Press Releases

Making People Happy Is A Family Business
January 6, 2006
By David Charters, Daily Post

THEY do it because they love it. It flows in their blood like the ripple in a raspberry. They're entertainers, grandfathers, old troupers, dedicated forever to the footlights and the greasepaint.

Well, all that might make them sound like Ken Dodd or the Chuckle Brothers.

But we're talking here of the Osmond Brothers. Once the slightest bending of one of their knees was sufficient to excite screaming along the front rows of any theatre in the country.

Now you would be more likely to hear a crack and a creak.

But these Mormon boys take all the gags with good grace. Their fans have matured with them and now they have a warm and settled relationship, which gives an opportunity for a little self-parody on both sides.

After all, Little Jimmy was recently a contestant in I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here, the television show eventually won by Carol Thatcher, daughter of the former prime minister. But for many Jimmy with his teddy bear and tape recorded message from his children was the true star, joining in all the activities without any preening.

Three of the brothers - Wayne, 54, Jay, 50, and Jimmy, now a broad-shouldered 38-year-old of almost six feet - swept into Liverpool to promote their concert at the 2,381-seat Empire Theatre on February 27.

Many British rock stars, puffed with their own importance, unabashed by their lack of talent or originality and seemingly unaware that fame can be very fleeting, often adopt a manner of utter boredom when interviewed by journalists.

Each word is delivered with a weary sigh, as though their thoughts were really far too deep for mere hacks.

By comparison, the Osmonds embody charm and enthusiasm, leaning forward on their seats before each question. Maybe that is why fame has endured for them. They are not serious about themselves. But they are serious about giving their audiences a good time.

At the concert, they will be joined by Merrill, 52, though not by the new grandfather Donny, 47, who remains a solo star.

"We have such great memories as kids growing-up and performing here. We love this country and we love to come back," says Jimmy, still famed for his 1972 hit Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.

"We left it for a while but for the past couple of years we have spent quite a lot of time over here and we have enjoyed it.

"Liverpool has always been a good one for us because of the Long Haired Lover song, but the audiences are family oriented and they have always been supportive of the Osmonds."

Although they are associated with the Mormon state of Utah, the boys moved to California and began performing on Walt Disney TV shows. As a result, they were spotted by the father of Andy Williams.

Williams, then one of the most popular balladeers in Britain and the US, billed them on his TV show and there they stayed for seven years, gaining the popularity which, in the 1970s, would make them the biggest pop sensations since the Beatles.

At first, the brothers sang in barber-shop harmonies. "What we did on the Andy Williams Show was learn to be entertainers in all sorts of different styles," says Jay.

"We are basically entertainers who were fortunate enough to have a lot of hit records."

"Yes we have country hits, rock and roll hits and pop hits," says Wayne. "We have amassed 47 gold and platinum records. It is awesome to see that we still do what we love. Not many people get that opportunity. We have had peaks and valleys, timing is everything, but we have done it as a family. We have enjoyed the ride, we don't take ourselves too seriously and we just enjoy ourselves.

"I think people know a phoney when they see one in showbiz. Thank goodness, we have had good friends who have stuck with us all these years."

The Osmonds work hard. "We have been doing 30-plus shows a year for the past 14 years," says Jay. "It's fun and it beats the alternative." "We were all big Beatles' fans," says Jimmy.

"We met Paul McCartney and his wife Heather and his two daughters in France. It was weird to have Paul McCartney asking us for our autographs. It was very strange."

"Actually he wanted them for his daughters," confides Jay with a smile, a big toothy smile.

And outside the girls are waiting to scream at their heroes.

* ON FEBRUARY 26, Jimmy Osmond is appearing with other celebrities at a Variety Club charity, tribute dinner at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool. The £65 tickets are available on 0151 230 0070 and 0161 236 0500, and the Osmonds play Liverpool Empire on February 27.