Aside from singing with his brothers, one of Larry Gatlin’s favorite things to do is pass on his knowledge to aspiring writers.
He’ll be doing just that as part of the Music Masters Series at Odessa College April 19. OC will also host him for a concert at the Ector Theatre that same day at 6:30 p.m.
In a telephone interview, the Grammy-winning Gatlin said he has conducted writing workshops all over the world.
“The gist of mine is song writing, but writing is writing. Here’s what I tell people: All the words that you need for those songs, all the words you need for those essays, all the words you need for those novels, they’re all in the dictionary. You just have to figure out what order they come in and do it in such a way that John and Mary will buy a CD, or download something or some newspaper will hire you to put it in there,” Gatlin said.
Crediting his teachers in Ector County ISD, Gatlin said he is very well read. He added that he loves words.
“The old saying (is) teaching is didactic and learning is experiential. I could stand up there and teach my West Texas rear end off for two hours. It doesn’t mean they’re learning anything, so what I try to do No. 1 is I try to encourage them,” Gatlin said.
“It’s not my mission, it’s not my job, it’s not my intent to go in there and try to teach them to write like I do. What I’m going to do is give them five or six little things that I think are important that I have learned along the way. One of my favorite authors, William Faulkner, said read, read, read. Read everything. Read trash so you’ll know what it sounds like; you’ll know what it looks like on the page. Work like you would work if you were working as an apprentice carpenter watching the master build a cabinet or a house,” he added.
Gatlin is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and penned each hit scored by the Gatlin Brothers.
The trio’s chart-topping single, “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” is ranked among Billboard’s 100 Greatest Country Songs of All-Time.
Larry, Steve and Rudy, have been Grand Ole Opry members for 45 years. Larry also hosts the Opry Country Classics series at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium.
Despite years of hectic scheduling, Gatlin continues to make time for giving back. He’s a champion of causes related to veterans and children in need, press information said.
An actor and producer, Gatlin has starred on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies and Civil War.
He also is a longtime Fox News commentator and an avid golfer.
He joked that he still performs because he likes having three meals a day and sleeping indoors.
“… There’s not as much work as there used to be, but with the brothers … we do about 50 days a year. We do the Grand Ole Opry. I host Opry Country Classics …,” Gatlin said.
He also does solo gigs and he still writes.
“… I have learned that I am my own harshest critic. Anybody anywhere can write a song; not just anybody can craft one. Thank God I have some mighty tall shoulders with Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Mickey Newberry, Roger Miller (and) Dottie West; people who taught me the craft. I learned some of it by digging it out. You’ve got to dig it out of the dirt.”
“That’s what golfers say,” Gatlin said.
Through the years, he has had four vocal cord surgeries. One was serious and the others were “just little tweaks.”
His favorite song is “I’ve Done Enough Dying Today,” but his wife Janis’ favorite is “All the Gold in California.”
Janis also is from Odessa and attended Ector High School.
His favorite place to perform is the Grande Ole Opry.
“If I had one song to sing I’d sing it at the Ryman. If I had two, I’d sing the second one at the Opry House; and the next one, I don’t know; maybe Carnegie Hall. I’ve heard it’s pretty cool,” Gatlin said.
He added that he and his brothers have been very blessed having sung at the Ryman nine different times.
Having performed since he was 3 or 4 years old, Gatlin said he never gets stage fright. He added that performing is not second nature to he and his brothers, it’s first nature.
“I feel as natural up there as I do sitting in my easy chair watching the Masters. …,” Gatlin said.
