The Osmonds have been by no means destined to be your run-of-the-mill, post-World War II American household.
The primary two youngsters born to George and Olive Osmond of Ogden, Utah, named Virl and Tom, have been each recognized as severely listening to impaired. Ignoring solutions to have them institutionalized, Olive took a hands-on method to serving to them learn, write, communicate … and faucet dance.
The subsequent 4 youngsters – Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay – realized to harmonize collectively whereas the youngest was nonetheless crawling round in diapers. They made their public debut at a 1957 church service when Alan was eight and Jay was 2, whereas Olive was pregnant with a seventh boy. The most recent addition arrived in December of that yr. His identify? Donny.
The Osmond youngsters have been raised in a disciplined family
As Donny recalled in his 1999 autobiography, Life is Simply What You Make It: My Story so Far, the Osmond family was marked by guidelines and routines. An ex-U.S. Military sergeant, George had the boys “hold forth” to substantiate they’d obtained their meals and instructed Alan to get up the costs day by day by enjoying reveille on his bugle. Guidelines of speech mandated a “Sure, sir” and “Thanks, sir,” whereas speaking again may result in a decisive spanking.
The guiding power was a robust adherence to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which emphasizes the everlasting ties that bond households collectively and the ephemeral nature of fabric possessions.
Amid the strict order, Donny remembered his early Utah years as being full of laughter and love. He loved frolicking on the household’s rural plot of land, with its apple, peach and cherry timber and an previous cow milling about. He additionally relished the chance to partake in weekly household night time actions, through which the youngsters got the chance to sing and carry out.
In October 1959, one other addition to the household got here with the start of Marie. Together with giving Donny a youthful sister to play with, it gave an overjoyed Olive her first lady after a seemingly unending stream of boys.
The Osmond Household, circa 1970s: (L-R, again) Merrill, Donny, Marie and Jay; (L-R, entrance) Alan, Jimmy and Wayne
Picture: Tony Russell/Redferns
The Osmonds have been launched to audiences on ‘The Andy Williams Present’
By the early ’60s, the Osmonds have been seeking to introduce their musical sons to the world outdoors Ogden. A visit to Disneyland resulted in a gathering with the theme park’s leisure director, who had the younger barbershop quartet carry out on the televised Disneyland After Darkish. That, in flip, led to an excellent larger reserving, on The Andy Williams Present, and a five-year contract to function regulars on the musical selection program.
The newfound success prompted the household to depart the acquainted pastures of Ogden and relocate to the Los Angeles space in 1963, although, in Donny’s view, little modified with the shift to a brand new dwelling base. There have been nonetheless loads of yard pleasures to get pleasure from, and now, with Marie coming of age, they may create their very own little stage reveals collectively, modeled after the performances of their brothers on TV.
In fact, the musical DNA discovered its means down the road, and in late 1963, a number of days earlier than turning 6, Donny taped his debut efficiency for The Andy Williams Present. In February 1964, 4-year-old Marie made her introduction on this system as properly (as did the ultimate Osmond little one, Jimmy, in 1967).
Their dad and mom continued to funnel their not-yet considerable assets into the enterprise, discovering a cost-saving methodology of getting every little one take classes in an instrument, after which they’d move on their know-how to the others. For Marie, who gritted her means by marimba classes, this appeared like a wonderfully regular improvement.
“I by no means knew a day of my childhood life the place music wasn’t being performed, practiced, written or sung,” she wrote in her 2009 autobiography, Would possibly as Properly Snigger About It Now. “Till I used to be about 5 years previous, I had mistakenly concluded that each household should do the identical factor we did: carry out.”
Life on the street grew to become a continuing for the household
Though Donny grew to become a daily member of the group and Marie didn’t, life nonetheless modified for everybody because the Osmond Brothers grew to become bona fide celebrities. The household started touring the nation for performances at gala’s and festivals, their bookings finally taking them to abroad locales in England, Sweden and Japan.
For the youngsters, touring the highways of their Airstream trailer carried a way of journey. Marie remembered how they’d apply their songs and scribble out their schoolwork below the watchful eye of Olive, after which Marie, Donny and Jimmy would crawl onto the overhead baggage racks. She additionally helped her mom maintain monitor of gate receipts, taking delight in having the ability to find a lacking ticket from an enormous bundle.
With the top of the preliminary run of The Andy Williams Present in 1967, the Osmonds discovered themselves navigating new waters as they tried to transition from their barbershop roots to legit pop-rockers. They managed to land a brand new common gig on The Jerry Lewis Present and even discovered their area of interest in Las Vegas, retaining their sturdy family-oriented religion amid the temptations, although recording success proved elusive.
Donny and Marie Osmond carry out at their 500th Donnie & Marie Selection Present on the Flamingo Las Vegas on March 23, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Picture: David Becker/Getty Photographs
Success introduced monetary positive aspects and division for the performing youngsters
All the things modified in early 1971, with the Osmonds’ first hit single, “One Unhealthy Apple,” claiming the highest spot on the Billboard Sizzling 100. Donny additionally loved his first solo hit that summer time, with “Candy and Harmless,” and Osmondmania was up and working.
The star flip introduced new monetary advantages that allowed the household to buy an residence constructing within the Westwood part of Los Angeles, in addition to a number of properties again in Utah. In considered one of them, Donny put collectively his famed “007 room,” utilizing his electronics wizardry to wire a mattress that might rise and decrease from the ceiling.
By 1973, there have been already divisions showing within the household act. The brothers, who had proven an affinity towards more durable rock, launched an formidable, spiritually themed album titled The Plan, which flatlined on the charts. In the meantime, Donny’s solo profession was going as sturdy as ever by the use of softer singles like “Pet Love.” That fall, Marie additionally proved her solo capabilities when her cowl of “Paper Roses” soared to No. 1 on the nation and mainstream charts.
Donny and Marie delivered their selection present earlier than looking for separate paths
With many of the Osmond youngsters married and tiring of rehearsing and touring by the mid-1970s, consideration turned to the youthful hitmakers of the household. They accepted a proposal to headline their very own selection program and, with the launch of Donny & Marie in January 1976, 18-year-old Donny and 16-year-old Marie grew to become the youngest TV hosts to this point.
As with nearly all the things earlier than, the creation of the present was a household affair. The older brothers oversaw the musical numbers, whereas Jimmy usually joined the skits and even the dad and mom often surfaced on display screen. With their all-in-this-together angle, they moved manufacturing from L.A. to the glowing new 104,000 square-foot George V. Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah, in fall 1977.
However by this level, the pressures of a continuing highlight have been attending to the 2 hosts: Donny was experiencing the primary of what would turn out to be a recurring drawback of panic assaults, and Marie, feeling insufficient subsequent to the A-list starlets who appeared on the present, was ravenous herself.
Donny had additionally discovered his first critical girlfriend, Debbie Glenn, and, after a decade-plus within the service of a show-business household, he was able to pursue life on his personal phrases. He married Debbie in Could 1978, and along with his first son on the best way, he let Donny & Marie run out the string in 1979.
Marie quickly cast her personal break by transferring to New York Metropolis within the early 1980s. Nonetheless, the ties that certain this household remained in keeping with their non secular beliefs, they usually continued to report and carry out collectively on and off, seemingly by no means straying too removed from each other, as they continued by the peaks and valleys of their private {and professional} lives.
BouncingBelly
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