Johnny Gimble
John Paul Gimble (May 30, 1926 – May 9, 2015)[1] was an American country musician associated with Western swing. Gimble was considered one of the most important fiddlers in the genre.[2] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 in the early influences category as a member of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.
Johnny Gimble | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Paul Gimble |
| Born | May 30, 1926 Tyler, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2015 (aged 88) Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, fiddler |
| Years active | 1938–2015 |
| Labels | CMH Records |
| Website | Official website |
Gimble was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[3]
Biography edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
| External audio | |
|---|---|
| Johnny Gimble: 'The King Of The Swing Fiddle', interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air, 21:51, April 8, 2010.[4] |
Gimble was born in Tyler, Texas, United States,[5] and grew up in nearby Bascom. 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 to Louisiana and began performing with the Jimmie 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 in World 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 in Corpus Christi. A year later he joined Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, with whom he toured for most of the next decade.[5] With Wills, he played both fiddle and electric mandolin, 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 as Cliff 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 of Gatesville, Texas, in 1949, he settled in Dallas, 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 The Big D Jamboree, a weekly variety show broadcast live from the Dallas Sportatorium. He broke off to form his own group in 1951, performing as the house band at Wills's clubs in Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, but rejoined in 1953 and continued to play with Wills until the early 1960s. He played fiddle on Marty Robbins' No. 1 hit "I'll Go on Alone".[7]
In 1955, Gimble moved to Waco, Texas, and split time between running a barber 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 on KWTX, Johnny Gimble & the Homefolks.[8] Gimble's show featured a young bass player from nearby Abbott, Texas, named Willie Nelson, and a lifetime friendship and partnership was born.[9] In 1968, after repeated encouragement from his peers, Gimble moved his family to Nashville, Tennessee. From then on, his steady work as a session musician included sessions with Merle Haggard and The Strangers on their Bob Wills tribute 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, and Chet Atkins on Superpickers 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, titled Fiddlin' Around. [citation needed]. He recorded nine other solo albums.
From 1979 to 1981, Gimble toured with Willie Nelson worldwide, and appeared in a supporting role in the film Honeysuckle Rose.[10] In 1983, Gimble assembled a Texas swing group featuring Ray Price on vocals, and charted a country radio hit with "One Fiddle, Two Fiddle", featured in the Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man in which Johnny had a supporting role portraying Bob Wills.[11] He appeared from the 1970s through the 2000s on Austin City Limits on TV and Garrison 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 the Million Dollar Band, and frequent guest on "Hee Haw".
Gimble's career spanned into the 21st century, recording with Vince Gill,[12] Tanya Tucker, and performing at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood in 2007.[13] "Until Lloyd Maines surpassed him, Johnny held the record for most appearances on Austin 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 on Minnesota Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion hosted by Garrison 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]
Personal life edit
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 at McLennan Community College, started a Western Swing Camp focusing on fiddle. After two years in Waco 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, and Hayes 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 of Austin, Texas, and followed Johnny's footsteps as the State Musician of Texas for 2020.[17]
Gimble's grandson, Jon Gimble, is the District Clerk in McLennan County and serves on the Texas Judicial Council.[18][19]
Death edit
Gimble died not far from his home in Dripping 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]
Partial discography edit
- His final album, Celebrating with Friends - 2010, features duos with long-time collaborators Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Dale Watson, and his son Dick and granddaughter Emily Gimble, and was produced by Ray Benson.[21]
- A Case of the Gimbles - 2005. A collaboration with Johnny, son Dick Gimble, and granddaughter Emily Gimble.
- Under the X in Texas - 1992. Gimble's self-published classic featuring several self-compositions.
