Johnny Gimble is one of the most accomplished and beloved fiddlers in country music history, but he's released relatively few recordings under his own name considering that he's spent some seven decades in the business. The self-descriptive
Celebrating with Friends may, however, go down as the definitive statement among his solo efforts; a tribute to both
Gimble's songwriting and fiddling, its biggest selling point is undoubtedly the participation of marquee names like
Willie Nelson,
Vince Gill,
Merle Haggard, and
Asleep at the Wheel's
Ray Benson, but the star of the album is undeniably
Johnny Gimble.
Gimble, despite being an octogenarian at the time of the album's release, has retained a youthful spring in his playing and his vocals as well. Regardless of who else appears on a given track (the last, incidentally, is a
Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Companion tribute from 1994, "Owed to Johnny Gimble," with
Gimble on fiddle), when
Gimble's bow touches the strings, that track comes to life. Of course, it's enjoyable to listen to
Nelson (on
the Gershwins' "Lady Be Good"),
Hag ("Sweet Georgia Brown"), and the others interacting with the leader, but overall the "friends" do what they're supposed to do: reaffirm that it was
Johnny Gimble who contributed so much of the swing to
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys' Western swing and remind listeners that he's still at it. ~ Jeff Tamarkin