32 Facts About Johnny Gimble

John Paul Gimble was an American country musician associated with Western swing.

Johnny Gimble was considered one of the most important fiddlers in the genre.

Johnny Gimble 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 was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

Johnny Gimble was born in Tyler, Texas, United States, and grew up in nearby Bascom.

Johnny Gimble 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.

Johnny Gimble later moved to Louisiana and began performing with the Jimmie Davis gubernatorial campaign.

Johnny Gimble was offered a job in the Governor's administration but turned it down to volunteer for service in the US Army.

Johnny Gimble returned to Texas after completing his service in the US Army in World War II.

Back in Texas, Johnny Gimble continued to hone his fiddling skills with a number of Texas radio and dance bands.

Johnny Gimble's fiddling style was influenced by other Texas fiddlers who played the "breakdown" fiddle tunes.

Johnny 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.

Johnny Gimble learned from them, and further developed while playing with Wills, who epitomized and promoted a new sound known as Western swing.

Johnny Gimble 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.

Johnny Gimble played fiddle on Marty Robbins' No 1 hit "I'll Go on Alone".

In 1955, Johnny Gimble moved to Waco, Texas, and split time between running a barber shop near the regional VA Hospital and music.

Johnny Gimble's show featured a young bass player from nearby Abbott, Texas, named Willie Nelson, and a lifetime friendship and partnership was born.

In 1968, after repeated encouragement from his peers, Johnny Gimble moved his family to Nashville, Tennessee.

From 1979 to 1981, Johnny Gimble toured with Willie Nelson worldwide, and appeared in a supporting role in the film Honeysuckle Rose.

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.

Johnny Gimble appeared from the 1970s through the 2000s on Austin City Limits on TV and Garrison Keillor's broadcasts.

Johnny Gimble was a member of the Million Dollar Band, and frequent guest on "Hee Haw".

Johnny Gimble's career spanned into the 21st century, recording with Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, and performing at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood in 2007.

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 Gimble to bring the music of Bob Wills to newer generations.

Johnny Gimble has since launched a solo career, based out of Austin, Texas, and followed Johnny's footsteps as the State Musician of Texas for 2020.

Johnny Gimble died not far from his home in Dripping Springs, Texas, on May 9,2015, aged 88.

Johnny Gimble's daughter stated that her father was "finally rid of the complications from several strokes over the past few years".

Johnny Gimble garnered nine Best Fiddle Player awards from the Academy of Country Music.

In 1994, Johnny Gimble was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship as a Master Folk Artist from the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1999, Johnny 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.

In 2005, Johnny Gimble was named State Musician for the state of Texas.

Johnny Gimble was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.