In May of 1967, the great Western Swing bandleader, Bob Wills, and fiddler, Johnny Gimble, reunited for a concert in Midland, Texas. Audio from this day is available on YouTube. In Johnny's introduction of Bob, he defines the word 'legend' as "non-historical; a myth..." and quips, "I know... [Bob's]... not a myth... he's myth-ter Bob Wills!" Although Gimble's name may not hold the legendary status of Wills', his fiddling is just as mythical. Furthermore, if performing and recording with the likes of Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Strait, and even Paul McCartney does not cement his acclaim, 'Mister' Gimble was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was awarded two GRAMMY'S, and even named the State Musician of Texas. His list of achievements is a country mile long, but thoroughly substantiated whenever his bow hit the strings, and out came the sweetest, tastiest, fiddliest music one may ever hear. This is the story of the man and the myth—Johnny Gimble.
The angels exchanged their harps for fiddles on May 30th, 1926 in Tyler, Texas, the day John Paul Gimble was born. The second youngest of nine children, he was an ol' farm boy, with a fiddle in his hands and a mandolin strapped to his back. Before he could even turn thirteen, he had a band with his brothers called the Rose City Swingsters. After graduating high school, he exchanged his own brothers for the Shelton Brothers of Shreveport, Louisiana, on KWKH radio (can't blame the guy). He then followed Louisiana governor, Jimmie Davis, around playing tenor banjo as part of his campaign. If this wasn't enough rambling, he spent two years in the army, and in 1948 played with the Roberts Brothers' Rhythmaires back home in Texas (yes, they are related to fiddler Jason Roberts). Then on January 17th, 1949, he married Barbara Kemp in her hometown of Gatesville, Texas. But even Barbara could not slow him down.
In 1949, Gimble joined up with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, starting out as a touring musician. Shortly after, he and Barbara had their first child, a boy named Dick, and he wanted to settle down. Bob offered him a job as bandleader of the house band at the Bob Wills Ranch House, often called Texas' Most Historic Music Venue now. In order to make ends meet, he also worked briefly as a framing carpenter, and quickly decided that was not the job for him; off he went to barber school. Along came twin daughters, Cindy and Gay, and so did more gigs: radio and television shows with Bill Boyd's Lone Star Cowboys, as well as the Big D Jamboree, a variety show in Dallas in the 1950s. In 1955, Johnny was given the opportunity to host a live television show in Waco, KWTX, on weekdays at noon. The show featured a young and then-unknown bass player in the band named Willie Nelson. The show was called Johnny Gimble and the Homefolks.
Gimble was ready for a change of pace, and Alaska was becoming the 49th state of the union. Consequently, in 1959, he moved his family there for a year and a half, painting houses, selling cars at a Buick dealership, cutting hair, and fiddling at the Top Hat Lounge five or six nights a week. Recounting the story once during a show, Johnny said "Y'know we must've not done too badly. I had to borrow $250 to get us up to Alaska, and when we moved home to Texas, I only had to borrow $200." Alaska was not the place for him, and in 1961, after moving back to Waco, Texas, he got a job as a barber at the local Veterans Administration Hospital.
Johnny must have made a little more money, because in 1968, he and his family used his $5,000 life savings to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where he would soon become one of the most sought-after session musicians in the nation. He can be heard on hits such as "Right or Wrong" (George Strait), "Jolene" (Dolly Parton), "If We Make it Through December" (Merle Haggard), "You've Never Been This Far Before" (Conway Twitty), and "If It Ain't Love" (Connie Smith), as well as earning himself a credit on albums such as "She's All I Got" (Johnny Paycheck), "Pancho and Lefty" (Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson), and "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" (George Strait). As a result, he was awarded Instrumentalist of the Year by the Country Music Association five times in his career, as well as Academy of Country Music's Fiddler of the Year a whopping nine consecutive times.
In addition to his world-class musicianship, Gimble was also a talented songwriter, singer, arranger, and occasional actor. He wrote such songs as "Gardenia Waltz," "Fiddlin' Around" (which is featured in the new Western Flyers album "Blues Skies Ahead"), "End of the Line," and "Under the 'X' in Texas." He made an appearance in the Willie Nelson movie Honeysuckle Rose, as well as playing the role of Bob Wills in the Clint Eastwood film, Honkytonk Man. He even won a GRAMMY for his arrangement of the classic fiddle tune, "Red Wing" on the album "Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys" by Asleep at the Wheel. Is the name 'Johnny Gimble' becoming more and more legendary?
Whether scatting while fiddling, making a wise-crack, teaching students at his Western Swing camp, or simply sawing out a fiddle tune, Johnny stuck with music as long as he could. He even played with Miranda Lambert at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2007 when he was a mere 80 years old. Some of his favorite fiddlers included Cliff Bruner, J.R. Chatwell, Jesse Ashlock, and Svend Asmussen, all formidable fiddlers and founding fathers of swing music. His love for Western Swing and fiddling pours out of every note; if you ever watch a video of Johnny performing, his ear-to-ear grin and charismatic laugh will light up your soul.
Speaking as a fiddle player myself, Johnny Gimble is a hero, an inspiration, a role model, and a musical giant to me. When I was twelve years old, my parents took me down to Dripping Springs, Texas to meet him several months before he passed away. I played "Right or Wrong" for him, and he kindly told me "that was always my favorite song to play!" with a big smile on his face. He made that twelve year old's heart feel mighty full that day. I only hope that, after his passing on May 9th, 2015, he will be remembered by many others with the same fondness I remember when I look back on that day.
—Ridge Roberts
FAQ
Who was Johnny Gimble?
Johnny Gimble was a Western Swing fiddle and mandolin player from Tyler, Texas, most notable for his years with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. He is also one of the most recorded fiddle players of all time as an A-list Nashville session musician.
Who was Johnny Gimble influenced by?
Johnny Gimble was influenced by many swing and Western Swing bands of the 1920s and 1930s, such as Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, Cliff Bruner and the Texas Wanderers, Adolph Hofner and the Pearl Wranglers, and Bill Boyd and his Cowboy Ramblers, all of which featured fiddlers such as J. R. Chatwell and Jesse Ashlock.
Who did Johnny Gimble perform with?
Johnny Gimble performed and recorded with many Western Swing and country music legends; among them are Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Johnny Cash, Lefty Frizzell, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Faron Young, Ray Price, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Paycheck, Marty Robbins, Asleep at the Wheel, and many more.
What kind of music did Johnny Gimble play?
Johnny Gimble played Western Swing music, a genre of music that gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is a mixture of swing, jazz, blues, big band, early country, and fiddle tunes. Some pioneers of the style include the Light Crust Doughboys, Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Western Swing is the Official State Music of Texas.
Did Johnny Gimble play a five-string fiddle?
Yes, Johnny Gimble did play a five-string fiddle. It was tuned the same way as a normal fiddle, but had a lower C string added to the bottom, enabling him to play in the same range as a viola.
Did Johnny Gimble play any musical instruments besides the fiddle?
Yes, Johnny Gimble played the mandolin, tenor banjo, and guitar, in addition to singing and writing songs.
"If I don't see you in the future... I'll see you in the pasture!" —Johnny Gimble
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