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Larry Gatlin (’70)

He’s Now ‘Professor’ Larry Gatlin And He’s Teaching Songwriting
Pam Windsor
Contributor
Nashville-based music, entertainment, and feature writer.
Jan 29, 2023,01:28pm EST

Larry Gatlin and his brothers Steve and Rudy are collectively known as the Gatlin Brothers, and they’ve had a long list of megahits through the years. Their list of familiar songs includes the GRAMMY-winning “Broken Lady,” “All the Gold in California,” and “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” and many more. And Larry Gatlin has written every one of them.
He’s also written songs recorded by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Rich, Johnny Mathis, and others. And he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame four years ago.
Now, Gatlin is getting the chance to teach what he knows about songwriting to college students in his hometown of Odessa, Texas. Last Monday (January 23rd), marked the first night of the eight-week Master Class he’s teaching on-site at the University of Texas Permian Basin. He couldn’t have been more excited.
“It really was one of the most moving moments of my life to see those young people there who wanted to learn,” he says.”
It’s not the first time he’s taught students in a classroom setting. Years ago, he was invited to share some of what he knows with students at the University of Texas. He was supposed to talk about music, what goes into performing, and the elements of putting a show together, but it kept coming back around to songwriting.
“I put everything together and visited with these young folks and it turned into what they wanted to talk about. And they’re the ones who moved it into the direction of songwriting.”
He’s since gone into other schools from California to London, England to touch on the topic, but this time he’s actually getting to teach a full-length course. He’ll be guiding students both in-person and online to start writing songs of their own.
“The main thing I’m going to do, I’m not going to lecture, I’m going to tell them a few things to help them learn the craft of writing songs. Like the other night I told them, ‘If you write a song about heaven, when you sing ‘hea…VEN,’ the melody goes up on the second syllable (lifting upward as in the direction of heaven). If you’re writing a song about hell, the melody goes down.’ Little things like that.”
Gatlin, who attended the University of Houston on a football scholarship and majored in English, has a deep appreciation for the English language, as well as American literature. It’s served him well as a songwriter and he plans to encourage his students to read the classics.
He gives an example of how a book report he was assigned in high school on John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath, led to one of the Gatlin Brothers biggest hits.
“Thirteen short years later, I was stuck in the traffic jam from hell, right in front of the Hollywood Bowl in California in LA,” he recalls. “ Right in front of me was a 1958 Mercury station wagon with an Oklahoma license plate. And I said it to myself, these poor Okies are coming to California to try to get rich and famous. They look like the Joad family from “Grapes of Wrath”, and they’re going to find out that all the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills in somebody else’s name.”
In the “Grapes of Wrath,” the Joads, a family of tenant farmers in Oklahoma facing hardship during the great depression, head to California in hopes of a better future.
“About an hour later, after I’d written that down,” Gatlin says, “I wrote that song in eight minutes in the Warner Brother parking lot in Burbank. And six months later it was the No. 1 country song in the world. Ain’t God good?”
Gatlin says he’ll point out how music brings people together, noting “we get married to music, march off to war to music, get inaugurated to music, and graduate to music.” It can also influence others and bring about change.
“If you don’t think Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Buffy Saint-Marie, Stephen Stills, Joni Mitchell and David Crosby, if you don’t believe those people helped end the Vietnam War, you’re crazy. They sang songs, got people together protesting the indecency of it, and brought people into the streets.”
Music can also inspire, and Gatlin will celebrate and highlight the work of friends and fellow songwriters throughout the course.
“Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, who I think is the greatest wordsmith since William Shakespeare,” Gatlin says. “Mickey Newberry, Roger Miller, Dottie West, and Dolly Parton. If you want to listen to what real life is like, go listen to “Coat of Many Colors,” that Dolly Parton wrote. It’s one of the most incredibly well-written and poignant songs ever, about a poor kid growing up in the hills of Tennessee and making it all the way to the top.”
Gatlin says his overall goal is to support and encourage the next generation to dig deep, and write the kind of songs that mean something to them.
“My most important job is to listen with my good ears and my good heart, hoping these students know I love them, and throwing down my guitar and clipboard and picking up the pompoms to cheer for these young people and encourage them. That’s my deal.”

Pam Windsor
Nashville-based music contributor to Forbes.com.

