Country Time Machine: A Young George Strait Performs His First No. 1 With a Legendary Texas Fiddler

Throughout his career, George Strait has worked to keep the traditions of country music alive. A Texas native, much of Strait’s early work was influenced by the legendary western swing band Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. In fact, he covered their classic “Right or Wrong” in 1983 and made it a No. 1 hit. He also took every opportunity to perform with members of the Texas Playboys. For instance, when he played his first Austin City Limits set, he was joined by the band’s legendary fiddle player, Johnny Gimble.

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Byron Hill and Blake Mevis co-wrote “Fool Hearted Memory,” and Strait released it as a single from his sophomore album. It became his first No. 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. The recorded version of the song features prominent fiddle. However, Gimble takes things up a notch in the video below.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1990, George Strait Released an Uncharacteristically Angry Single That Became a Five-Week No. 1]

Gimble joined Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in 1949 and stayed with them throughout the 1950s. While with the band he played electric mandolin and fiddle. His style and skill weren’t the only things that set him apart from other players at the time. He also used a five-string fiddle, which is still uncommon in country, bluegrass, and other forms of roots music. Gimble, along with the Texas Playboys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. He was finally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018, three years after he died.

George Strait Made His First Film Appearance with “Fool Hearted Memory”

“Fool Hearted Memory” wasn’t just George Strait’s first No. 1 single. The song also allowed him to make his first appearance in a feature film.

According to Songfacts, he sings the song during a bar fight scene in the 1982 movie The Soldier. The scene features broken beer bottles, pool cues being used as clubs, and a mud wrestling pit. In short, it’s a chaotic all-out brawl. However, Strait and his band continue playing this mellow heartbreak song, seemingly unbothered by what is going on in the honky tonk around them.

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