Jack Barlow

GAC extends condolences to the family and friends of artist Jack Barlow, who has passed away at the age of 87. He died July 29 at Jackson Memorial Hospital following a long illness. Jack began working as a singer/songwriter in the mid-1960s, releasing his first single “I Love Country Music,” which reached No. 1 on the charts.

Born in Moline, Illinois in 1924, Jack served in the Navy during World War II. After leaving the Navy, he worked on a farm before quickly becoming a popular mid-west disc jockey. After “I Love Country Music” hit No. 1, he moved to Nashville where he worked with artists such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, Dottie West, Patsy Cline, Mel Tillis, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph. He went on to record 4 albums and numerous singles including “Catch the Wind,” a Top 10 hit. Continue Reading

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Larry Gatlin (center) and the Gatlin Brothers, photo courtesy of Absolute Publicity.

In the early 1990s, Larry Gatlin got fed up with Nashville and moved back to Texas. He’d lived in Music City for almost 20 years, and during that time, he’d had a nice string of hits tinged with the harmonies of his brothers Steve and Rudy. But as the public moved on to other sounds, the hits stopped coming. Larry felt unwanted in Tennessee and split.

Now he’s dividing his time between the Lone Star State and Nashville, and beginning Thursday, he’ll be a frequent host for the Grand Ole Opry’s Thursday night Opry Country Classics shows at the historic Ryman Auditorium. It’s an appropriate association. The Gatlins have been Opry members since Christmas Day 1976, and Larry came up in the midst of some classic country sounds, befriended by such country icons as Dottie West and Johnny Cash.

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