If you have a photo to share of you & Merrill or one of Merrill's family please send it to merrillwebsite_email.com and we will feature the photos on the site. They are changed out periodically.
*Click on each photo to enlarge.
Merrill Osmond Shares Tale of Chronic Back Pain
Updated: Tuesday, 18 Jan 2011, 12:44 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 18 Jan 2011, 12:44 PM CST
HOUSTON - Among the millions of people who suffer with chronic back pain is singer Merrill Osmond; that is until he underwent a non-invasive back surgery at a Houston orthopedic center.
Dr. Saqib Siddiqui, orthopedic spine surgeon at The Spine Center, performed the surgery on Osmond that allowed the singer to return one week later to the stage in Branson, Miss.
Osmond shares his story and Dr. Siddiqui describes the surgery on FOX 26 Morning News Extra.
On the Web:
The Spine Center -- http://surgicalspinesolutions.com/
Filmography
Show Producer (3 titles)
1978 The Gift of Love (TV movie) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
1976-1978 Donny and Marie (TV series) (executive producer - 20 episodes)
Episode #4.3 (1978) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
Episode #3.14 (1978) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
Episode #3.8 (1977) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
Episode #3.7 (1977) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
Episode #3.5 (1977) (executive producer - as The Osmond Brothers)
See all 20 episodes »
1978 Mel & Susan Together (TV series) (executive producer)
Show Actor (2 titles)
1963-1964 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series)
Click here for more information
Deuteronomy Kissel
The Day of the Picnic (1964) Deuteronomy Kissel
The Day of the Pawnees: Part 2 (1963) Deuteronomy Kissel
The Day of the Pawnees: Part 1 (1963) Deuteronomy Kissel
The Day of the Flying Dutchman (1963) Deuteronomy Kissel
The Day of the Long Night (1963)
See all 9 episodes »
1964 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (TV series)
Richard Foy
The Seven Little Foys (1964) Richard Foy
Hide Show Soundtrack (2 titles)
1976 Dr. Shrinker (TV series) (writer: "Dr. Shrinker")
1976 Wonderbug (TV series)
Hide Show Self (24 titles)
2008 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (TV series)
Himself
Episode #14.18 (2008) Himself (as The Osmonds)
2007 Entertainment Tonight (TV series)
Episode dated 20 November 2007 (2007) Himself
Episode dated 6 November 2007 (2007) Himself
2007 Dancing with the Stars (TV series)
Round 9 (2007) Himself
2007 The Oprah Winfrey Show (TV series)
Episode dated 9 November 2007 (2007) Himself
Oprah and The Osmonds (2007) Himself
2005 The Osmonds Crazy Horses (video short)
2004 The Terry and Gaby Show (TV series)
Episode #2.30 (2004) Himself
2004 GMTV (TV series)
Episode dated 19 February 2004 (2004) Himself
2004 Liquid News (TV series)
Episode dated 17 February 2004 (2004) Himself
2003 We Are Family (TV documentary)
2001 Inside the Osmonds (TV movie)
1998 Celebrity Profile (TV series documentary)
Donny Osmond Himself
1997 Osmond Family Values (TV documentary)
1976-1978 Donny and Marie (TV series)
Episode #4.9 (1978) Himself
Episode #3.11 (1977) Himself
Episode #2.14 (1977) Himself
Episode #2.10 (1976) Himself
1976 ABC's Saturday Sneak Peek (TV movie)
1975 Ann-Margret Olsson (TV movie)
Himself (as The Osmonds)
1973 Top of the Pops (TV series)
The 500th Edition Celibration (1973) Himself (as The Osmonds)
1972 Beat-Club (TV series)
Episode #1.83 (1972) (as The Osmonds)
1972 The Osmonds (TV series)
Himself (voice)
1971-1972 The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (TV series)
Himself - Guest Performer
Episode #4.14 (1972) Himself - Guest Performer
Episode #3.21 (1971) Himself - Guest Performer
1971 The Andy Williams Christmas Show (TV movie)
Himself - Singer (as The Osmond Brothers)
1971 Flip (TV series)
Episode #2.1 (1971) Himself
1962-1970 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV series)
Disneyland Showtime (1970) Himself (as The Osmond Brothers)
Disneyland After Dark (1962) Himself (as The Osmond Brothers)
1968-1969 The Jerry Lewis Show (TV series)
1962-1971 The Andy Williams Show (TV series)
Himself / Himself - Singer
The Andy Williams Christmas Special (1968) Himself - Singer (as The Osmond Brothers)
The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1967) Himself - Singer (as The Osmond Brothers)
Episode dated 1 March 1965 (1965) Himself
Episode dated 30 November 1964 (1964) Himself
Episode dated 26 November 1963 (1963) Himself (as The Osmond Brothers)
See all 8 episodes »
Hide Show Archive Footage (1 title)
2004 Andy Williams: My Favorite Duets (TV documentary)
Himself (as The Osmond Brothers)
Edit
Personal Details
Alternate Names:The Osmond Brothers | The Osmonds
Did You Know?
