The Osmonds

George Virl Osmond Sr. and Olive Osmond, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, resided on a farm in Ogden, Utah, with their family. George was a postal worker with a military background; both he and Olive were musicians within their church. They had nine children: Virl (George Virl Jr.), Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy. Virl and Tom were both born with severe hearing impairments. The eldest of the Osmond brothers who were members of the band, Alan was recognized as leader of The Osmonds, with his brothers referring to him as "No. 1." The Osmond Brothers' career began in 1958 when Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay began singing barbershop music for local audiences in and around Ogden, as well as during their weekly church services. On the same trip they visited Disneyland, where Tommy Walker, Disneyland's Director of Entertainment and Customer Relations from 1955 to 1966, found the Osmond Brothers singing with the Dapper Dans on Main Street. The group also visited The Lennon Sisters, hoping to get their feedback given their reputation as a family harmony group; this led to a long-running friendship between the two families and (some time after a missed connection had prevented the Osmonds from auditioning for Lawrence Welk) the occasional guest appearance on The Lawrence Welk Show in the mid-1960s. where they earned the nickname "one-take Osmonds" among staff due to their professionalism and tireless rehearsing. Donny soon joined them on the show, making the Osmond Brothers a five-member group. The Andy Williams Show ended its first run in 1967, after which the Osmond Brothers were signed to The Jerry Lewis Show, staying with that show until it was canceled in 1969, after which they rejoined The Andy Williams Show, which had just returned for its second run. The song failed to become a hit. The group saw several other singles released over the next four years, failing to score a hit until the 1971 chart debut of "One Bad Apple". == Pop and rock era ==

Bubblegum: Osmonds and Homemade Record producer Mike Curb saw the Osmonds perform as a band and recognized that they combined a rare mix of polished performing style, instrumental skill, and vocal talent. He signed the Osmonds to MGM Records and arranged for them to record at Muscle Shoals with R&B producer Rick Hall. though the Osmonds would later state that the Jackson 5 considered recording it). The Osmond and Jackson families would eventually meet in 1972 and become friends, with Donny and Michael Jackson becoming particularly close and Donny being deeply affected when Michael died in 2009. "One Bad Apple" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 January 1971, first hitting No. 1 in February, where it stayed for five weeks. The Osmonds soon had hits with other light, R&B-style pop numbers like "Double Lovin'" (No. 14, which was essentially a "One Bad Apple" sound-alike record) and "Yo-Yo" (No. 3). In each of these hits, the formula was the same; Merrill sang lead, and Donny was "co-lead" in essence, singing the "hook" or "chorus" of the song. At this time the Osmonds also recorded several songs that were billed to Donny, the lead soloist on the songs: "Sweet and Innocent" (No. 7), "Go Away Little Girl" (No. 1), "Hey Girl" (No. 9) and "Puppy Love" (No. 3). Uni Records also re-released their 1967 single "Flower Music", this time with "I Can't Stop" as the A-side, where it reached No. 96. Their transition to pop stars required more elaborate choreography than their original work had required, so older brother Virl Osmond—whose limited hearing was enough to follow a musical beat—taught the quintet how to dance. Olive Osmond initially taught the quintet how to sing harmony; the harmony arrangements eventually fell upon Wayne, who was found to have perfect pitch. The quintet also received a wardrobe makeover; upon the recommendation of Elvis Presley, they donned similar sequined jumpsuits designed by Bill Belew, which became their trademark look until the outfits were stolen from a van while the group was touring in Tennessee. (Merrill recalled in 2025 that the suits were instead designed by Bob Mackie.) There are no extant pictures of Presley with the Osmonds, because Colonel Tom Parker prohibited any from being taken. They recorded an ambitious album in 1973 called The Plan, perhaps best described as a Mormon concept album with progressive rock aspirations, with Alan describing it as aiming to reach The Beatles' "white album" in scope. In a retrospective review, Allmusic stated The Plan showed the Osmonds had "versatility and skills as musical craftsmen" but they attempted too many musical styles to make the album cohesive as a whole and some of the lyrics were "preachy". The album produced only two minor hits: "Let Me In" and "Goin' Home" (both No. 36 in the United States, although they both went top 5 in the United Kingdom and "Let Me In" was also a major hit on the easy listening charts). Alan considers The Plan to be the group's magnum opus. By now the family was touring, recording, creating, and producing for five technically separate artists: The Osmonds, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond, and Jimmy Osmondplus Donny and Marie had begun recording duets and had hits with "I'm Leaving It Up to You" (No. 4) and "Morning Side of the Mountain" (No. 8). Through all the stress and pressures created by these many efforts, the family hung together, largely at George's command. The original Osmonds as a group still produced hits. In 1974, "Love Me for a Reason" reached No. 10 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom. The Irish boy band Boyzone took the song to No. 2 in the UK in 1994. "Love Me for a Reason" was the title track to the album of the same name, which featured a blue-eyed soul format (their fourth style change in less than a decade) arranged by H. B. Barnum. Fall from pop prominence: The Proud One and Brainstorm By 1976, though, the group's record sales were softening. Their 1975 album The Proud One sold poorly (despite the title track, a cover of a Frankie Valli minor hit, providing a chart-topping easy listening hit and the group's last US top-40 hit to date), and MGM Records was sold to PolyGram. Their first album on the subsidiary label Polydor was the album Brainstorm; that album sold only slightly better than its predecessor, and its lead single, "I Can't Live a Dream" (another Valli cover), fell short of the top 40. == Television era ==

