank Robbery, Pt. 2
5 - One Day with My Baby
6 - Dippy Daddle Love
7 - Jeannie with the Light Brown Cadillac
8 - George for a Day
9 - I've Just Lost You
10 - Ukulele Bailey
11 - Truck Drivin' Man
12 - Truck Driver's Blues
13 - Six Days on the Road
14 - Give Me Forty Acres
15 - Nitro Express
16 - My Baby's Waitin'
17 - Motivatin' Man
18 - Highway Man
19 - Big Mack
20 - Happy Go Lucky Truck Driver
21 - Runaway Truck
22 - Roll Truck Roll
23 - Highway Patrol
24 - City Police
25 - Sidewalk Patrol
26 - Rules of the Road
27 - Dreams Are Made for Fools
28 - I Fell in Love with You
29 - I'm Gonna Write Momma for Money
30 - I'm Actin' Like My Old Self Again
31 - I Just Cry a Little
32 - It's My Last Night in Town
33 - There Ain't Nothin' Happenin' to Me
34 - Big Bank Robbery
Disc 2:
1 - You're Under Arrest
2 - County Sheriff
3 - Workin' for the Highway Patrol
4 - Johnny Law
5 - Sheriff Sam
6 - Bad Man Highway Patrol
7 - I'm Turnin' in My Star
8 - 25 Years on Patrol
9 - Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves
10 - Black Smoke a-Blowin' Over 18 Wheels (That's Home Sweet Home)
11 - Truck Daddy
12 - I'll Be Goin' Home to Momma
13 - Tombstone Every Mile
14 - Piggyback Blues
15 - Take Me Home
16 - Born to Be a Trucker
17 - Jacknife
18 - Truck Drivin' Fool
19 - Sleeper, Five-by-Two
20 - Old Sam
21 - He Reminds Me a Whole Lot of Me
22 - Party Girl
23 - Mini-Skirt Minnie
24 - Honky Tonk Women
25 - Lonely Old House
26 - Happy Travelin' Man
27 - I'm a Truck
28 - Where Love Used to Be
29 - Knights of the Road
30 - Drugstore Truck Driver
31 - Road Rhythm
32 - Motel Joe
Disc 3:
1 - Good Old Truckin' Girl
2 - Truckin' Man
3 - Just Kept on Truckin'
4 - Gas, Food and Lodging
5 - Lady of the Road
6 - Country Western Truck Drivin' Singer
7 - You're the First
8 - Truckin' on Down the Road
9 - Ole Ben
10 - Hold on Ma'am (You Got Yourself a Honker)
11 - Fur Coats and Fancy Clothes
12 - Certainly
13 - Ballad of Billy Jones
14 - Those Forgotten Trains
15 - You're All Over My Mind
16 - Jericho Jones
17 - Milesaver Man
18 - Awful Lot to Learn About Truck Drivin'
19 - You Still Got a Hold on Me
20 - Gas, Food and Lodging
21 - Feelin' Like Tarzan
22 - Truckin' Trees for Christmas
23 - Blue Blue Christmas (For This Truck Drivin' Man)
24 - Christmas Wheels
25 - Old Christmas Truck
26 - Toys for Tots
27 - Santa's Comin' in a Big Ol' Truck
28 - Dad Will Be Home for Christmas
29 - Little Toy Trucks
30 - Gone Home for Christmas
31 - Out on the Road for Christmas
Disc 4:
1 - Bill Woods from Bakersfield
2 - Bull-Shippers
3 - I'm a Pretty Good Man
4 - Blackboard of My Heart
5 - Honky Tonk Ladies Loverman
6 - Squirmin'
7 - Yip Yip
8 - If the World Ran Out of Diesel
9 - Gordon's Grocery Store
10 - Truck Drivin' Man and Wife
11 - Your Truck Drivin' Man's Comin' Home
12 - Streakin' the Opryland Park
13 - Love Has Never Done a Lot for Me
14 - Bull-Shippers
15 - Message from Home
16 - Inflation
17 - It Ain't Even Halloween
18 - Truck Driver's Heaven
19 - Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver
20 - I Miss You a Little
21 - Longest Run
22 - Benny and Me
23 - Sam's Place
24 - Take Me into Your World
25 - World Keeps Turning Around
26 - We're Back to Strangers Again
27 - Gonna Have Love
28 - Ain't It Something
29 - Close All the Honky Tonks
30 - We Split the Blanket
31 - I Had a Girl Like Her One Time
32 - Kansas City Romeo
Disc 5:
1 - Just Call Me Texas
2 - Trophies
3 - Buffalo Beauty
4 - Don't Touch My Hat
5 - Lady Lookin' for Love
6 - Me and Ole CB
7 - Looking at the World Through a Windshield
8 - I'll Have Another Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)
9 - Movin' On
10 - 18 Wheels Hummin' Home Sweet Home
11 - Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun
12 - Drivin' My Life Away
13 - Dear Mr. President
14 - Ronnie, Baby
15 - Lucky Ole Colorado
16 - Time Changes Everything
17 - Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver
18 - Lady of the Road
19 - Little Bit of Her
20 - You Put My World Back Together
21 - Living for You
22 - World Full of Love
23 - You're a Better Man Than Me
24 - Poco
25 - Lonely G.I.
