PERSON: Larry Gatlin

Musician

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 team, he caught a touchdown pass in a 1968 game in which his team scored 100 points.

He later auditioned for and joined the gospel music group the Imperials. The Imperials went on to perform in Las Vegas in January 1971 at Jimmy Dean’s Las Vegas Revue. While walking through the showroom, Gatlin caught country singer Dottie West’s attention, who thought that he resembled Mickey Newbury. 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”. West also passed one of Gatlin’s demo tapes around Nashville, Tennessee, and arranged for him to relocate there by purchasing a plane ticket for him. West recorded other compositions by Gatlin that would later become hits for him, including “Broken Lady,” which appeared on West’s 1978 album Dottie.

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