BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Larry Wayne Gatlin
Description: Vocalist , Guitarist, USA
Known For: The Gatlins
Instruments: Voice, Guitar
Music Styles: Country
Location: United States of America
Date Born: 2nd May 1948
Location Born: Odessa, Texas, United States of America
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Larry Gatlin
An American country music singer/songwriter.
He is perhaps best known for teaming up with his brothers Steve and Rudy in the late 1970s, becoming one of country music’s most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s.
Gatlin has had a total of 33 Top 40 singles (combining his solo recordings and those with his brothers). As their fame grew, the band became known as Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers.
Their popularity lasted throughout much of the 1980s. Their biggest hits together 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 “Talkin’ to the Moon”. Larry Gatlin is known for his rich tenor voice and for the string of pop-inflected hit songs he wrote and recorded throughout the 1970s and 80s.
During this time, country music trended heavily towards polished pop music arrangements in a style that came to be known as Countrypolitan. Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers came to prominence and enjoyed their greatest success during this period with hit singles that showcased the brothers’ powerful three-part harmonies and Larry’s evocative falsetto voice.
Larry Gatlin was born in Seminole, Texas. He was raised listening to country and gospel music. Even since childhood, he and his brothers, Steve and Rudy have always sung and performed together.
When they were younger, they often sang in their local church. They sometimes performed on local radio stations, and occasionally on television shows. They also recorded a gospel music album for the Gospel label Sword and Shield.
The brothers even managed to beat out the legendary Roy Orbison in a local talent contest around this same time. After graduating from Odessa High School in 1966, Gatlin attended college at the University of Houston. A wide receiver on the football team, he caught a touchdown pass in a game in which the University of Houston scored 100 points.
He later auditioned for, and joined the gospel music group, the Imperials.[1][2] The Imperials went on to perform in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 1971 at Jimmy Dean’s Las Vegas Revue. While walking through the showroom, he caught legendary country singer Dottie West’s attention when she thought he looked like Mickey Newbury.
West soon met Gatlin and was impressed with his songwriting skills. She was so impressed, in fact, that she recorded two of Gatlin’s compositions, “You’re the Other Half of Me” and “Once You Were Mine.” West also passed one of Gatlin’s demo tapes around Nashville, Tennessee, and even arranged for him to relocate there, purchasing a plane ticket for him—a story he related on the 11/12/09 episode of “Larry’s Country Diner” on RFD-TV. West later recorded other compositions by Gatlin that would later become hits for him, including “Broken Lady”, which was put on West’s 1978 album, Dottie.
With West’s help, Gatlin found work in Nashville as a background singer for Kris Kristofferson. In 1973, Gatlin finally landed a solo recording contract with Monument Records.
In 1973, Gatlin released his first album, The Pilgrim. Two singles were released from the album: “Sweet Becky Walker” and “Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall”; however, both singles failed. One stand-out composition called “Bitter They Are” was eventually recorded by Elvis Presley (who also later recorded Gatlin’s Help Me). In 1974 came the release of a new album (Rain/Rainbow) and a new song (“Delta Dirt”).
The album and single proved more successful. “Delta Dirt” was a Top 20 Country hit, peaking at No. 14. The song was also Gatlin’s only entry on the Pop charts, when it reached No. 84. In 1975, Gatlin had his first major hit with his composition, “Broken Lady”, which reached No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1976.
The song was so successful that Gatlin won a Grammy award for the song in 1977 for Best Country Song. A new album, High Time, was released in 1976.
Brothers Steve and Rudy made their first appearance on Larry’s 1976 album Larry Gatlin with Family & Friends. They were featured on some of Gatlin’s other hits he had during the late 1970s, notably “I Don’t Wanna Cry”, “Love Is Just a Game”, and “Statues Without Hearts”.
In 1978, Gatlin gained his first number one hit with “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love.” Gatlin continued his music success as a solo act up until 1978, when 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 of which also made an entry into the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Both songs spotlighted Gatlin’s soaring falsetto that became a trademark of his vocal style. Soon it became quite obvious that his brothers wanted to become country performers as well, and Gatlin decided to have his brothers as part of his band.
In 1979, when Gatlin signed with Columbia Records, he decided to officially have his brothers billed on his singles and on his albums. That year, their name was officially “Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers”.
In October, they released the album, Straight Ahead. It spawned the classic single “All the Gold in California”, which became their biggest hit together, taking the No. 1 spot on the Hot Country Songs list.
