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Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers | |
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 Larry Gatlin in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seminole, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1973–present |
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| Members |
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Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an Americancountry 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 asCountrypolitan. 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.
Larry Wayne Gatlin was born inSeminole inGaines County, Texas, United States,[1] next to theNew Mexico border. His father was an oilfield worker, and the family lived in several locations while he was a youth, includingAbilene andOdessa.[1] 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 sisterLaDonna[1] and occasionally performed on local radio and television shows. They also recorded a gospel music album for the Sword and Shield label and toppedRoy Orbison in a local talent contest.[citation needed]
Gatlin was a quarterback atOdessa High School. After graduation in 1966, he was eligible to serve in the military during theVietnam War,[2] but he chose to attend theUniversity of Houston.[1] As awide receiver on thefootball team, he caught atouchdown pass in a 1968 game in which his team scored 100 points.[3]
He later auditioned for and joined the gospel music groupthe Imperials.[4][5] The Imperials went on to perform inLas Vegas in January 1971 atJimmy Dean's Las Vegas Revue. While walking through the showroom, Gatlin caught country singerDottie West's attention, who thought that he resembledMickey Newbury.[citation needed] West was impressed with Gatlin's songwriting skills, and she recorded two of his compositions, "You're the Other Half of Me" and "Once You Were Mine".[1] West also passed one of Gatlin'sdemo tapes aroundNashville, Tennessee, and arranged for him to relocate there by purchasing a plane ticket for him.[citation needed] West recorded other compositions by Gatlin that would later become hits for him, including "Broken Lady", which appeared on West's 1978 albumDottie.
With West's help, Gatlin found work in Nashville as abackground singer forKris Kristofferson. In 1973, Gatlin landed a solo recording contract withMonument Records.[1]
In December 1973, Gatlin released his first album,The Pilgrim.[1] Two singles were released from the album: "Sweet Becky Walker" and "Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall", although both failed to chart.[1] The latter song was recorded byElvis Presley in 1976 (who had also recorded Gatlin's "Help Me" in 1973).[1] 1974 saw the release of a new album,Rain/Rainbow, and the song "Delta Dirt". The album and single proved more successful; "Delta Dirt" was a top-20 country hit, peaking at number 14. The song was also Gatlin's only entry into the pop charts, when it reached number 84. In 1975, Gatlin had his first major hit with his composition "Broken Lady", which reached number five on theHot Country Songs chart in 1976[1] and won him aGrammy Award forBest Country Song.[1] A new album,High Time, was released in 1976.[1] Gatlin is also credited on guitar onWillie Nelson's 1976 albumThe Troublemaker.[citation needed]
Brothers Steve and Rudy made their first appearance on Larry's 1976 albumLarry Gatlin with Family & Friends. They were featured on some of Gatlin's other hits during the late 1970s, notably "I Don't Wanna Cry", "Love Is Just a Game" and "Statues Without Hearts".[1] In 1978, Gatlin scored his first number-one hit with "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love".[1] In 1978, he released his last solo album,Oh Brother, which featured the top-10 hits "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" and "Night Time Magic". The latter song reached theBillboard Easy Listening chart. Both songs spotlighted Gatlin's soaring falsetto that became a trademark of his vocal style.
In 1985, Gatlin purchased shares in theNashville Sounds, aMinor League Baseball team of theTriple-AAmerican Association.[6][7]
In 1979, when Gatlin signed withColumbia Records, he decided to officially have his brothers billed as Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers. In October, they released the albumStraight Ahead. It spawned the single "All the Gold in California", which became their greatest hit together, reaching number one on theHot Country Songs list. This was Gatlin's second number-one hit, and he was named Top Male Vocalist of the Year by theAcademy of Country Music. On June 6, 1980,Straight Ahead was certified gold.
The group's next big hit came in early 1980 with "Take Me to Your Lovin' Place", which peaked at number five in 1981. They next released "What Are We Doin' Lonesome", which peaked at number four later in the year. They continued with top-10 and top-20 hits such as "In Like with Each Other" (1982), "She Used to Sing on Sunday" (1982), "Sure Feels Like Love" (1982), "Almost Called Her Baby by Mistake" (1983) and "Denver" (1984). In 1983, the group released their third and last number-one hit, "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)". That year they also provided backing forKenny Rogers on his hit single "Buried Treasure," though it is often mistaken the vocals were ofThe Bee Gees who wrote the song for Rogers' albumEyes That See in the Dark.
On January 19, 1985, the Gatlin Brothers sang "All the Gold in California" at the nationally televised second inauguration gala forRonald Reagan. Though the group never achieved another number-one hit, they continued to chart for the remainder of the decade, including the hits "She Used to Be Somebody's Baby" (1986, number two), "Talkin' to the Moon" (1987, number four) and "Love of a Lifetime" (1988, number four).
The Gatlin Brothers were also one of the first country groups to appear in music videos, such as1984's "The Lady Takes the Cowboy Everytime" [sic]. In 1985, Gatlin wrote the song "Indian Summer" withBarry Gibb, which he recorded as a duet withRoy Orbison. In 1989, the Gatlin Brothers sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 3 of the1989 World Series atCandlestick Park in San Francisco just before theLoma Prieta earthquake occurred. They also sang the national anthem at Game 5 of the1985 World Series and Game 6 of the2005 NBA Finals.[citation needed]
Gatlin's chart success declined greatly when a new breed ofneotraditional country singers entered Nashville around 1986. New stars such asDwight Yoakam andRandy Travis pushed Gatlin and other Countrypolitan vocalists out of the top 10. Gatlin recorded a duet in 1987 with country-pop singerJanie Fricke,[8] but the song reached only number 21. He briefly signed withUniversal Records in 1989, where he recorded his last singles. His last charting single was released in 1989, titled "Number One Heartache Place". Gatlin underwent surgery on his vocal cords in 1991. In concert, he had begun to struggle with the high falsetto notes that were featured prominently in many of his songs. After recovery, Gatlin worked briefly with an opera coach to rebuild his voice, and his vocals took a powerful operatic style.[citation needed]
After more than a decade of singing together, in December 1992, the Gatlin Brothers embarked on a farewell tour before retiring to their own theater inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina. Gatlin starred in theBroadway production ofThe Will Rogers Follies. In 1994, Gatlin and his brothers opened a 2,000-seat theater in Myrtle Beach. In 1995, he played himself in the television movie aboutDottie West's life,Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story. West had been killed four years earlier in an automobile accident.
Along withcelebrity biographer Jeff Lenburg, Gatlin wrote a memoir titledAll the Gold in California that was published in 1998. In 1999, Gatlin toured and entertained troops of the1st Cavalry Division inBosnia.[citation needed]
Since 2010, Gatlin has contributed toFox News Channel andFox Business Network as a political and social commentator. In 2010, Gatlin acted as substitute host forDon Imus onImus in the Morning[9] and onFox Across America with Spencer Hughes on March 16, 2011. He also hosts radio shows forWSM, including a weekly gospel program, and theGrand Ole Opry spinoffOpry Country Classics.[citation needed]
In 2023, Larry, Steve, and RudyThe Gatlin Brothers have released two new singles; "Fair Winds" and "Amazing' (What Just The Right 3 Minutes Can Do)."
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