Trivia:In addition to publishing songs, Merrill has also produced and published more than 90 teleplays and scripts. He served as the executive producer of the Donny & Marie Show on ABC (1976-1979), and on such other programs as: "The Making of an Inaugural for Ronald Reagan," "The Roy Clark Special," "The Osmond Family Christmas Special" and many others. See more »
Go back to
News Links
MERRILL OSMOND
The architect behind one of the best metal anthems ever: Crazy Horses
by Todd K Smith
It was the influences of Paul McCartney and the Beatles that caused us to write the kind of music that we did. The only other band that had that much effect on us was Led Zeppelin. ~ Merrill Osmond
They call him the bear for a number of reasons. On records his voice is melodic, husky and strong, a combination of his influences that include Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond. Hes the middle child; five out of nine with a head full of hair that merges into a well-groomed beard. Hes rubbed shoulders with the King, met the Queen and befriended the Beatles. Merrill Osmond was the voice behind his familys biggest hits including the number one smash One Bad Apple, and top five Down By The Lazy River and Yo-Yo. He is complex, compassionate and not shy about affirming his faith, discussing his family or admitting his love of rock music. During their heyday (1971-1974) The Osmonds competed with Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night, Wings, Rod Stewart and a host of rocks luminaries to scale the top of the charts. They were there before The Sweet, Slade or Bay City Rollers, carrying the tag bubble-gum pop as the first boy band.
Competition was fierce between their white bread R&B sound and the Detroit funk of the Jackson 5. Signed by MGM executive Mike Curb, the Utah-based quintet were shuffled down to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to work with Rick Hall of Fame Studios, home of the Muscle Shoals sound and recording hot spot for Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Occasionally, a scruffy bunch of rednecks would drive up from Jacksonville, Florida unbathed and unshaved to work with Blood Sweat and Tears man Al Kooper. They called themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd. I never wanted to be the lead singer of the group, says Merrill in our chat before his appearance in the UK production of the Spirit of Christmas at Renos Eldorado Casino. Rick kept asking each of us to step up to the mic and sing. He pointed to me over and over and told me to sing louder. I always thought Jay had the better rock and roll voice.
Long hours and a mom and dad willing to sacrifice it all for their superstar kids made the Osmonds the biggest household name among Middle America. We had a destiny, if you want to call it that, says Merrill. Our parents understood balance. When it came to moving forward in the entertainment industry they made sure our morals and values were in check even though they were completely opposite of what the music industry was pushing. In the midst of their image makeover came a call from the King. I had no idea my mother knew Elvis Presley, continues Merrill. One day Elvis called to speak with her and we all thought it was a joke. Their friendship with Presley spilled over into their diamond-studded jumpsuits and Karate-styled stage moves. He once told me that when your fans bring their kids to your show, youve bridged the generation gap. I think we did that when we sold out Wembley Stadium for our 50th Anniversary world tour.
Osmania in the early Seventies was on par with Beatlemania in the Sixties. The band even hired ex-Beatle agent Ed Lefler to run their publicity but the relationship turned sour when prostitutes and drugs were planted in the groups room. A lot of people in the music business wanted to see a scandal with the Osmonds, says Merrill. It was astounding how far they would go for sensationalism. The struggle to be taken as serious musicians was a constant battle. Ringo Starr wrote a scathing piece in one of the UK magazines just blasting us, relates Merrill. We were big fans so it crushed us we didnt know what to do. Then, a couple days later, Paul McCartney wrote a rebuttal in the same magazine claiming he liked and admired what we were doing. Imagine two Beatles in controversy over the Osmonds. We later met Paul in France and our friendship really took off. He encouraged us to be original and keep writing. Merrill admits the groups first three albums Osmonds (1971), Homemade (1971) and Phase III (1972) were contrived and designed to be slick pop records that would sell millions. They did just that to the tune of 46 million. Then, they met Led Zeppelin.
