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Biography
Rudy Gatlin was raised on gospel music in a musically talented family with his mother playing the piano and his father playing the guitar. They taught him to sing harmony, listening to the albums of gospel groups like the Statesmen Quartet and Blackwood Brothers Quartet. He was just two and-a-half when big brother Larry, age six (along with their Aunt Nell) convinced their mother he was ready to join him and Steve, age four. Winning a talent show in Abilene, Texas, they started singing in church, on radio and the “Slim Willet Show” on KRBC-TV.
A musical career continued for Rudy and his brothers while mixed with school, sports and church. College separated them except for holidays and summer appearances until they converged on Nashville.
There the brothers recorded ‘Broken Lady’ for Monument Records, becoming a #1 hit and winning the Grammy for ‘Best Country Song’. “It was just unreal! We went to LA, rented tuxedos, a limousine and had the time of our lives. You can tell we’re country boys, we fight for the front seat of the limo!”
The Gatlin Brothers recorded numerous CD’s and toured extensively throughout the United States playing sold out concerts, fairs and Las Vegas. The Academy of Country Music (ACM) honored them with awards for Single of the Year for ‘All the Gold in California’ and Album of the Year for ‘Straight Ahead.’ They performed on the Country Music Association (CMA) awards shows, country music specials like “The Johnny Cash 25th Anniversary Show”, CBS’s ‘Country Comes Home,’ Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show and the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and Jay Leno and most recently, the Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson shows. ‘The Gatlin Brothers Special’ aired on ABC in 1981. Their travels also included country music festivals in England and the most popular TV shows like ‘Musicladen’ in Germany. “You name a TV show and we were probably on it”!
In addition, they performed for special events at the White House and the Ford Theater, at the invitations of Presidents Carter, Reagan and Bush, with special appearances at Camp David for President Bush and the Presidential Inaugurations for President Reagan, President Bush and most recently President George W. Bush.
Rudy starred in the role of ‘Curly’ in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma’, and the part of ‘Frank Butler’ in Irving Berlin’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’
Rudy has been involved with several charity golf events throughout the country. “I’m always happy to do whatever I can for these great causes, especially if there is a little golf associated with it!
Under Rudy’s guidance for 20 years the Brothers hosted the “Gatlin Brothers Metro-PGA Assistants Celebrity Golf Tournament for MDA” raising over 2 million dollars! It was the largest on day celebrity charity event in the country!
They also hosted “The Gatlin Brothers for Kids” Pro Celebrity Invitational at Myrtle Beach, SC to benefit various local charities.
Rudy has been involved several years with the “Cliff Harris JDRF Reunion Golf Classic” at Dallas, TX “having fun and raising funds” for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Rudy was very honored to be named number one in Golf Digest’s November issue, “Top 100 in Music” (it’s the one with Justin Timberlake on the cover) “I’ve enjoyed playing with some of the greatest golfers ever! Between watching their every move and the fine instruction of my long time friend Randy Smith, some of it finally sunk in!”
For business inquiries for Rudy Gatlin, email RudyGatlin@aol.com.