Gatlin was born in Seminole, Texas in 1948. He was raised listening to country and gospel music. Even since childhood, he and his brothers, Steve and Rudy have always sung and performed together. When they were younger, they often sang in their local church. They sometimes performed on local radio stations, and occasionally on television shows. They also recorded a gospel music album for the Gospel label Sword and Shield. After attending college at the University of Houston, he auditioned for, and became a member of The Imperials. While performing with Jimmy Dean's Las Vegas Revue, he met country singer Dottie West. She was so impressed with his songwriting skills that she recorded several of his songs. She would then help him get his start in Nashville. Gatlin released his first solo album in 1973. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.