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
John Paul Gimble
May 30, 1926
Tyler, Texas, U.S.
May 9, 2015 (aged 88)
Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S.
Musician, fiddler
1938–2015
Gimble was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[3]
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]
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]