This listing is for a very rare sealed copy of The Smitty Gatlin Trio - "Smitty Gatlin and the Friends" LP.

 

SMITTY GATLIN Instruments: Vocals
Date of Birth: July 25, 1935
Place of Birth: Bethel, Tennessee
Home: Killen, Alabama  

The late Earl Smith "Smitty" Gatlin, of Oak Ridge Boys fame, resided in Killen prior to his death.

He will be inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony Wednesday, May 24, 2000, at the Park Vista Resort in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Smitty Gatlin was born in 1935. His parents were Margaret and Frank Gatlin Sr., of Prospect, Tenn. Smitty's mother died when he was 10 years old.

Smitty Gatlin was instrumental in reorganizing the Oak Ridge Quartet in 1956.

He purchased the name Oak Ridge Quartet from former owner Wally Fowler in the late 1950s, changed the name to the Oak Ridge Boys and led the group to national prominence as a gospel quartet.

The original Oak Ridge Quartet was organized during World War II to entertain troops, employees and their families who were confined, for wartime security, inside the oak Ridge national laboratory Compound at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Following the war, this quartet eventually disbanded.

Smitty managed and sang lead for the Oak Ridge Boys during the period the group was dedicated to gospel music. They performed throughout the United States, Canada and the Bahamas in all-night singings, concerts and church services. They released recordings on several different labels, including Warner Bros., RCA Heartwarming, Cadence, Starday, Woodrich, Checker and later exclusively for Skylite.

In 1966, Smitty sold his interest in the Oak Ridge Boys to the remaining members of the group and moved to Forth Worth, Tex., where he had accepted a position as minister of music at the First Baptist Church.

While serving in this capacity, he formed The Smitty Gatlin Trio and continued promoting gospel music in performances throughout the South and West. Most weekends, this necessitated flying back to Texas in time for services.

But his love of and desire to sing gospel music continued to beckon to him, and in 1969 he resigned his position in Texas and moved to Killen, Ala., where he again pursued his singing career.

He and his wife, Nell, and their poodle, Muffett, built their home on Wilson Lake in Killen and became permanent residents of Alabama.

Smitty formed the Smitty Gatlin Singers, which eventually again became the Smitty Gatlin Trio. They continued for the next several months to delight and bless fans and audiences all over America.

Then, in August 1970, Smitty was diagnosed with lung cancer. He fought a valiant fight to recover, but on March 20, 1972, he lost his 18-month battle after returning from a singing tour in Florida.

From newspaper article
East Lauderdale News
May 2000

 

This LP is on "Skylite" Records and manufactured by Columbia Record Productions.

Cover has a small hole punched in the corner.

Record # LP 6071

 

Hargus Robbins: Piano

Buddy Harmon: Drums

Roy Husky, Jr. :Bass

Leon Rhodes: Lead Guitar

Loydd Green: Steel Guitar

 

Song list

Side 1

1. I Came Here To Stay

2. Life Is Worth Living

3. So Many Reasons

4. He Touched Me

5. When I Prayed Through

6. God Made A Way

 

Side 2

1. He Looked Beyond My Faults

2. Palms Of Victory

3. The Next Step You Take

4. Close To The Master

5. Oh, I Want To See Him

6. Pity The Man

 

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