About two hundred invited guests, city officials and local celebrities gathered Tuesday at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Club 57 to hear what had been a bit of a secret.
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers are coming to Branson in 2008 and will appear at the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre for limited performance dates next year — April 14 through May 29 and again Sept. 8 through Dec. 13.
Their weekly schedule will run Monday for an 8 p.m. show and every morning at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday.
“We’re looking forward to bringing our show to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre in Branson. It’s one of the most happening places in the country for fans to see the original stars and performers of great American music,” Larry Gatlin said.
After the announcement and the welcoming applause died down the brothers took the small intimate Club 57 stage and began to perform, joking with the audience and singing acappella bits of their hit songs. Steve, dressed casually, said that he’d worn his best for the occasion.
“We look forward to being here for the next 30 to 40 years,” Steve quipped to the laughing, applauding crowd.
Larry remarked how nice everyone had been to them and how much he appreciated the crowd of well-wishers. The Gatlin Brothers were brought to Branson years ago by the lure of opening a theatre. The people who were, “looking for an opportunity” couldn’t follow through and left town owing the Gatlins nearly $200,000. Their first experience performing in Branson was with the Roy Clark Theatre.
“That was a good experience for us. The next one didn’t work out. We just couldn’t make it happen,” Larry explained about their first time at Branson.
“About seven or eight years ago, my friend Joe Sullivan called and asked if we would consider it because we had just stopped working — we just stopped — Rudy had young children. I was doing some solo work. I had been on Broadway — I’d done other things. Because Joe was a friend, and I knew he was a good man, we’ve come back. We’ve done some stuff at other theaters. People have been very nice. We’ve had good crowds.
“What we’ve tried to do with this opportunity that (Patch) has afforded us is to find a little intimate theatre that we can put 800 or a 1,000 people into a smaller place with smaller overhead. Then the Gatlin Brothers can have a little piece of the deal so that we just don’t get a weekly paycheck. So we can really see if we can build a new part of our lives around this nice little community.”
For Gatlin Brothers fans, the real deal is knowing that in a few months, possibly to coincide with their debut at the Dick Clark Theatre, for the first time in 15 years, the Gatlin Brothers, who stopped touring in the 1990s, will be releasing a new album.
“We’re working on a new CD. We’re in the process of trying to get a record deal in Nashville — first time in 15 years — new Gatlin music. Twelve new songs that I’ve written. Good singing by the boys and playing, and I think some really good songs,” Larry said.
Information courtesy of Branson Daily News