Celebrity Graveland

May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020

As the old adage goes: “Good things come to those who wait.” For Kay Toinette “K. T.” Oslin, this doesn’t EXACTLY fit…but it’s not a bad start.

K. T. Oslin grew up in the American south (Arkansas>Alabama>Texas, to be precise). As a theatre major in college, she discovered a love for folk music. She would form a folk trio alongside a young Guy Clark, and enjoyed performing in clubs and anywhere there was an audience. At the age of 24, Oslin joined the touring production of Hello Dolly! that eventually led to her moving to New York to pursue acting. While in New York, she appeared in a number of musicals, found work in commercials and – most importantly – began to explore songwriting. At this same time, she began to have an affinity for country music and the possibilities her songwriting might have in that genre.

Fast forward a dozen years or so and K. T. found herself in Nashville giving a go at a country music recording career. She was able to land a recording contract, but it wasn’t the right fit and fizzled out. Dejected, she returned to New York to plot her next move.

In 1986, she attempted a final shot at becoming a country singer-songwriter. This time, it stuck. She signed with RCA Records, released a hit with “80’s Ladies” and became a success at the age of 45.

The rest of her career was a bit of a rollercoaster that saw highs (6 albums, a dozen hits, multiple Grammy and Academy of Country Music awards) and lows (bouts of depression, health issues). She returned to acting during a hiatus from recording, appearing in a number of movies and television shows. Her final album was released in 2015, the same year she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She lived the rest of her life in an assisted-living facility and died in 2020 at the age of 78.

K. T. Oslin never waited for success. The more appropriate adage to describe her would probably be: “Good things come to those who work hard at what they love for decades.”

Her persistence was our gain.

Burial

Woodlawn Memorial Park – Nashville, TN

Specific Location

Cross Mausoleum – Enter the main entrance on the south side of the mausoleum, go left up the flight of stairs, then take your second right, K. T.’s crypt is in the second to last bank down this hall on the right side, bottom row, just one space past Tammy Wynette.

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