Gatlin brothers biography

The entire semester I have learned so much about the country music world in class, yet I never realized how close I’ve been to the real country music world in my own dorm. My friend Lauren Gatlin (you might recognize her last name from the Gatlin Brothers) has grown up around the country music industry her entire life and often spends a casual weekend backstage in Nashville. She was kind enough to spend a little while chatting with me about her father, and even called him during our interview. Her father is Rudy Gatlin, one part of the famous three-part brother band, The Gatlin Brothers. They sing a three-part harmony where Rudy takes on the high harmony. One of the brothers, Steve, plays the base and the other two play the acoustic guitar.

The Gatlin Brothers were huge in the 1970s and 80s, and their music is considered by most to be classic country, but they create gospel music as well. Larry, Steve, and Rudy may be superstars to the average country music fan, but to my friend Lauren they are just family.

Just like any other normal person, these three brothers lived an average childhood in the small town of Abilene, Texas. They all started singing at a very young age as sort of a family hobby. Lauren’s father, Rudy, went on to Texas Tech and it wasn’t until after college that the brothers decided to officially form their band.

Together these brothers won a Grammy in 1976 for their hit song “Broken Lady”, the same year they officially decided to join together as a band. You may recognize them from their other songs such as “All the Gold”, “Houston”, “Night-time Magic”, and “I Don’t Wanna Cry” just to name a few.

However, their success and passion for music hasn’t stopped since. Just three years ago they won the Pioneer Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards. They are also members of the Grand Ole Opry. Rudy, now 62 years old, and his two brothers continue to create music to inspire others. Lauren r

Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948 in Seminole, Texas) is an American singer, songwriter, stage actor, and author.

The son of an oil field worker, he was the eldest of three Gatlin boys who all began singing together as small boys at family and church socials. A star football in high school, after graduating he studied at the University of Houston on a football scholarship. His singing and songwriting anilities eventually led him to Nashville, Tennessee and to Monument Records where he had several successful solo records beginning in the mid 1970s and became part of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee 1976.

In 1977, Larry Gatlin won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song for his composition of ""Broken Lady" and in 1979 he was voted the "Top Male Vocalist of the Year" by the Academy of Country Music.

However, he is also well known for his 1980s hit songs with the Gatlin Brothers on the Columbia Records label, notably their No.1 hits "All the Gold in California" (1979) and "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" (1983).

In 1985, Larry Gatlin teamed up with Barry Gibb to write the song "Indian Summer" that he would record as a duet with singing legend, Roy Orbison.

After a decade singing together, in December of 1992 the Gatlin Brothers embarked on a farewell tour before retiring to their own theater in Branson, Missouri. Larry Gatlin went on to star in the Broadway production of "The Will Rogers Follies."

Larry Gatlin wrote a book called "All the Gold in California" that was published in 1998.

Over 50 years ago, Larry, Steve, and Rudy Gatlin started singing in their little hometown of Odessa, Texas, and from there went on to make music history. Over the course of a four-decade career that has taken the Gatlin Brothers from dusty Texas stages to White House performances, from Broadway to Grammy Awards to the top of the country charts, there has been one unifying element, music. There's no harmony quite as pure as family harmony. "Gatlin harmonies spin with high and light precision and their music bleeds and screams of love and a lot of living." Said Country Capsule in New York. Larry, Steve, and Rudy love to sing together. Raised on Gospel music, the brothers first began entertaining audiences in churches and then with guest appearances on the Slim Willet radio and TV shows in Abilene, Texas when they were 2, 4, and 6 years old. Larry says that their history as "gospel music junkies" came from those early roots. "My folks took us to those old fashioned Southern style quartet concerts, and it was love at first sound! My first hero was James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet-I just knew somehow from that moment that I wanted to be a singer for the rest of my life."

After high school, Larry went to the University of Houston on a football scholarship. He majored in English and quickly developed "a love affair with the English language" that later served him well in his songwriting. On the strength of his song writing talents and exceptional vocal ability, his life was changed by the legendary Dottie West who saw gold just under the unpolished surface of young Gatlin. The early 70's found Steve and Rudy in college while Larry, aided by West, moved to Nashville to write songs that would be recorded by names like Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Streisand, Tom Jones, and yes, Elvis Presley.

In 1972, Larry landed a solo deal with Monument Records through friend Kris Kristofferson and invite

American country music group

Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on 33 top 40 country singles.

The group is known for Larry's tenor voice and for the country songs that they recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of Gatlin's greatest hits include "Broken Lady", "All the Gold in California", "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)", "She Used to Be Somebody's Baby" and "Night Time Magic". During this time, country music trended toward slick pop-music arrangements in a style that came to be known as Countrypolitan. Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers came to prominence and enjoyed their greatest success during this period with hit singles that showcased the brothers' rich gospel-inflected harmonies and Larry's poetic lyrics.

Early life

Larry Wayne Gatlin was born in Seminole in Gaines County, Texas, United States, next to the New Mexico border. His father was an oilfield worker, and the family lived in several locations while he was a youth, including Abilene and Odessa. He was reared listening to country and Southern gospel music. He has performed with his brothers Steve and Rudy since childhood. When they were younger, they often sang at their local church along with their sister LaDonna and occasionally performed on local radio and television shows. They also recorded a gospel music album for the Sword and Shield label and topped Roy Orbison in a local talent contest.

Gatlin was a quarterback at Odessa High School. After graduation in 1966, he was eligible to serve in the military during the Vietnam War, but he chose to attend the University of Houston. As a wide receiver on the football t