Born into a family that farmed the rich San Joaquin Valley, Larry Bastian spent his early years farming and cowboying. After college he worked as a biologist for fifteen years in the Department of Agriculture for Kern and Tulare Counties.
Music was always a part of Larry’s life, but it was not until the early 70’s that he began to dream of a songwriting career. Along the way he was encouraged by Bonnie Owens, Buck Owens, Larry Gatlin, Dewayne Blackwell, Bob Doyle and of course, Garth Brooks.
The list of artists who have recorded his songs is a who’s who of country music, including Buck Owens, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Eddie Arnold, Conway Twitty, Vern Gosdin and many others.
In 1995 Garth Brooks said, “If one looks down the list of music’s greatest writers of all time, I couldn’t imagine the list being complete without the name of Larry Bastian.