Gatlin Brothers to make Hall of Fame debut

Grammy Award-winning country the Gatlin Brothers will make their way to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum for the first time this weekend with a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Though they have played at the former Executive Inn Rivermont, the brothers — Larry Gatlin, Rudy Gatlin and Steve Gatlin — plan to make the most out of their debut appearance at the venue gracing the Woodward Theatre stage and returning to the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World.

“I bet it’s beautiful. I bet the folks are wonderful.

“They’re gonna feed us real good, pay us a little (visit), we’re gonna have a (good) time. It’s (gonna be) good to be back in the Bluegrass State just a little north of us,” Rudy Gatlin said.

“We still enjoy doing what we do ….”

Originally from Olney, Texas — about three hours northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area — the brothers got involved in music early as Larry Gatlin, Rudy Gatlin and Steve Gatlin were at the tender ages of 6, 2 and 4 when they got into southern gospel music and eventually recorded four of their own records.

“We were living in Abilene, Texas, at that time in 1955 and there were gospel quartets — The Statesmen (Quartet), The Blackwood Brothers, Weatherford Quartet,” Rudy Gatlin said.

“All those great southern-style southern quartets would come through town and have concerts. And then (being) raised in church and around gospel music, we just gravitated to that wonderful sound … and the feeling that we got from listening to those records really touches your heart.

“We just fell into the gospel listening to them …. It’s been a love of ours since day one.”

In the late 1950s, the brothers ended up taking first place in a talent competition in Odessa, Texas — prevailing over the country music group the Wink Westerners of Wink, Texas, that included a young Roy Orbison.

“... Evidently, he recovered from that second place finish,” Rudy Gatlin said of Orbison.

Like the “Crying” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” singer-songwriter, the brothers also found great success and have been entertaining audiences for nearly seven decades with their Grammy-winning hit “Broken Lady,” the late 1970s country tune “All the Gold in California” and other hit songs like “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You),” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love,” “Statues Without Hearts,” “Love Is Just a Game” and “Night Time Magic.”

Additionally, the group received three accolades for “All the Gold in California,” the album “Straight Ahead” and Larry Gatlin winning the award for “Top Male Vocalist of the Year” at the 15th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Throughout the years, the brothers have racked up a total of seven No. 1 singles, 33 Top 40 records and have produced over 20 studio albums while also getting the chance to entertain fans at venues including Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Disney World and the Wembley Music Festival among others.

They were also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Christmas Day 1976.

Rudy Gatlin said he’s “very blessed” for having a career spanning almost 70 years and still being able to do something he and his brothers enjoy.

“... We’re still able to do it; so as long as we can physically continue to go get on an airplane or get on the tour bus and get to Owensboro, Kentucky, and people pay their hard-earned money to come and see us, we’re gonna still do it,” he said.

For this weekend’s concert, Rudy Gatlin said the audience can expect to hear the hits and then some, while hoping the experience will be a “very enjoyable evening.”

“We hope that we would have entertained them and it was well worth their time and money to come spend a couple hours with us,” he said.

Bar and concessions will be available.

For tickets and more information, visit bluegrasshall.org.