Danny W. Higdon (Ed.D ’72)

Dr. Danny W. Higdon Obituary

He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years Mary Crawford Higdon of Cookeville; his children Brian Higdon (Kimberly) of Nashville, Paul Higdon (Susan) of Franklin, and Rhonda Higdon England of Cookeville; grandchildren Lindsey Higdon of Franklin, Chelsey Higdon of Mexico Beach, Florida, Thomas Higdon of Franklin and Wade and Jack England of Cookeville. He is preceded in death by his parents and sisters: Kathleen Pittman, Virginia Stovall, Robbie Magliocca, and his brother Emmitt Higdon Jr. He is survived by one brother Gene Higdon (Bella) of Murfreesboro, numerous nieces and nephews, and by his large, extended family in Lake Charles, Louisiana.Danny was born February 9, 1937 in Tioga, Louisiana to Mary Lucretia Daffan and Emmitt DeWitt Higdon Sr. Danny graduated from Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1955 and from Northwestern State College in Natchitoches Louisiana in 1959. He immediately enlisted in the Army Security Agency. He served as a Morse code interceptor from 1959-1962 while stationed in Okinawa. He cherished his time in the service and established many lifelong friends. After an honorable discharge from the Service, he worked several years for Conoco Oil as an offshore roustabout in the Gulf of Mexico.His lifelong passion for teaching began when he taught at Hackberry High School in Cameron Parrish while earning his master’s degree from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. He then attended the University of Houston where he earned his Doctor of Education degree in 1973. While obtaining his doctorate, he co-founded and served as the first headmaster at West Briar Private Elementary School.In 1973, Danny moved his family to Cookeville where he was a professor of Education at Tennessee Tech University for 27 years, retiring as the Department Head of Curriculum and Instruction. He loved his time at Tech and made many special and lasting relationships with both students and teachers alike. Danny taught by example and was a mentor to many school teachers and administrators in the Upper Cumberland Area.Danny was devoted to his family and he loved his many years coaching his children’s football, basketball, softball and baseball teams. After his family, his passions included constructing residential homes with his two sons, flying and piloting his airplane, and serving as a Putnam County Commissioner. Danny always enjoyed talking to people and finding out more about them. He was so proud of his children and his grandchildren and held a special place in his heart for his childhood friends, high school and college classmates, his army buddies, his co-workers at TTU, and many of the teachers in Putnam County. Danny was beloved as a husband, father, and grandfather, and he will be greatly missed.A memorial service will be announced at a future date. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the charity of your choice

William Michael Gregory (FS ’75)

William Michael Gregory, 69, loving son, brother, father and grandfather of East Ridge, TN, passed away to be with the Lord on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at a local hospital.

He was born October 16, 1951 in Covington, KY to the late Bill and Helen Gregory. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Sherida (Chip) Kelly.

He graduated from East Ridge High School, class of 1969. He played football at the Tennessee Military Institute, Ole Miss, and The University of Houston. He enjoyed sports and competition. He had great pride and love for his family. He loved to build models, toys, and projects.

He is survived by his three children and their mother Kaitlin Gregory; Chadwick (Caroline) Gregory; Steven (Kitty) Clift – Terry Gregory. His grandchildren Mason Gregory, Landon and Libby Clift. His brother Keith (Diane) Gregory. His nephews Hal (Denise) Wilson – Jack, Kara, Garrett; Todd Gregory. His nieces Elizabeth Wilson, Krista (David) Gale, Lindsay (Daniel) Roark – Paige, Landrie, Dylan.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

You may visit www.heritagechattanooga.com to share condolences to the Gregory Family.

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road.

Eugene C. Platt (’77)

Eugene Platt Eugene Platt, 66, loving father and grandfather, died November 30, 2020, in Nashville.Born in Florida, Eugene grew up in Coral Gables. In his youth, he enjoyed singing in choir, playing soccer, playing the bass drum in a pipe band, and fishing with his family. He attended St. Thomas Episcopal High School in Houston, Texas; Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina; and the University of Houston. Retiring after a career in computer science, he reignited his love for learning at Bethel University, where he received his Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2007. He worked as a Physician Assistant-Certified in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga and was a member of the Tennessee Association of Physician Assistants, serving as a Tennessee delegate to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. He was a professor in the Physician Assistant Program at Bethel University.An avid Parrothead, Eugene owned no fewer than 31 Jimmy Buffett t-shirts. He loved competitive bridge, Carnival Cruises, theme parks, and key lime pie. He loved to sing, particularly in church choirs. He attended Mill Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Puryear, Tenn. Eugene’s charitable contributions included Siloam Health, Salama Urban Ministries, and medical missions trips to indiginous communities in Belize.Prioritizing optimism and family unity, Eugene was proud of his commitment to sobriety and active in the recovery community. He was a supportive father who valued spending time with each of his sons. He loved being a grandfather and often could be found cheering his grandchildren on at sporting events, theater productions, and concerts.He is preceded in death by his father, Calvin; his mother, Mary Jane; and his sister, Beverly. He is survived by his brothers, Sandifer and Patrick; former spouse and lifelong friend Melinda Platt McCreary; his sons Joel, Andy (Melissa), and Daniel (Camille); and five grandchildren.The family will participate in a private memorial service that will be accessible via livestream on Saturday, December 5. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Siloam Health, 820 Gale Ln, Nashville, TN 37204, Memo: Eugene Platt.

Danny W. Higdon (Ed.D. ’72)

Danny Wallace Higdon