The record company wanted us to put out a record every six month plus tour and promote, says Merrill. It was an exhausting schedule. We wanted our own place to record and more time to write so Mike Curb built us a studio on the back of the MGM lot. When it came time to do the fourth record the Osmonds no longer relied on session musicians; they had become self-sufficient as a band and were writing more power rock. When we were on tour in Europe, Led Zeppelin invited us on stage for one of their big events, continues Merrill. Later we hung out backstage and talked about how we really dug their entire music concept. The older three Osmonds, Allen, Wayne and Merrill were coming into their own as songwriters and Wayne really took to Jimmy Page. He harnessed that energy and came up with the riff to Hold Her Tight, says Merrill. That was the heaviest thing we ever wrotethen came Crazy Horses.
The songwriting credits to Crazy Horses lists the older three Osmond brothers. It had a thunderous bass beat, chugging guitar and electronic whine that not only caught the attention of fans, but proved the band had the chops to compete with Grand Funk Railroad and the budding Blue Oyster Cult. It was our version of hard rock, says Merrill, We gave them their music with our lyrics. The rock-oriented Crazy Horses (1972) marked a dramatic departure and increased confidence within the band. They formed their own label, Kolob music and set about writing their most ambitious body of work to date. I was deeply influenced by the Beatles White album, says Merrill. Some very spiritual things happened to us around that time and we wanted to write about it. What developed was a prog-rock concept piece with undercurrents based on their religious beliefs. The label hated The Plan (1973), confesses Merrill, but I consider it our White album.
Over time, critics and fans have come to view the Osmonds later recordings in a more favorable light. Google Crazy Horses and youll find over half a dozen hard rock outfits have covered the song including Tank, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Pretty Maids, Mission UK, KMFDM, Mortals, Throat, The Gomers and most recently stoner band Puny Human. Racer X/Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert covered Hold Her Tight on his Eleven Thousand Notes DVD all the while the Osmonds several compilations featuring both tracks continues to sell. At the height of the groups commercial success came a call that would change them forever. Says Merrill, Right in the middle of the band, the television offers started pouring in. It was Red Silverman that contacted us about putting together a variety show with Donnie and Marie. The mindset of the Osmonds has always been one for all and all for one. The band engine came to a full stop and reversed itself to support the Donnie and Marie show. I became the shows Executive Producer and it became the highest-ranking variety show of all time.
Next year marks the Osmonds 50th anniversary in show business. To celebrate they are planning a world tour of which several dates have already sold out including the above-mentioned Wembley shows. If you would have told me even two years ago that the ground swell in Europe would be what it is today, Id have thought you were crazy, says Merrill. We sold out Wembley in seven minutes twice - now they have extended the tour into Asia and Australia. The show will be divided into three segments beginning the first hour with just the brothers, then Donnie and Marie and finally little Jimmy. Says Merrill, Were going to open up with Crazy Horses just to prove we can still kick em in the teeth live.
For over fifty years - The Osmond Brothers have been entertaining sold out crowds throughout the world and 2012 marks the year of their biggest ever UK Tour.
The tour will take fans on a trip through their many classic hits from classics such as One Bad Apple, Down By The Lazy River, Let Me In and Love Me For A Reason to Crazy Horses and Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.
We truly want this tour to be a great big thank you to all our fans for their love and support through the years. Weve performed in the UK many times, but this final tour will take us all around the UK and allow us to get up close and personal with our fans we cant wait! said Jimmy Osmond.
The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied careera career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers.
When it began as a barbershop quartet, the group consisted of brothers Alan Osmond, Wayne Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Jay Osmond. They were later joined by younger siblings Donny Osmond and Jimmy Osmond. Their only sister Marie Osmond, who never sang with her brothers at that time, would launch a successful solo career in the '70s. Older brothers George Virl Osmond, Jr. (Virl) and Tom Osmond were born deaf and did not originally perform, although they later made occasional appearances, most notably on the family Christmas specials from the '70s. All of the Osmonds were born in their hometown of Ogden, Utah except the youngest, Jimmy, who was born in Canoga Park, California. The group have sold 102 Million records worldwide.
Return to
Merrill Osmond is bringing a very special guest to the Symphony of Wellness concert Friday (June 24) at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. His son, Justin, who was born 90 percent deaf, will play violin during the benefit, joining fellow guests Gary Morris, Irlene Mandrell and Papa Joe's Children's Choir.
