Joe Cecil Simpson[1][2] was born in 1934 in Higley, Arizona,[1] and was raised in Bakersfield, California, the youngest of 12 children.

Simpson was influenced by Owens, Merle Haggard and Bill Woods, who asked Red if he would write a song about driving trucks.

Simpson began writing songs with Owens in 1962, including the Top Ten hit "Gonna Have Love".

The following year, he teamed up with Lorraine Walden for a series of duets that included "Truck Driver Man and Wife".

In the 1995, Red re-entered the studio to record a pair of duets with Junior Brown – "Semi Crazy" and "Nitro Express".

Simpson performed frequently in the Bakersfield area, including a regular Monday night gig at Trout's in Oildale.

[6] Simpson completed his most recent album in December 2015 entitled Soda Pops and Saturdays with Mario Carboni.