Gatlin Brothers to perform at 2021 Gala
By Donnie A. Lucas
All the gold will definitely not be in California come Oct. 9.
A big chunk of it will be at the Friends of Fort Griffin Gala at Collins Creek Ranch when Larry, Steve & Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers present a special performance as the highlight of the annual fundraising event that benefits the historical site.
Susan Waller, event coordinator for the Friends of Fort Griffin, confirmed that the Gatlins have been booked for the Oct. 9 event.
Tickets will once again be $50 per person for the fundraiser, with a tentative limit of 300 seats. The Gala includes a meal in addition to the 75-minute special performance by the famous trio.
“Anyone interested in tickets can email me at susanftgriffin@aol.com or message me on the Friends of Fort Griffin Facebook account,” Waller said. “We think the tickets will sell fast, so don’t wait too long.”
The proceeds of past fundraisers have been used for various restoration projects at the Fort Griffin State Historical Site.
Collins Creek Ranch is owned by Clifford and Lynne Teinert and includes the original townsite of Fort Griffin which was located just below the military fort on the hill. The couple has restored the former Masonic Lodge Building, which once served as both a school and a church, into a multi-purpose venue.
For this year’s event, a large tent will be erected for the dinner and special performance.
“The performance is not a dance,” Waller said. “It will be more of a dinner theater. We may have another band provide dance music afterwards at the regular venue between the lodge and the cook shack.”
Waller said that she had approached several “big name” performers for this year’s gala, but no one she contacted was available on the date of the gala.
“The Teinerts were helping me brainstorm about bringing in a big name singer or group when Cliff mentioned that he was friends with Larry Gatlin,” she said. “I made Cliff call him, and that is how it all started.”
Originally, Steve and Rudy Gatlin were coming to perform as a duo at the Gala, with Larry committed to a trip out of the country. However, that trip was cancelled, and the trio all agreed to the performance date.
“They are excited about coming,” Waller said. “They have roots in this area, and Larry said that he loves Fort Griffin and wants to help.”
Larry, Steve & Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers, which is how they are known professionally, are Grammy award-winners who have “dazzled audiences for more than six decades.”
The group has accrued a lifetime of noteworthy achievements 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 CMA nominations for Group of the Year, Single, and Album.
The brothers have accumulated seven No. 1 singles, 32 Top 40 records, and more than 20 studio albums, according to their publicist.
The brothers spent a portion of their childhood growing up in Abilene, first being recognized as childhood gospel singers.
