Johnny Gimble Quotes

Powerful Johnny Gimble for Daily Growth

About Johnny Gimble

Johnny Gimble (January 17, 1926 – August 9, 1998), born John Robert Gimble in San Angelo, Texas, was a highly influential American country music musician, known for his virtuoso skills on the fiddle and mandolin. Gimble's musical journey began at an early age under the guidance of his father, who taught him to play the fiddle. By the age of 12, Gimble was already playing professionally with Hoyle Nix and His Western Swing Band. This experience laid a solid foundation for his future career, as he learned from established musicians like Cliff Bruner and Bob Wills. In the 1940s, Gimble joined the Texas Cowboys, a band led by Bob Wills, one of the pioneers of Western swing music. With the Texas Cowboys, Gimble performed with legends such as Tommy Duncan and Leon McAuliffe. In 1953, he left the band to join Bill Boyd's Texas Cowboy Ramblers. In the 1960s, Gimble moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked extensively as a session musician, contributing to recordings by artists like Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, and Willie Nelson. He also became a prominent member of Nelson's band, The Family, in the 1970s and 80s. Gimble's musical talents extended beyond playing instruments; he was also a skilled songwriter. His compositions include "Walls of Time," recorded by Ernest Tubb and George Jones, and "Strait Ride," made famous by Hank Thompson. Throughout his career, Johnny Gimble received numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 (posthumously). His influence on country music, particularly Western swing, continues to be felt today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I've played a lot of notes, but I prefer to play moods."

The quote by Johnny Gimble emphasizes that it's not just about playing many notes or complex melodies, but rather, it is more meaningful to convey and evoke specific moods or emotions through music. It suggests a focus on the impact and emotional resonance of one's performance, as opposed to merely displaying technical skill.

"You can fake a lot in this world, but you can't fake a good guitar solo."

This quote suggests that genuine talent and skill, particularly in music as exemplified by a "good guitar solo," cannot be feigned or imitated convincingly. Authenticity is crucial when it comes to creating meaningful, impactful art, and this is something that can't be fabricated or faked with ease.

"Music is like a language - everyone learns it differently."

The quote suggests that, like human languages which are acquired in unique ways by individuals, mastering music also varies from person to person. Some might grasp melodies quickly, while others may excel in rhythm or harmony. This diversity is what enriches the world of music, as each musician brings their own distinctive style and interpretation to the art form.

"The best way to get to Carnegie Hall is practice."

The quote by Johnny Gimble, "The best way to get to Carnegie Hall is practice," emphasizes that dedication, persistence, and consistent effort are the keys to achieving success in any field or endeavor. Carnegie Hall is a renowned concert venue symbolizing great achievements in music, hence representing success. The quote suggests that the pathway to such prestigious milestones is not a shortcut, but rather an arduous journey of practice, hard work, and perseverance.

"Play from your heart, and people will feel it."

This quote by Johnny Gimble encourages an authentic and emotional expression in music, suggesting that when musicians play with genuine emotion, their audience can sense and resonate with this feeling. It implies the importance of playing not just technically correct notes, but also from a place of sincerity and passion, which ultimately connects performers with their listeners on a deeper level.

Mostly, whenever I'm booked to do instruction, I just play a little bit and get people to ask questions. We'll play some music for 'em, 'til somebody hollers out, 'Play 'Milk Cow Blues' or 'Play 'San Antonio Rose.' We play requests and demonstrate our music.

- Johnny Gimble

Play, Some, Mostly, San Antonio

When the doctors showed me an X-ray of my brain, they pointed to a black hole on the upper left side and told me that all memory from that spot was dead. I thought to myself that I hoped that's where I kept 'The Orange Blossom Special.'

- Johnny Gimble

Memory, Thought, Hoped, Pointed

My dad was a telegraph operator for the Cotton Belt Railroad. He worked seven nights a week from 4 until midnight, no vacation.

- Johnny Gimble

Week, Railroad, Midnight, Vacation

I tell my audiences today that I served 10 years in Nashville! That's a joke, of course; I was grateful for the work. Bob Ferguson, who produced Connie Smith, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, started calling me in.

- Johnny Gimble

Tell, Nashville, Smith, None

I didn't really get crazy about Bob Wills until 1940.

- Johnny Gimble

Get, About, Bob, Wills

To join Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys was like throwing a baseball around in your front yard and somebody coming over and signing you to play for the New York Yankees.

- Johnny Gimble

Play, New, Over, Wills

I had a stroke in December of '99, and it affected my left side - my fingering side.

- Johnny Gimble

Left, Side, Had, December

When I'd hear something that sounded like I could follow it - most of those big band jazz tunes are blues anyway - I would hum it and play with the fiddle while I was humming.

- Johnny Gimble

Play, Big, Hum, Humming

I wasn't really an old-time breakdown fiddler.

- Johnny Gimble

Breakdown, Old-Time, Really, Fiddler

When I was 15, I was working for a radio band in Shreveport. Cliff Bruner, the hottest Texas fiddler of them all, was on the same package shows, playing for Jimmie Davis.

- Johnny Gimble

Cliff, Package, Them, Fiddler

I've always liked the stuff that kicks.

- Johnny Gimble

Always, Stuff, Liked, Kicks

I keep a fiddle hooked up in the music - we've got a music room - and try to pick it up.

- Johnny Gimble

Music, Keep, Pick, Fiddle

I still play the fiddle every day. I'm afraid if I don't, it won't know who I am.

- Johnny Gimble

Play, Every Day, Still, Fiddle

When I get asked for advice for a young person starting in the music business, I tell them, 'Play every chance you get, and be real lucky.'

- Johnny Gimble

Chance, Play, Lucky, Every Chance

It's just a real thrill when you're showing somebody a chord progression or something, and you see that light come on, you know. You see 'em 'get it.'

- Johnny Gimble

Come, Progression, Thrill, Chord

I was never very good at picking cotton, and then I only made fifty cents or $1 a day. People would work for $1 a day during the Depression. So we would get $2 for playing music and just having fun. I think that as a result of that it was not just the money, but we enjoyed doing it.

- Johnny Gimble

Doing, I Think, Very, Picking

I go stay a week in these little towns that don't have an art outlet and... go to the schools and play some of the old Texas music, sort of 'go through the Texas country roots' is what they call it.

- Johnny Gimble

Play, Through, Some, Outlet

Texas was home. We went to Anchorage to get rich in 1959. Someone told us, 'If you drive a nail, you could make $100 a day in construction work.' We were hungry, and we stayed there for a year and a half. But I never did plan to stay there - the same with Nashville. I was gonna go up there and work, but Texas was home.

- Johnny Gimble

Year, Nashville, Half, Construction

I asked the man on the phone from the National Endowment for the Arts what this fellowship entailed, and he said, 'Well, first there's $10,000.' I asked him, 'Can I pay it in installments?'

- Johnny Gimble

Him, Pay, Asked, Fellowship

I grew up listening to the Light Crust Doughboys on WBAP.

- Johnny Gimble

Light, Listening, Up, Crust

The magic, that's what keeps you playing. That's what never wears off.

- Johnny Gimble

Magic, Never, Playing, Wears

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