This week K.T. Olsin  passed away and for many, they may not know exactly who she was. Her short run was a long time ago, but extremely successful.  Not knowing exactly who she was though as an artist, is nothing really new for her.  She was really tough to categorize. She was an original  -  and she was exceptionally talented, and I played them all with pride, because you knew you were playing something very different and original.

80's Ladies - Monster Song!

K.T. Oslin rose to fame at the age of 45.  Completely unheard of, and I can't think of another who has done it.  She blasted on the scene with a vengeance.  The album 80's Ladies to me is a classic, and won about everything you could win.  The single of the same name was a big hit and won a Grammy, and about everything else.  Songs like Do Ya followed and I'll Always Come Back, which I think is a gem, also big songs.  She was honored by about every organization there was, and won everything and did it all at a very interesting time.

Do Ya - Sultry Performance - So Distinct

You see, K.T. Oslin was nowhere near a traditionalist, and that movement was newly underway as that time.  In 1987 -1990 when her run took place, we were going in a very different direction. Oslin didn't sound country, she was a stylist that seemed to live through her songs, and got through her songs rather than soaringly sing them. She was bluesy, she was sultry, she was way different than anything else we were playing and she stood out.  She was all grown up, you could feel her life when she sang. She was terrific!

This Song Is A Work Of Art

She is also a GREAT example of the importance of the written song.  Her songwriting was incredible years before she was a recording star. She wrote for The Judds, Dottie West, and for a great singer named Gail Davies who recorded a fantastic Oslin song, Round The Clock Lovin', (1982) a song K.T. told me once backstage she wished she saved for herself, (she at last did record it) but it was 5 years before she hit it big. Funny thing about her, the same thing that made her popular, is the same thing many didn't care for.  

This Song Was A Big Country Hit For Gail Davies in 1982 -  K.T. Written - It's So K.T.

(BTW -Gail Davies is worth a Google Search, she was GREAT!)

K.T. Oslin was not "country".  She just wasn't. And still isn't, in the traditional sense.  But she found a following, and found common ground on the country charts.  What she was, was GOOD!  And Country fans know good when they hear it.  She had her detractors but when she started walking off with every award possible, the disagreements stopped.  Her run was basically over by about 1991, but what a run!  She found a sound so unique, you had to listen. And that's darn rare.

Her Biggest Charted Song!  2 Weeks #1 - Stick With It - It Happens 

She had major heart surgery in 1995. She then was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2016 and had been in a facility for it until her death this week.  She was 78.  She broke down tons of walls with her age, image, songs, style and pure genius songwriting talent.  I always had a ton of respect for her, hanging around all those years and finally making it big, and I do mean BIG when most artists are starting to wrap it up.

K.T. Oslin - very safe to assume there will NEVER be another.  She beat the odds in all ways possible.