 Led by
Larry Gatlin,
the Gatlin Brothers are one of the most popular country groups in the
music's history. Adopting the close harmony vocal techniques of
the Louvins and
the Everlys to the highly polished country-pop era,
Larry Gatlin and
the Gatlin Brothers scored a number of hits during the '70s and '80s. Often,
the group walked the line between intricate, inventive country and pure
commercial material, which resulted in strong sales but occasionally poor
reviews. Nevertheless, they remained near the top of the charts until the late
'80s, when the new traditionalists began to gain popularity. Following their
decline in popularity,
Larry Gatlin and
the Gatlin Brothers went into semiretirement during the early '90s, which
resulted in the group relocating to Branson, MO, where they ran their own
theater.
The Gatlin Brothers didn't officially form until 1979, when
Larry Gatlin began crediting them as a supporting band on his solo singles, but the
three brothers --
Larry,
Steve, and
Rudy -- had been performing together since childhood, when they sang in
church and on several local Texas television shows. While they were still in
their teens, they recorded a religious album for the independent Sword & Shield
label. Following high-school graduation,
Larry Gatlin, who was the eldest of the brothers, headed off to the University of
Houston, where he briefly joined the gospel group
the Imperials.
Larry Gatlin performed with
the Imperials in Las Vegas, where he met
Dottie West, who was impressed enough by his songwriting talents to record
two of his songs, "You're the Other Half of Me" and "Once You Were Mine," and
pay for him to move to Nashville. Once he arrived in Nashville, he found that
West had been circulating his demo tapes, which led to
Kris Kristofferson playing
Larry Gatlin's demo for Monument Records executive
Fred Foster. Impressed by the tape,
Foster offered
Larry Gatlin a contract in 1972. By that time,
Larry Gatlin had already invited his brothers to Nashville to form a backing group,
and they wound up singing on his debut album, The Pilgrim, which featured his
first country hit, "Sweet Becky Walker."
Larry Gatlin's second album, Rain Rainbow, also featured support from his brothers
and contained "Delta Dirt," which climbed to number 14. The third
Larry Gatlin album was officially credited to Gatlin With Family and Friends, and
contained his first Top Ten hit, "Broken Lady," which peaked at number five in
early 1976. Later that year,
the Gatlin Brothers were made members of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1977,
Larry Gatlin's fourth album, High Time, was credited to Larry With Brothers and
Friends and contained his first number one hit, "I Just Wish You Were Someone I
Love." After releasing one more solo album,
the Gatlin Brothers were officially credited as
Larry Gatlin's backing band as of 1979, just as he signed to Columbia Records. The
first hit single to bear this name was the number one "All the Gold in
California."
Throughout the '80s,
the Gatlin Brothers ran up a string of 15 Top 40 hits, including "Houston
(Means I'm One Day Closer to You)," "Denver," "The Lady Takes the Cowboy
Everytime," and "She Used to Be Somebody's Baby." All of their recordings during
this time were released under a variety of names, including Larry & the Gatlin
Brothers Band, Larry & the Gatlin Brothers, and Larry, Steve, Rudy: The Gatlin
Brothers. By the end of the decade, the group's popularity began to decline, due
to the popularity of new traditionalist performers. In 1991, the group decided
to retire after they performed a farewell tour.
Larry Gatlin appeared in the lead role in the Broadway musical The Will Rogers
Follies the following year, while
Steve recorded an inspirational album and
Rudy opened two Gatlin Brothers Music City Grilles. In 1993, the group
opened their own theater in Branson, MO, where they began performing regularly;
they also sang frequently in Las Vegas. That same year, the group signed to the
small label Branson Entertainment and released Moments to Remember, which was
followed by Cool Water the next year. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Larry Gatlin
for your next corporate or private event.
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