West Texas Native Larry Gatlin Teaching Music at UTPB

Larry Gatlin, country music star and former OHS quarterback, is back in town to teach a music course at UTPB.

He brings his music knowledge home to share with students taking his music course. He says Odessa is home and Nashville is his home away from home and he is glad to be back and teaching what he loves.

“My main mission, my main calling here is to share with them, let them know this is a safe place for their hearts, their art, their feeling if they wanna laugh, their tears are good. I’m not gonna grade them in their songs. I refuse to do that,” said Gatlin.

"A Journey Into Creativity" is the title of his 8-week course and while some students will take it online, there will be 15 students that are taking the course in person.

The course is meant to inspire and help students with their creative process in writing musicals, singing, poetry, or dancing.

“We’re going to laugh and giggle and have fun. We might cry a little bit and I’m going to show them a few little tricks of the trade,” said Gatlin.

Gatlin says music took him from Odessa and made his dreams come true while traveling all over the world, and he is glad to be back and very grateful for the opportunity to teach Odessa college kids.

“I am greatly blessed and the man or woman that loves his or her job is always on vacation. I’ve been on vacation for 70 years singing songs about Jesus, God, heartache and heartbreak, little doggies and horsies, and country music,” said Gatlin.

Gatlin says he is still the same kid from Odessa he always was and also stated that he is still the only Bronchos quarterback to go 2-1 against Mojo in Odessa High School history.