In 1976, ABC offered Donny and Marie their own television show, The Donny & Marie Show. George demanded that the Osmond Brothers work behind the scenes on the show. Donny and Marie instead chose to star in ''Goin' Coconuts'', under the belief that it would be more family-friendly, which ended up being a critical and commercial failure. The Donny & Marie Show was canceled in 1979, and the Osmonds found themselves in debt and without a clear direction. The group switched from Polydor to corporate affiliate Mercury Records and released another album, ''Steppin' Out'', was a transitional album for the Osmonds and was produced by Maurice Gibb, as Curb had temporarily left the recording industry after being unexpectedly elected Lieutenant Governor of California. Donny, angry at being typecast as a teen idol, retreated from the public spotlight shortly thereafter. == Later careers ==

Marie Osmond Marie recorded several successful duets with Donny and continued to sing country music; she had several Top 40 country hits in the mid-1980s, the biggest of which was "Meet Me in Montana" with Dan Seals, which peaked at number one. She starred in the Broadway revivals of the musicals The King and I (as the lead, Anna) and The Sound of Music (as the lead, Maria) in the mid-1990s. She returned to television first in the short-lived 1995 ABC sitcom Maybe This Time and then with Donny in 1998 to co-host Donny & Marie, a talk-entertainment show that lasted two seasons. Marie suffered from postpartum depression and wanted to help other women who suffered from it. In 2001, Marie, Marcia Wilkie, and Dr. Judith Moore wrote a book on postpartum depression titled, Marie Osmond Behind the Smile. Donny Osmond Donny made an effort to continue his career as a solo artist after the end of the TV show, but found that his marriage had suddenly caused bad publicity for him as his teen fans abandoned him over it. Unable to secure another recording contract, he grew increasingly bitter, which began to be reflected in his concert performances by the early 1980s, abandoning the disciplined approach of his youth in favor of a more cynical, self-mocking personality that only drew even more ridicule from both those who took the Osmonds seriously and those who never had. He returned to the pop music scene in 1989; when he released "Soldier of Love" to much success in the United Kingdom, American music industry insiders were wary of the Osmond brand and promoted the song as being by a "mystery artist". The song became a success in radio airplay in this manner and, when Osmond's identity as the mystery artist was revealed, "Soldier of Love" eventually rose to number 2 on the US charts and was enough of a success to warrant follow-up singles, including "Sacred Emotion", which peaked at number 13, and "My Love Is a Fire", which peaked at number 21. This brief rebound in his fortunes was short-lived, and he soon spiraled back into a depressive episode that was successfully treated with "therapy and medication (... along with) Jack Daniel's." The 90-minute show's success led to a residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas from September 9, 2008, to November 9, 2019. The show was originally scheduled to run for six weeks and ultimately ran for 11 years, with 1,730 performances. Donny & Marie won the award for "The Best Show in Las Vegas" for 2012, 2013, and 2014, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Flamingo Showroom was renamed "The Donny & Marie Showroom" in 2013, and remained under that name until the show closed six years later. The Osmond Brothers In response to their father's suggestion, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay returned to using the name "the Osmond Brothers" and, building on the boom in country pop crossover artists and drawing from the success of the covers of "Rest Your Love on Me" from the previous album, started focusing on recording country music full-time. They had two top-30 Billboard Country hits in the early 1980s: "I Think About Your Lovin'", which peaked at number 17 and "It's Like Fallin' in Love (Over and Over)", peaked at number 28, in addition