By request….the legendary West Texas trio returns to the historic Cactus Theater for one show, Friday, Feb 2!
Larry, Steve & Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers - West Texas Legends Return! - Live at Cactus Theater
Friday, February 2, 2024
Doors: 6:50 pm • Showtime 7:30 pm
As 2024 rolls around, Larry, Steve & Rudy - The Gatlin Brothers - are Grammy award-winners who have dazzled audiences for more than sixty-seven years. They have accrued a lifetime of noteworthy achievements in their storybook career, including a Grammy for Best Country Song (“Broken Lady”), three ACM awards for Single of the Year (“All The Gold In California”), Album of the Year (Straight Ahead) and Male Vocalist of the Year, along with five nominations for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Single and Album. The Brothers have accumulated seven #1 singles, 32 Top 40 records, 24 studio albums and 5 BMI “Million-Air” Awards for radio airplay.
As a solo writer, Larry Gatlin ranks 4th on Billboard’s top 40 self-penned hits. His impressive song catalog has been recorded by a “Who’s Who” of entertainers, including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, Kris Kristofferson, Sir Tom Jones, Dottie West, Charlie Rich, Johnny Mathis and many others - securing his legacy as one of BMI’s top solo songwriters. He was also recently inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
For more than 67 years, The Gatlin Brothers have entertained audiences in venues and stages all over the world from the Grand Ole Opry to Carnegie Hall. They have performed on the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards and the People’s Choice Awards. They appeared on numerous television shows and hosted their own variety special on ABC TV.
In 1976, The Gatlin Brothers were on the fast track musically thanks to the chart-topping success of their single “Broken Lady.” The hits continued throughout the decade with their signature song “All the Gold in California” followed by “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You).” The next decade brought number one songs with “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.” Larry has also written and produced a musical, “Quanah” - which was performed in April 2017 to rave reviews.
They have performed at the White House, the President Reagan Library, Air Force One, Ford’s Theater, Camp David, President Bush’s 80th Birthday Party, The Lincoln Theater, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, West Point, The Mall in Washington D.C., The Greek Theater, Billy Bob’s Texas, Radio City Music Hall, Disney World and The Wembley Music Festival, to name a few. They have been privileged to grace the stage with legendary entertainers, like Kenny Rogers, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill, The Oak Ridge Boys, the Gaither Vocal Band and The Isaacs - just to name a few.
The brothers have also proudly entertained our U.S. troops in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Germany and at many military bases in the United States as well. They have appeared at many sporting events and venues singing the national anthem, including the 1985 and ’89 World Series and the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament.
Their career began in Abilene, Texas, in 1955, when Larry was seven, Steve was four and Rudy was two. The brothers grew up singing gospel music while listening to James Blackwood and the Blackwood Brothers, Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet, as well as other accomplished gospel artists. As children, the brothers would sing for anyone who would listen. Soon they were singing from coast to coast and appeared at the World’s Fair in 1964 in New York City. They recorded four Gospel records early in their career. In 1966, Larry went to college at the University of Houston where he studied English and Law. In 1971, he auditioned for The Imperials - Elvis Presley’s backup group. While he did not get the job, he met Dottie West, who was the opening act for Jimmy Dean, another versatile entertainer and later sausage king, from Plainview, Texas. Dean would later become one of Larry’s oldest and dearest friends. Dottie was initially taken with Larry’s resemblance to Nashville songwriter Mickey Newbury. She told him one night in Las Vegas that he looked so much like Mickey, he had to be able to write great songs too. Encouraged, Larry returned to Houston, wrote eight songs, and sent them to Dottie. She liked them so much she sent him a plane ticket to Nashville. Through Dottie’s friendship, Larry met Kris Kristofferson, who championed his talents as a writer and singer. Kristofferson’s introduction to Fred Foster at Monument Records resulted in a recording contract with the label. Larry’s first album, The Pilgrim, was released later that year. Johnny Cash wrote the liner notes for the album and dubbed him “The Pilgrim” - a name he called him the rest of his life. At this time, Steve and Rudy were still in college at Texas Tech University, but by 1975, they moved to Nashville to join Larry to form the group as we know it today.
The brothers still perform approximately 50 shows per year as well as many performances at the famed Grand Ole Opry. They are also in the planning stages of recording some new music.
“We are blessed that fans still love our music and attend our shows,” says Steve. “And, we hope to continue as long as that’s the case.”
Listed below are a few of the awards, television shows and prominent venues the brothers have worked:
Hee-Haw
Huckabee TV Show
The Merv Griffith Show
The Mike Douglas Show
SALUTE with Dick Clark
Johnny Cash Special
The Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack
Marty Stuart TV Show
Bill Gaither videos
Carnegie Hall (New York)
AT&T Stadium (Dallas)
Wembley Stadium (London)
Super Dome (New Orleans)
Madison Square Garden (New York)
Pontiac Silverdome (Pontiac)
Astrodome (Houston)
Reliant Field (Houston)
Nissan Stadium (NFL Titans, Nashville)
Yankee Stadium (New York)
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
Candlestick Park (San Francisco)
Ryman Auditorium (Nashville)
2008 Olympics in Beijing, China
• Members of the Grand Ole Opry 45 years
• Performed for the last 8 U.S. Presidents
Reserved Tickets:
First 6 rows (A-F)...................................$75
Remaining 6 rows (G-M)........................$60
Standard balcony...................................$45
Balcony box (includes concessions)....$120