On Wednesday 7 August 2019, The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its 'Class of 2019'.
Larry Gatlin, Dwight Yoakam, Rivers Rutherford, Marcus Hummon, Sharon Vaughn and Kostas Lazarides will be formally inducted during the awards show, which will take place on Monday 14 October 2019 at Nashville’s Music City Center.
Larry Wayne Gatlin began his musical career at the age of 7, singing gospel music in West Texas with his younger siblings.
After college, Larry Gatlin joined The Imperials and was performing with them in Las Vegas when he was discovered by Dottie West (Tuesday 11 October 1932 - Wednesday 4 September 1991).
Once Dottie West heard Larry Gatlin's songs, she sent him a plane ticket to Nashville and signed him to her publishing company.
Larry Gatlin's early songs were recorded by Dottie West, Johnny Cash (Friday 26 February 1932 - Friday 12 September 2003), Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Presley (Tuesday 8 January 1935 - Tuesday 16 August 1977) ('Help Me') and Johnny Rodriguez ('I Just Can’t Get Her Out of My Mind').
However, as an artist himself, Larry Gatlin had 28 self-penned hit singles reach the Billboard country music Top 20 between 1975 and 1990.
The vast amount of Larry Gatlin's catalogue is solo-written.
Among his signature songs are 'All The Gold In California', 'I’ve Done Enough Dyin’ Today', 'Statues Without Hearts', 'I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love', 'Night Time Magic', 'Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You)', 'The Lady Takes The Cowboy Every Time' and 'Broken Lady' (the latter song won a Grammy Award for 'Best Country Song' in 1976).
Larry Gatlin starred on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies in 1993.
In recent years, Larry Gatlin's gospel songs have been recorded by many artists.
Larry Gatlin was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.
Source
Jessica Nicholson at musicrow.com
Gene Watson recorded Larry Gatlin's 'Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall' and included the track on 'Because You Believed in Me' (Capitol Records, 1976).
Gene Watson re-recorded 'Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall' (written by Larry Gatlin) and included the track on 'Real.Country.Music' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016).
Gene Watson recorded 'Help Me' (written by Larry Gatlin) and included the track on 'Real.Country.Music' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016).