to a handful that reached the bottom of or narrowly missed the top 40. In 1980, Alan and Merrill established Stadium of Fire, an annual festival in their home state of Utah. The brothers continued to perform with various line-ups and sometimes with their children in Branson. The band largely stopped recording and touring in 1987, after Alan was diagnosed with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis that affected his mobility; Donny had initially hoped that his return would give the Osmond Brothers an opening to return to recording pop music, reasoning that the success of "Soldier of Love" had resolved the major problem of the Osmond name seeming uncool, but this never materialized, in part due to Alan's illness and because of issues between the Osmonds and Mike Curb, who, in revenge for Donny choosing to sign with another record label, had tried to pit the brothers against each other as Donny attempted his return by having the Osmond Brothers record songs Donny had intended to release on his own album. Wayne, who survived a brain tumor in 1997, retired from the group in 2012 after treatment for the brain tumor damaged his cochlea and rendered him deaf and a stroke rendered him unable to play guitar. Two of Alan's sons, Nathan and David, have emerged as solo artists, David as a pop musician and as the lead of the Osmond Chapman Orchestra, and Nathan as a country singer. Alan had initially resisted letting his sons follow him into the music business, warning them after they had completed their church missions that the life of a touring musician would be detrimental to starting a family, but eventually relented. From 2007 to 2008, all of the Osmonds went on a tour of Europe to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their career in show business. A special televised concert in Las Vegas (the only tour stop in the US), commemorating the anniversary, aired on PBS stations on March 10, 2008. It was recorded at The Orleans in Las Vegas. Both Donny and Marie tour extensively around the world, with Alan's son David occasionally filling in for Donny. Merrill, Jay, and Jimmy also performed together at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, along with some limited touring, mostly in the United Kingdom. After Andy Williams's death in 2012, Merrill, Jay, and Jimmy began operating his long-running Christmas show, which they perform in Branson, Missouri in November. In 2012, the trio released their first studio album in 28 years, ''I Can't Get There Without You'', which featured the recording debut of Jimmy as lead singer. Alan and Wayne rejoined the group for one time only for what was billed as their last performance as the Osmond Brothers at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu in October 2018, a concert that also included Marie and David among the performers. Since that time, Merrill and Jay toured as "the Osmonds", sometimes appearing with Marie and David; in these shows (billed as "Marie and the Osmonds"), Jay and Merrill sing many of their old hits and substitute for Paul Davis and Dan Seals on Marie's country duets. Jimmy toured separately with various projects at the time before suffering a stroke in December 2018 while appearing as Captain Hook in the Birmingham Hippodrome's staging of the pantomime Peter Pan; he stated in April 2019 that he was in good health and had decided to take a "long-overdue break" from performing. Alan and Wayne made a second "last ever performance" in October 2019, appearing on The Talk for Marie's birthday. he has performed sporadically (roughly once a year) since his retirement, though he stated in 2025 that the Osmonds as a group were effectively over due to his brothers' health issues and the travel difficulties they pose. In October 2024, Jay was scheduled to begin a residency in Branson with Nathan Osmond. Alan and Merrill released autobiographies, One Way Ticket and Black Bear respectively, in 2024 and 2025. Wayne Osmond died on January 1, 2025, following a stroke. Alan Osmond died on April 20, 2026, following a long, slow decline related to his multiple sclerosis. == 21st-century legacy ==