This was Larry Gatlin’s second number one hit, and led to his being awarded “Top Male Vocalist of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music that year. On June 06, 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 No. 5 in 1981; they followed up with “What Are We Doin’ Lonesome”, which peaked at No. 4 later in the year. They continued their hit success, garnering top 10 and top 20 hits, with “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 had their third (and last) No. 1 hit, “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)”. On January 19, 1985, the Gatlin Brothers sang “All the Gold in California” at the nationally-televised 50th Inaugural Gala, the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
Even though the group never achieved another No. 1 hit, they had hits that came close, like the jaunty release in 1986, “She Used to Be Somebody’s Baby” (which peaked at No. 2), as well as 1987’s “Talkin’ to the Moon”, and 1988’s “Love of a Lifetime” (both of which peaked at No. 4).
The Gatlin Brothers were also one of the first country groups to have music videos, like 1984’s “The Lady Takes the Cowboy Everytime”. In 1985, Gatlin wrote the song “Indian Summer” with Barry Gibb, which he recorded as a duet with Roy Orbison.
In 1989, the Gatlin Brothers sang National Anthem before game three of the 1989 World Series, played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
Since 2010, Larry Gatlin has contributed to Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network as a political and social commentator. In the summer of 2010, Gatlin acted as substitute host for Don Imus on Imus in the Morning and Fox Across America with Spencer Hughes on March 16, 2011.
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WORKS
Albums
Studio albumsYear Title Chart positions RIAA Label
1973 The Pilgrim 33 — — Monument
1974 Rain / Rainbow 37 — —
1975 High Time 14 — —
1976 Larry Gatlin with Family and Friends 24 — —
1977 Love is Just a Game 7 — —
1978 Oh Brother 7 — —
1979 Straight Ahead 7 5 Platinum Columbia
1980 Help Yourself 11 13 —
1981 Not Guilty 10 — —
1982 Sure Feels Like Love 18 — —
1984 Houston to Denver 9 7 —
1985 Smile 35 — —
1986 Partners 13 — —
1988 Alive and Well 46 — —
1989 Pure ‘n Simple 49 — — Universal
1990 Cookin’ Up a Storm — — — Capitol
1992 Adios — — — Liberty
1993 Moments to Remember — — — Branson
1994 Cool Water — — — Intersound
1998 In My Life — — — CEMA
2004 Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
Sings Their Family Gospel Favorites — — — Dualtone
2009 Pilgrimage — — — Curb
Singles 1970s
1973 “Sweet Becky Walker” 40 — — The Pilgrim
1974 “Bitter They Are Harder They Fall” 45 — 47
“Delta Dirt” 14 84 15 Rain / Rainbow
1975 “Let’s Turn the Lights On” 71 — — Non-album single
“Broken Lady” 5 — 5 High Time
1976 “Warm and Tender” 43 — —
“Statues Without Hearts” 5 — 4
1977 “Anything but Leavin'” 12 — 23 Love Is Just a Game
“I Don’t Wanna Cry” 3 — —
“Love Is Just a Game” 3 — 6
1978 “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love” 1 — 3
“Night Time Magic” 2 — 1 Oh Brother
“Do It Again Tonight” 13 — 3
“I’ve Done Enough Dyin’ Today” 7 — 5
1979 “All the Gold in California” 1 — 2 Straight Ahead
“The Midnight Choir” 43 — 57
1980s and 1990s
1980 “Taking Somebody with Me When I Fall” 12 108 15 Straight Ahead
“We’re Number One” 18 — 15
“Take Me to Your Lovin’ Place” 5 — 12 Help Yourself
1981 “It Don’t Get No Better Than This” 25 — 21
“Wind Is Bound to Change” 20 — —
“What Are We Doin’ Lonesome” 4 — 28 Not Guilty
1982 “In Like with Each Other” 15 — 12
“She Used to Sing on Sunday” 19 — 21
“Sure Feels Like Love” 5 — 1 Sure Feels Like Love
1983 “Almost Called Her Baby by Mistake” 20 — 16
“Easy on the Eye” 32 — —
“Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)” 1 — 1 Houston to Denver
1984 “Denver” 7 — 5
“The Lady Takes the Cowboy Everytime” 3 — 2
1985 “Runaway Go Home” 43 — 38 Smile
1986 “Nothing but Your Love Matters” 12 — 9
“She Used to Be Somebody’s Baby” 2 — 3 Partners
“Talkin’ to the Moon” 4 — 3
1987 “From Time to Time (It Feels Like Love Again)”
(with Janie Fricke) 21 — 22
“Changin’ Partners” 16 — 30
1988 “Love of a Lifetime” 4 — 3 Alive and Well
“Alive and Well” 34 — *
1989 “When She Holds Me” 54 — * Pure ‘n Simple
“I Might Be What You’re Looking For” 37 — —
“#1 Heartache Place” 51 — 82
1990 “Boogie and Beethoven” 65 — 53 Cookin’ Up a Storm
1991 “Country Girl Heart” — — 91
2000s and 2010s.
2009 “Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)” The Pilgrimage
“Sweet Becky Walker”
2010 “Penny Annie”
“If I Ever See Utah”
2011 “Black Gold”
“Americans That’s Who” Non-album single