26 - Ship of Love
27 - I Ain't Found Me One
28 - Play the Guitar Softly
29 - Honky Tonks and Heartaches
30 - Walkin' Out Backwards
31 - If I Have to Live Without You
32 - I'm Gettin' Over a Heartache
33 - Here Again, Gone Again
34 - I Don't Think I Will
35 - Here Today Gone Tomorrow Daddy
36 - She Belongs to You
1 - Sweet Love
2 - Dolly Blues
3 - Big Bank Robbery
4 - Big Bank Robbery, Pt. 2
5 - One Day with My Baby
6 - Dippy Daddle Love
7 - Jeannie with the Light Brown Cadillac
8 - George for a Day
9 - I've Just Lost You
10 - Ukulele Bailey
11 - Truck Drivin' Man
12 - Truck Driver's Blues
13 - Six Days on the Road
14 - Give Me Forty Acres
15 - Nitro Express
16 - My Baby's Waitin'
17 - Motivatin' Man
18 - Highway Man
19 - Big Mack
20 - Happy Go Lucky Truck Driver
21 - Runaway Truck
22 - Roll Truck Roll
23 - Highway Patrol
24 - City Police
25 - Sidewalk Patrol
26 - Rules of the Road
27 - Dreams Are Made for Fools
28 - I Fell in Love with You
29 - I'm Gonna Write Momma for Money
30 - I'm Actin' Like My Old Self Again
31 - I Just Cry a Little
32 - It's My Last Night in Town
33 - There Ain't Nothin' Happenin' to Me
34 - Big Bank Robbery
Disc 2:
1 - You're Under Arrest
2 - County Sheriff
3 - Workin' for the Highway Patrol
4 - Johnny Law
5 - Sheriff Sam
6 - Bad Man Highway Patrol
7 - I'm Turnin' in My Star
8 - 25 Years on Patrol
9 - Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves
10 - Black Smoke a-Blowin' Over 18 Wheels (That's Home Sweet Home)
11 - Truck Daddy
12 - I'll Be Goin' Home to Momma
13 - Tombstone Every Mile
14 - Piggyback Blues
15 - Take Me Home
16 - Born to Be a Trucker
17 - Jacknife
18 - Truck Drivin' Fool
19 - Sleeper, Five-by-Two
20 - Old Sam
21 - He Reminds Me a Whole Lot of Me
22 - Party Girl
23 - Mini-Skirt Minnie
24 - Honky Tonk Women
25 - Lonely Old House
26 - Happy Travelin' Man
27 - I'm a Truck
28 - Where Love Used to Be
29 - Knights of the Road
30 - Drugstore Truck Driver
31 - Road Rhythm
32 - Motel Joe
Disc 3:
1 - Good Old Truckin' Girl
2 - Truckin' Man
3 - Just Kept on Truckin'
4 - Gas, Food and Lodging
5 - Lady of the Road
6 - Country Western Truck Drivin' Singer
7 - You're the First
8 - Truckin' on Down the Road
9 - Ole Ben
10 - Hold on Ma'am (You Got Yourself a Honker)
11 - Fur Coats and Fancy Clothes
12 - Certainly
13 - Ballad of Billy Jones
14 - Those Forgotten Trains
15 - You're All Over My Mind
16 - Jericho Jones
17 - Milesaver Man
18 - Awful Lot to Learn About Truck Drivin'
19 - You Still Got a Hold on Me
20 - Gas, Food and Lodging
21 - Feelin' Like Tarzan
22 - Truckin' Trees for Christmas
23 - Blue Blue Christmas (For This Truck Drivin' Man)
24 - Christmas Wheels
25 - Old Christmas Truck
26 - Toys for Tots
27 - Santa's Comin' in a Big Ol' Truck
28 - Dad Will Be Home for Christmas
29 - Little Toy Trucks
30 - Gone Home for Christmas
31 - Out on the Road for Christmas
Disc 4:
1 - Bill Woods from Bakersfield
2 - Bull-Shippers
3 - I'm a Pretty Good Man
4 - Blackboard of My Heart
5 - Honky Tonk Ladies Loverman
6 - Squirmin'
7 - Yip Yip
8 - If the World Ran Out of Diesel
9 - Gordon's Grocery Store
10 - Truck Drivin' Man and Wife
11 - Your Truck Drivin' Man's Comin' Home
12 - Streakin' the Opryland Park
13 - Love Has Never Done a Lot for Me
14 - Bull-Shippers
15 - Message from Home
16 - Inflation
17 - It Ain't Even Halloween
18 - Truck Driver's Heaven
19 - Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver
20 - I Miss You a Little
21 - Longest Run
22 - Benny and Me
23 - Sam's Place
24 - Take Me into Your World
25 - World Keeps Turning Around
26 - We're Back to Strangers Again
27 - Gonna Have Love
28 - Ain't It Something
29 - Close All the Honky Tonks
30 - We Split the Blanket
31 - I Had a Girl Like Her One Time
32 - Kansas City Romeo
Disc 5:
1 - Just Call Me Texas
2 - Trophies
3 - Buffalo Beauty
4 - Don't Touch My Hat
5 - Lady Lookin' for Love
6 - Me and Ole CB
7 - Looking at the World Through a Windshield
8 - I'll Have Another Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)
9 - Movin' On
10 - 18 Wheels Hummin' Home Sweet Home
11 - Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun
12 - Drivin' My Life Away
13 - Dear Mr. President
14 - Ronnie, Baby
15 - Lucky Ole Colorado
16 - Time Changes Everything
17 - Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver
18 - Lady of the Road
19 - Little Bit of Her
20 - You Put My World Back Together
21 - Living for You
22 - World Full of Love
23 - You're a Better Man Than Me
24 - Poco
25 - Lonely G.I.
26 - Ship of Love
27 - I Ain't Found Me One
28 - Play the Guitar Softly
29 - Honky Tonks and Heartaches
30 - Walkin' Out Backwards
31 - If I Have to Live Without You
32 - I'm Gettin' Over a Heartache
33 - Here Again, Gone Again
34 - I Don't Think I Will
35 - Here Today Gone Tomorrow Daddy
36 - She Belongs to You