Gatlin sister to speak at Penn State’s Women’s Day
With her family act on the verge of country music stardom in 1976, LaDonna Gatlin walked away.
“The dream of country music was my brothers’ dream,” she said of the legendary Gatlin Brothers. “My husband, Tim, and I realized that was not our passion. When I became a wife, I realized Tim and I were a unit. This was the road we decided to take for us. I call it a different song to sing.”
Gatlin will share her story as a singer, writer and motivational speaker when she serves as keynote speaker on Thursday at Women’s Day at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, located on Route 119 north of Uniontown.
Now in its 32nd year, Women’s Day will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a community services and informational fair with representatives from area businesses and organizations. There also will be workshops on “Protecting Yourself and Your Identity,” with state police Trooper Stefani A. Plume; “The Past, the Present and (maybe) the Future,” about changes in technology by David B. Meredith, Penn State associate professor of engineering; and “Value-Added Ventures for Women,” by Susan Lynn, a partner in “Sand Hill Berries and The Winery at Sand Hill.”
Gatlin’s presentation is called “Tune Up Your Life,” which she describes as “a mixture of humor, music and seven principles that people can use to guide them through their life.”
Interviewed recently by phone from a hotel in Hutchinson, Kan., Gatlin noted she had been on the road for 22 days in April. She was scheduled to address an agricultural group that evening.
“I love what I do for a living,” said Gatlin, a resident of the Dallas area, noting, “There’s always something interesting to do and interesting people to meet.”
For example, Gatlin rose at 6 a.m. in Hutchinson to see the largest grain elevator in North America. She noted she recently traveled to Savannah, Ga., where Gatlin was able to eat shrimp and grits in celebrity chef Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady & Sons.
“It’s great to see the world through the eyes of a child and ask, ‘What can I learn today?”’ she said.
Gatlin was born in Texas into a musical family with her older brothers Larry, Rudy and Steve already performing as the Gatlin Trio. When Gatlin was old enough, she joined the group and it became a quartet. In 1975, Larry Gatlin was set to attend law school when he met country star Dottie West, who persuaded him to come to Nashville and write songs. Gatlin said in Nashville her brother met singer/songwriters Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Roger Miller.
“My brother Larry was incredibly gifted, but those people taught him to write songs,” she said.
Eventually, Larry Gatlin was offered a record deal and brought his family in as background singers. As they began making records and performing, LaDonna Gatlin married her husband Tim Johnson, a keyboard player. The couple will celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary in December.
The Gatlin Brothers were on the brink of stardom. In a few years, they would release such hits as “All the Gold in California” and “She Used to be Somebody’s Baby.” But LaDonna Gatlin wanted a different life.
“When Tim and I got married and decided to leave the group, we found our voice,” said Gatlin. “It was difficult. It was always the four of us since I was born. I was the baby sister and the only girl.”
LaDonna Gatlin and her husband moved to Texas and began working with evangelist David Wilkiinson, author of several books, including “The Cross and the Switchblade,” and Christian artist Dallas Holm. LaDonna Gatlin eventually left performing to become a full-time mother. She and her husband have two children, Caleb, 35, and Annie, 32. They have five grandchildren and another due in June.
“We are blessed indeed,” she said.
Gatlin began working as a speaker in 1995, traveling around the country and recently appearing on Marie Osmond’s television show. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and has earned its highest professional designation, the Certified Speaking Professional. In 2005, she was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Council of Peers Award for Excellence.
Gatlin is also a contributing writer to the best-selling book series “Chicken Soup for the Soul” and wrote her own book, titled “The Song in You: Finding Your Voice, Redefining Your Life,” that was released in November.
Gatlin said she enjoys what she does and also has the support of her family.
She said, “My brothers are my biggest fans.”
Gatlin said she is looking forward to returning to Women’s Day at Penn State Fayette where she first spoke in 1998. She will encourage others to live the life that’s best for them.
She said, “Everybody needs to find their own path and go their own way.”
More information on Women’s Day can be obtained by calling 724-430-4144 or online at www.fayette.psu.edu.