The Osmonds rank among the poorest performers in terms of having their hits of the 1970s survive in recurrent rotation; classic hits and oldies stations rarely play any of their music, with the occasional exception of "One Bad Apple". According to Sean Ross at RadioInsight, discussing the fifteen popular songs of 1971 that saw the biggest declines in airplay: Teen acts had been with us from the beginning, of course, but not since the early '60s had they seemed so particularly stigmatized (...) Five songs by teen idolsfour of them Osmonds-related. We haven't shown individual breakouts for every year of the '70s, but we can tell you that there's an Osmonds-related song every year between 1971 and 1976, except for 1973, when Donny Osmond was being challenged by the DeFranco Family and didn't have a big enough hit. Ross later noted of the top 100 songs in the 1970 to 1974 period ranked by a drop-off in airplay, the Osmond family had six listed, the most of any collection of acts; this was twice as high as the next two artists on the list—Cher and Helen Reddy, each of whom recorded three. The Osmond family as a whole ranked the most neglected musical act of the era of the classic hit, from 1970 to 1994. Broadening to the period of 1960 to 1999, the top 100 most neglected songs (which had a disproportionate number of early 1960s songs largely neglected by modern radio) had three performed by at least one Osmond, tied for the most with Connie Francis on the list; this was especially unusual because other neglected 1970s artists such as Reddy and Barbra Streisand failed to make the broader list at all. Such was the Osmonds' fall into obscurity that Donny's son Chris advanced all the way to the final episode of season 2 of Claim to Fame largely because most of the contestants were repeatedly unaware who Donny was. Jay Osmond's second wife Karina had previously claimed that she "didn't know anything about the Osmonds" before meeting him, but she retracted this in 2025, noting that it was the Osmonds' fame for being well-mannered that allowed her to trust Jay. The Osmonds have seen occasional admirers among professional musicians, particularly with a reassessment of their rock era work. Guitarist Paul Gilbert ranked the hard rock Phase III album as one of his "not-so-guilty pleasures" and stating "Do not underestimate Merrill Osmond in 1971". An obituary in Forbes lauded Wayne Osmond's guitar work with the band and his rock influence, describing him as a "criminally overlooked shredder." ==Parents==

Olive Osmond, mother of the Osmond siblings, died on 9 May 2004, at age 79. Their father, George Osmond, died on 6 November 2007, at age 90. The couple was survived by their nine children and 55 grandchildren, as well as a number of great-grandchildren. Before George Osmond's death, plans were being made for him and the 120-plus members of the Osmond family to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show to celebrate the family's 50th anniversary in show business. He died just a few days prior to the taping. The family ultimately decided to go on with the show as scheduled and, on 9 November, the entire Osmond family appeared on stage with Oprah Winfrey as a tribute to their father. The show aired the following day, the same day as George Osmond's funeral. == Hollywood Walk of Fame ==

In 2003, the Osmond Family was honored for their achievements in the entertainment industry with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California. == Band members ==

The members of the band transitioned from exclusively vocal performance to playing instruments, all around the time that Crazy Horses was released. Band members • Merrill Osmond – vocals , bass guitar • Donny Osmond – vocals , keyboards • Alan Osmond – vocals , rhythm guitar • Wayne Osmond – vocals , lead guitar • Jay Osmond – vocals , drums • Jimmy Osmond – vocals • Marie Osmond – vocals • David Osmond – vocals • Travis Osmond – bass Timeline ==Discography==

Studio albums • The Wonderful World of The Osmond Brothers (1968) • Hello! The Osmond Brothers (1970) • Osmonds (1970) • Homemade (1971) • Phase III (1972) • Crazy Horses (1972) • The Plan (1973) • Love Me for a Reason (1974) • The Proud One (1975) • Brainstorm (1976) • Osmond Christmas Album (1976) • ''Steppin' Out'' (1979) • The Osmond Brothers (1982) • One Way Rider (1984) ==References==