Johnny Gimble | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | John Paul Gimble (1926-05-30)May 30, 1926 Tyler, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2015(2015-05-09) (aged 88) Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | Fiddle |
| Years active | 1938–2015 |
| Labels | CMH Records |
| Website | johnnygimble |
John Paul Gimble (May 30, 1926 – May 9, 2015)[1] was an Americancountry musician associated withWestern swing. He was considered one of the most importantfiddlers in the genre.[2] He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 in the early influences category as a member ofBob Wills and His Texas Playboys.
Gimble was posthumously inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[3]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Johnny Gimble: 'The King Of The Swing Fiddle', interviewed byTerry Gross onFresh Air, 21:51, April 8, 2010.[4] |
Gimble was born inTyler, Texas[5] and grew up in nearbyBascom. He began playing in a band with his brothers at age 12, and continued playing with two of them, George and Jerry, as the Rose City Swingsters. The trio played local radio shows, and gigs at dance halls. Gimble later moved toLouisiana and began performing with theJimmie Davis gubernatorial campaign. He was offered a job in the Governor's administration but turned it down to volunteer for service in the U.S. Army. Gimble returned to Texas after completing his service in the U.S. Army inWorld War II.
Back in Texas, Gimble continued to hone his fiddling skills with a number of Texas radio and dance bands. In 1948, he made his first recording, playing with Robert Brother's Rhythmairs inCorpus Christi. A year later he joinedBob Wills and HisTexas Playboys, with whom he toured for most of the next decade.[5] With Wills, he played both fiddle and electricmandolin, and distinguished himself by using a five-string fiddle (most fiddles have four strings).[6]
His fiddling style was influenced by other Texas fiddlers who played the "breakdown" fiddle tunes. Gimble's fiddling style, while uniquely his own, came to be known as the "Texas fiddling style" that emerged during the first half of the twentieth century among fiddlers such asCliff Bruner, Louis Tierney, and Jesse Ashlock. Gimble learned from them, and further developed while playing with Wills, who epitomized and promoted a new sound known as Western swing. Western swing rose to national prominence in the 1940s, combining the old-time, Southern-derived Anglo string band tradition, with its breakdowns, schottisches, waltzes, and reels, with the big band jazz and pop music of the day.
After Gimble married Barbara Kemp ofGatesville, Texas, in 1949, he settled inDallas, where, in the early 1950s, he began doing radio and television shows with Bill and Jim Boyd (of the Lone Star Cowboys) and performed on TheBig D Jamboree, a weekly variety show broadcast live from theDallas Sportatorium. He broke off to form his own group in 1951, performing as the house band at Wills's clubs inFort Worth andOklahoma City, but rejoined in 1953 and continued to play with Wills until the early 1960s. He played fiddle onMarty Robbins' No. 1 hit "I'll Go On Alone".[7]
In 1955, Gimble moved toWaco, Texas, and split time between running abarber shop near the regional VA Hospital and music.[5] In 1960, he quit touring with Bob Wills and hosted one of the first locally produced television shows onKWTX,Johnny Gimble & the Homefolks.[8] Gimble's show featured a young bass player from nearbyAbbott, Texas, namedWillie Nelson, and a lifetime friendship and partnership was born.[9] In 1968, after repeated encouragement from his peers, Gimble moved his family toNashville, Tennessee. From then on, his steady work as asession musician included sessions withMerle Haggard andThe Strangers on their Bob Willstribute album (A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (or, My Salute to Bob Wills)),Conway Twitty,Connie Smith,Loretta Lynn,Lefty Frizzell,Ray Price,Willie Nelson, andChet Atkins onSuperpickers in 1973. The following year he took a cue from a song ("Fiddlin' Around") which he had written and performed on the Atkins' Superpickers album, and recorded his first solo album, titledFiddlin' Around.[citation needed]. He recorded nine other solo albums.
From 1979 to 1981, Gimble toured withWillie Nelson worldwide, and appeared in a supporting role in the filmHoneysuckle Rose.[10] In 1983, Gimble assembled a Texas swing group featuringRay Price on vocals, and charted a country radio hit with "One Fiddle, Two Fiddle", featured in theClint Eastwood filmHonkytonk Man in which Johnny had a supporting role portrayingBob Wills.[11] He appeared from the 1970s through the 2000s onAustin City Limits on TV andGarrison Keillor's broadcasts (radio). At the time of his death, he held the record for most appearances on the Austin-based PBS show. He was a member of theMillion Dollar Band, and frequent guest on "Hee Haw".
Gimble's career spanned into the 21st century, recording withVince Gill,[12]Tanya Tucker, and performing at the49th Annual Grammy Awards withCarrie Underwood in 2007.[13] "UntilLloyd Maines surpassed him, Johnny held the record for most appearances onAustin City Limits. He played with heart and soul and had an infectious spirit and sense of adventure - both in his music and personality," said ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona.[14] Johnny was also a regular onMinnesota Public Radio'sA Prairie Home Companion hosted byGarrison Keillor,[15] who in 1994 penned"Owed to Johnny Gimble" as a tribute to his friend after Gimble received the NEA's National Heritage Fellowship, and who performed the song again on May 9, 2015, to commemorate Gimble's life.[16]
Gimble and his wife Barbara were divorced twice and remarried twice. They had a son and two daughters, and as of 2022 they had four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.[12]
Johnny and his son Dick Gimble, a college professor of music atMcLennan Community College, started a Western Swing Camp focusing on fiddle. After two years inWaco and with the help of daughter Cyndy they moved the camp to SMU's Taos Campus and ensured that the western swing style of country music was passed on to the next generation.
Gimble's granddaughter, Emily, is a notable vocalist and keyboard player who has performed with Johnny,Asleep at the Wheel,Warren Hood, andHayes Carll. Emily was a regular member of Asleep at the Wheel as keyboardist and vocalist from 2014 to 2016, a band that frequently partnered with Johnny to bring the music of Bob Wills to newer generations. She has since launched a solo career, based out ofAustin, Texas, and followed Johnny's footsteps as the State Musician ofTexas for 2020.[17]
Gimble's grandson, Jon Gimble, is the District Clerk inMcLennan County and serves on the Texas Judicial Council.[18][19]
Gimble died not far from his home inDripping Springs, Texas, on May 9, 2015, aged 88.[1] His daughter stated that her father was "finally rid of the complications from several strokes over the past few years".[20]
From 1975 to 1990, he was nominated 15 times for Instrumentalist of the Year and won theCountry Music Association Award five times. Johnny garnered nine Best Fiddle Player awards from theAcademy of Country Music. Gimble was nominated for a Grammy for his performance on the 1993Mark O'Connor albumHeroes, and was awarded twoGrammy Awards: 1) in 1994 for his arrangement of "Red Wing" on the Bob Wills tribute album by Asleep At The Wheel; 2) and in 1995 for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Hightower" with Asleep At The Wheel.[29]
In 1994, Gimble was awarded aNational Heritage Fellowship as a Master Folk Artist from theNational Endowment for the Arts.[30]
In 1999, Gimble was inducted into theRock n Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influences category as part ofBob Wills and his Texas Playboys.[31]
In 2005, Gimble was named State Musician for the state ofTexas.,[32] and inducted into theTexas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Gimble was posthumously inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[33]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [34] | USCountry [35] | AUS [36] | CAN [37] | CANCountry [38] | |||
| Honeysuckle Rose (credited as "Willie Nelson and Family") |
| 11 | 1 | 34 | 24 | 4 | |
| International | |
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| National | |
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| People | |
| Other | |