Kathy Kosins was born in Highland Park, Michigan to Marilyn and Harry Kosins. Her father was a well-known clothing store owner (Kosins Clothes) who dressed many of the Motown acts and music personalities.Miriello, Ralph A. Notes on Jazz: Life of a Working Musician: An Interview with Jazz Vocalist Kathy Kosins. Monday, June 10, 2013 (in two parts). Retrieved 2014-06-01. Kosins worked in her father's store as a child and was heavily influenced by being able to meet prominent pop artists, music personalities such as Berry Gordy, Diana Ross, Jerry Vale, Dinah Washington, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Lou Rawls, and the Four Tops. Her father took her on one of his clothing buying trips to New York in 1967 where she saw the Broadway production of Hair, and she was "sold on being a performer" from that point on. She was primarily listening to pop and R&B while her brother David (two years younger) was listening to records such as Lester Bowie and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Charlie Parker. She notes the wide range of music she was exposed to early on; she was most influenced by Janis Joplin as a singer growing up. Kosins attended Southfield High School and then Oakland Community College where she completed an Associate degree.
