Larry Gatlin (born May 2 1948 in Seminole, Texas) is an American country singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Growing up in a gospel‑musical family, he began performing with brothers Rudy and Steve in church before joining the Imperials and moving to Nashville. His breakthrough came with album The Pilgrim (1973), followed by the 1974 hit "Delta Dirt" (Number 14 on Hot Country Songs). In 1975, his composition "Broken Lady" reached Number 5 and earned him the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Gatlin’s solo career continued with albums such as High Time (1976) and Oh Brother (1978), the latter featuring the top‑ten single "Night Time Magic". In 1979 he signed with Columbia Records and, with his brothers, released Straight Ahead (1979), producing the number‑one hit "All the Gold in California" and earning the Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist award that year. Subsequent releases included "Take Me to Your Lovin' Place" (1980) and "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" (1983). The group’s popularity waned in the late 1980s; Gatlin’s last charting single was "Number One Heartache Place" (1989). After vocal cord surgery in 1991, he recovered and continued performing, opening a theater in Myrtle Beach in 1994 and touring with his brothers until their farewell tour in 1992.