- Still Fiddlin' Around 1988. Gimble's LP featuring standards and self-compositions published by MCA Records[22]
- Glorybound - 1987. Gimble's instrumental gospel album, originally published by Word Records in Waco, Texas [23]
- Texas Fiddle Collection - 1981. Gimble's double LP published by CMH Records [24]
- Johnny Gimble & the Texas Swing Pioneers - 1980. Double LP produced by CMH Records [25]
- Johnny Gimble's Texas Honky Tonk Hits[26]
- Johnny Gimble's Texas Dance Party - 1976. Gimble's live album recorded at the Chaparral August 29, 1975. Produced by Columbia Records [27]
- Fiddlin' Around - 1974[28]
Awards and honors edit
From 1975 to 1990, he was nominated 15 times for Instrumentalist of the Year and won the Country Music Association Award five times. Johnny garnered nine Best Fiddle Player awards from the Academy of Country Music. Gimble was nominated for a Grammy for his performance on the 1993 Mark O'Connor album Heroes, and was awarded two Grammy 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 a National Heritage Fellowship as a Master Folk Artist from the National Endowment for the Arts.[30]
In 1999, Gimble was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influences category as part of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.[31]
In 2005, Gimble was named State Musician for the state of Texas.,[32] and inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Gimble was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[33]
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [34] | US Country [35] | AUS [36] | CAN [37] | CAN Country [38] | |||
| Honeysuckle Rose (credited as "Willie Nelson and Family") |
| 11 | 1 | 34 | 24 | 4 | |
References edit
- ^ a b "Legendary fiddler Johnny Gimble dies at 88". The Tennessean. May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ Bush, John. "Johnny Gimble | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ Tingle, Lauren (March 27, 2018). "Country Music Hall of Fame Elects Ricky Skaggs, Dottie West, Johnny Gimble". Cmt.com. Country Music Television. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble: 'The King Of The Swing Fiddle'". Fresh Air. WHYY (NPR). April 8, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 161/2. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
- ^ Litweiler, John (May 26, 2015). "Johnny Gimble: American Musician". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Marty Robbins - The Essential Marty Robbins 1951-1982 (CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Shadrock, Christopher (March 28, 2018). "Legendary fiddler who once hosted KWTX show joins Country Hall of Fame". Kwtx.com. KWTX-TV. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (May 11, 2015). "Legendary Fiddle Player Johnny Gimble Dead at 88". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ "Honeysuckle Rose (1980): Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble (1926-2015)". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Weber, Bruce (May 13, 2015). "Johnny Gimble, Who Fiddled His Way to Fame, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Western Swing Hit Gets Resurrected by Carrie Underwood". Country Rebel. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble 1926-2015". acltv.com. Austin City Limits. May 11, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ Collins, Bob (May 14, 2015). "The man who put the swing in our prairie home". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Script: Owed to Johhny Gimble". A Prairie Home Companion. Minnesota Public Radio. May 9, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ Joyce, Matt (July 13, 2020). "Emily Gimble, 2020's Texas State Musician, Grew Up On Western Swing". Texashighways.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ "Governor Abbott Appoints Gimble to Texas Judicial Council".
- ^ "District Clerk's Office". Co.mclennan.tx.us. McClellan County, Texas. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Famed Country Fiddler Johnny Gimble Dies at 89". Abcnews.go.com. May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Jeff Tamarkin. "Celebrating with Friends - Johnny Gimble | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble - Still Fiddlin' Around (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble - Glorybound (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble - The Texas Fiddle Collection". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble And *Texas Swing Pioneers, The - Still Swingin' (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Texas Honky-Tonk Hits - Johnny Gimble | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble - Johnny Gimble's Texas Dance Party (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. August 29, 1975. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Fiddlin' Around - Johnny Gimble | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "Artist: Johnny Gimble". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble: Anglo Western Swing Fiddler". Arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Official Texas State Musicians". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. March 20, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ "Johnny Gimble". Country Music Hall of Fame. 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ "Honeysuckle Rose chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Honeysuckle Rose chart history: Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-11917-5.
- ^ "Search results for "Honeysuckle Rose" -- Top Albums/CD's". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Search results for "Honeysuckle Rose" -- Country Albums/CD's". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Willie Nelson – Honeysuckle Rose". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Willie Nelson & Family – Honeysuckle Rose (soundtrack)". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links edit
- Johnny Gimble discography at Discogs
- The Strings of a Father, feature about Gimble published by Texas Monthly