Mojo Music & Media has acquired the complete publishing catalog of legendary Nashville songwriter and artist Larry Gatlin.
The deal includes publishing and songwriter interests in some 300 songs, written for himself as a solo artist, for the Gatlin Brothers and for other artists.
The Mojo creative team have developed an extensive long term plan to promote Gatlin’s music and life story across all media, ranging from curated playlists, reimagined videos and proactive sync licensing to strategic television appearances, documentaries, theatricals and tributes – and will be working with managers Mike Robertson and Mike Jason at StarVista to execute it.
The Gatlin Brothers will meantime have one of their busiest years having just launched a national tour celebrating 65 years as a band.
Gatlin’s solo output includes his breakout hit Broken Lady, his first No.1, I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love, and such Top 5 hits as Night Time Magic, I Don’t Wanna Cry, Love Is Just A Game and Statues Without Hearts.
The songs he’s written for his brothers were a regular presence on country radio through the ‘70’s and ‘80’s and include such chart toppers as All The Gold In California and Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You) along with a long list of standards including Top 5 hits She Used To Be Somebody’s Baby, The Lady Takes The Cowboy Every Time, What Are We Doing Lonesome, Talkin’ To The Moon and Love Of A Lifetime.
Gatlin also wrote Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall and Help Me for Elvis Presley, I Just Can’t Get Her Out Of My Mind for Johnny Rodriguez, co-authored the Gospel standard I Played In The Band And Sang In The Choir with Bill Gaither and has had his songs covered by artists as diverse as Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Mathis and Barbra Streisand.
In all, Larry Gatlin has racked up 50 charting country singles, including seven No.1’s and 32 Top 40 hits, making him fourth on the list of solo country writers with the most self-penned Top 40 hits.
He won the Best Country Song Grammy in 1977 for Broken Lady, won Single and Album Of The Year with the Gatlin’s and a Best Male Vocalist Award from the Academy of Country Music in 1980, was inducted with brothers Steve and Rudy into the Grand Old Opry in 1976 and inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame last year.
In addition to his illustrious music career, Gatlin played himself in a 1975 biopic about his friend and mentor Dottie West, played Will Rogers in the Tony-winning Broadway production and first national touring company of The Will Rogers Follies in 1992, authored his memoir in 1998 and has hosted Gospel and classic Country shows for WSM and served as a political and social commentator for Fox News and Fox Business Network.
“There are few songwriters, in any genre, as poetic with a lyric or as artful with melody and harmony as Larry.”
Mark Fried, Mojo Music & Media
Mojo CEO and Founder Mark Fried, said: “I’ve been a fan of Larry and the Gatlin’s since I first heard All The Gold coming through my radio in the early ‘80s.
“There are few songwriters, in any genre, as poetic with a lyric or as artful with melody and harmony as Larry, and we couldn’t be more excited to dive into the deep well of his songs and find ways to bring them to a new generation of fans.”
“I’m pretty much speechless. No one, I repeat, no one has ever approached me with as much respect and with as many good ideas about how to keep my little songs going as Mark, Butch and these Mojos.”
Larry Gatlin
Larry Gatlin added: “I’m pretty much speechless. No one, I repeat, no one has ever approached me with as much respect and with as many good ideas about how to keep my little songs going as Mark, Butch and these Mojos.
“I’m as excited about this new partnership as I was almost 50 years ago when Kris introduced me to Bob Beckham. To paraphrase Rick speaking to Captain Renault in Casablanca, ‘Guys, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’”
Photo credit: Jim McGuireMusic Business Worldwide