K. T. Oslin
Encyclopedia
Kay Toinette "K. T." Oslin (born May 15, 1942) is an American country music
singer and songwriter
. She is known for a series of top-ten country hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s, four of which topped the chart.
, but soon after her birth her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee
and then to Houston, Texas
. Oslin considers Houston her hometown. She attended Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College
in Jacksonville, Texas
, relocating to New York
upon graduation.
Oslin initially performed as a folk
singer with Guy Clark
. She soon began doing advertising jingles, which led to appearances in a number of television commercials.
During the late 1970s, Oslin moved to Nashville and began writing songs. Her first Top 10 hit, as a writer, came when Gail Davies produced her song, "Round The Clock Lovin'."
Between 1981 and the present, she has released seven studio albums, and has charted more than fifteen singles on the Billboard
country charts. In 1987, after a brief run with Elektra Records
, she signed with RCA Records
. Her first top-ten single, 1987's "80s Ladies
", a self-penned song, which proved to be something of an anthem for a generation of female listeners nearing middle age, proved to be her breakthrough; the song would earn Oslin a Grammy Award
, and would be named the Country Music Association
's Song of the Year in 1988. Other singles included the Number One hits "Do Ya" (1987), "I'll Always Come Back
", "Hold Me" (both 1988), and "Come Next Monday
" (1990), as well as three additional Top Ten hits. Additional hits included "Hey Bobby", "Hold Me", "Mary and Willie", "This Woman", and "Didn't Expect it to Go Down This Way." Her song, "Younger Men" appeared on the White Palace
movie soundtrack. The film starred Susan Sarandon and James Spader.
She continued to record and release new material into the '90s, though her chart success began to wane. Also during the early '90s, Oslin branched out into acting, taking roles on Paradise
, and Evening Shade
with Burt Reynolds
. On the big screen she co-starred in The Thing Called Love
with Sandra Bullock
and River Phoenix
.
Her 2001 album, Live Close By, Visit Often was produced by Raul Malo
, who also wrote several of the songs.
She ranked #37 in "CMT
's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music" in 2002.http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76608/episode.jhtml
.
Oslin has since retired from touring on the road full time, but she still performs and makes appearances at various charitable and music-related events. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She has never married and has no children.
Country Music Association
Grammy Awards
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. She is known for a series of top-ten country hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s, four of which topped the chart.
Early life and career
Kay Toinette Oslin was born in Crossett, ArkansasCrossett, Arkansas
Crossett is the largest city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 5,507, according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates. Combined with North Crossett and West Crossett, the population is 10,752...
, but soon after her birth her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and then to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Oslin considers Houston her hometown. She attended Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College is a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and is the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that is owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole...
in Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...
, relocating to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
upon graduation.
Oslin initially performed as a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer with Guy Clark
Guy Clark
Guy Clark is an American Texas Country artist. In his career, he has released more than twenty albums, primarily on major labels. He has also written singles for other artists, including Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner and Rodney Crowell....
. She soon began doing advertising jingles, which led to appearances in a number of television commercials.
During the late 1970s, Oslin moved to Nashville and began writing songs. Her first Top 10 hit, as a writer, came when Gail Davies produced her song, "Round The Clock Lovin'."
Between 1981 and the present, she has released seven studio albums, and has charted more than fifteen singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts. In 1987, after a brief run with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, she signed with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. Her first top-ten single, 1987's "80s Ladies
80's Ladies (song)
"80's Ladies" is a song written and recorded by American country artist K.T. Oslin. It was the second single and title track from the Oslin's 1987 album 80's Ladies. The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart....
", a self-penned song, which proved to be something of an anthem for a generation of female listeners nearing middle age, proved to be her breakthrough; the song would earn Oslin a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, and would be named the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's Song of the Year in 1988. Other singles included the Number One hits "Do Ya" (1987), "I'll Always Come Back
I'll Always Come Back
"I'll Always Come Back" is a 1988 single written and recorded by K.T. Oslin. "I'll Always Come Back" was K.T. Oslin's second number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the country chart....
", "Hold Me" (both 1988), and "Come Next Monday
Come Next Monday
"Come Next Monday" is a 1990 single by American country music singer K. T. Oslin. "Come Next Monday" was Oslin's fourth and final number one on the country chart, and the second of five singles from her 1990 album Love in a Small Town. The single went to number one for two weeks and spent a total...
" (1990), as well as three additional Top Ten hits. Additional hits included "Hey Bobby", "Hold Me", "Mary and Willie", "This Woman", and "Didn't Expect it to Go Down This Way." Her song, "Younger Men" appeared on the White Palace
White Palace
White Palace is a 1990 film starring Susan Sarandon and James Spader. It is a romantic drama about the unlikely relationship between a young middle class widower who falls in love with a middle-aged working class waitress in St. Louis, Missouri...
movie soundtrack. The film starred Susan Sarandon and James Spader.
She continued to record and release new material into the '90s, though her chart success began to wane. Also during the early '90s, Oslin branched out into acting, taking roles on Paradise
Paradise (TV series)
Paradise is an American Western family television series, broadcast by CBS from 1988 to 1991. Created by David Jacobs and Robert Porter, the series presents the adventures of fictitious gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord, whose sister left her four children in his custody when she died.-Synopsis:Paradise...
, and Evening Shade
Evening Shade
Evening Shade was an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from 1990 to 1994. The series starred Burt Reynolds as Wood Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas to coach a high school football team with a long...
with Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
. On the big screen she co-starred in The Thing Called Love
The Thing Called Love
The Thing Called Love is an American comedy-drama film released in 1993. It was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film's tagline is: "Stand by your dream."...
with Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
and River Phoenix
River Phoenix
River Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
.
Her 2001 album, Live Close By, Visit Often was produced by Raul Malo
Raul Malo
Raúl Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. , known professionally as Raúl Malo, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He was the lead singer of country music band The Mavericks and the co-writer of many of their singles, as well as Rick Trevino's 2003 single "In My Dreams"...
, who also wrote several of the songs.
She ranked #37 in "CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music" in 2002.http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76608/episode.jhtml
Personal life
In 1995, Oslin had coronary artery bypass surgeryCoronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
.
Oslin has since retired from touring on the road full time, but she still performs and makes appearances at various charitable and music-related events. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She has never married and has no children.
Awards
Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- 1987 Top New Female VocalistAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- 1987 Video of the YearAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- "80s Ladies" - 1988 Album of the YearAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- "This WomanThis Woman (K. T. Oslin album)This Woman is the second studio album by American country music artist K. T. Oslin. It was released by RCA Records in 1988. "Money," "Hold Me," "Hey Bobby," the title track and "Didn't Expect It to Go Down This Way" were released as singles...
" - 1988 Top Female VocalistAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
- 1988 Female Vocalist of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
- 1988 Song of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
- "80s Ladies"
Grammy Awards
- 1988 Best Country Vocal Performance, FemaleGrammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
- "80s Ladies" - 1989 Best Country Vocal Performance, FemaleGrammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
- "Hold Me" - 1989 Best Country SongGrammy Award for Best Country SongThe Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
- "Hold Me"