Larry Gatlin was born in 1948 in Seminole, Texas, the son of a driller in the oil field. The oldest of the three Gatlin brothers, he was by age seven, already accompanying younger brothers, Steve and Rudy in singing at family and church events. 

After high school, Larry went to the University of Houston on a football scholarship. Larry majored in English and developed “a love affair with the English Language” that later served him well in his songwriting.