Justin also is head of the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund, which will benefit from the event. The fund was named after Merrill's mother, who had two sons born deaf. Olive devoted her life to healing people with hearing impairments, and is credited with starting her children on a musical journey in order to make money to buy her sons better hearing aids.
"It was her idea, and Dad helped put the show together," Merrill tells The Boot. "When we started singing, we realized that we had this family harmony. People would throw money on stage and our little brother, Jay, who was about two, would go out and pick up the money. That's when we started the Osmond Foundation, with the entire family behind it."
Merrill admits he would have chosen a different career had he had the opportunity. "Ever since I was a kid, I had always wanted to be in the medical field. I wanted to be a doctor, but I never had the chance to go to college and get a degree. Now I've been in the music business 50-plus years, and I have chosen to align myself with Well City, whose goal is to make the world well, one city at a time. The organization uses the latest technology and programs to build a wellness community where people can connect, share, and impact each other's lives."
Merrill's interest in healing and his career in music go hand-in-hand. "I studied music at an early age, and being the lead singer of the Osmonds, I had to learn about emotions and pacing a show. You can lose an audience if you don't understand how to pace the show. Music can make you cry, laugh, get mad ... if I have a person in the audience for one hour, I can take them through so many emotions.
"Then I learned that music was the only form of communication that goes straight into the soul, so you can understand why darkness and light have utilized music to create whatever their message is. With the light and power of music you can create joy, happiness, faith and hope. It doesn't matter in theory what the music is, because the message bypasses intellect and goes straight to the soul."
Merrill says Gary and Irlene are friends who also understand that music is a real key in helping people get well. "I have seen first hand how emotions can be drawn out when depression sets in, or when struggling to find answers to something. I'm so wrapped up in it, I've learned all these techniques I mentioned earlier because I wanted to understand the body and nerve endings, and specifically the hearing impaired issues."
Merrill has actually gone to school to learn a few skills that he believes will help him use music and other elements of art to work together to heal. "I have a degree in massage therapy, reflexology and hypnotherapy. The bottom line for me is taking what I know scientifically and spiritually and emotionally, because we are at a stage on this planet where we can truly help people beyond the technical breakthroughs, through spiritual, feeling and emotions that keep hope and faith alive."
One of the things Merrill discovered during his studies is that it is a scientific fact that there is a note that tunes the body and brings it into sync. Friday night he will sing a song, 'Impossible Dream,' in that key, which is B. "While I sing that song, we will show a video of Justin going through all the hearing techniques. In Justin's case, we never treated him as a deaf individual because we always believed he would be normal. Music was a part of his life from two or three years; we always believed he would do it. He will be onstage playing the viola and the audience will see first hand how, even with a 90 percent hearing loss, he can play like the best of them."
The lead singer of the Osmonds hopes to hold three or four of these Symphony of Hope events across the country in the coming year. He has already staged several in castles in Europe, which were attended by wellness doctors from all over the world. "We had over 1,000 people show up," Merrill reports enthusiastically. "I've been able to develop a philosophy with music and the spoken word, where you can get past the intellectual side of brain and go into the soul of a person.
"Well City, which is located just outside of Nashville in Brentwood, bases their program on what I've been preaching and teaching for 20 years. This concert will benefit the hearing impaired side of the program, which is so dear to me since I have spent my life with my brothers and my son. Some other year might be a different cause to create awareness for a different organization."
More than a million people have been fitted with hearing aids through the Osmond Foundation, in places all around the world. "We will show a video of visits to Africa, South America, where we have given hearing aids to people," Merrill says. "I've been blessed to have my voice on over 100 million records, but I'm 58 and this is my passion now. I want to take all I've learned throughout my career and bring it to this concept, which uses all kinds of artistic concepts to aid in healing."
Imagine being a small child and not being able to hear your mother's lullabies; not being able to hear the world around you. Nearly nine percent of the United States population has some form of deafness, according to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Of that number, two percent are children. Costs associated with hearing loss can be overwhelming.
Two Nashville children can now have perfect hearing thanks to a gift from the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund. Last week, fifteen-yr-old Rodney and his 10-yr-old sister, Ta'Nease Garnett, received hearing aids.
The first thing they did when they got home with their hearing aids was turn down the TV, says Khym Walker, the childrens mom. They said, Mama, its too loud. I said now you know what its been like for me all this time, she laughs.
Rodney and Ta'Nease will be special guests at a fundraiser on Friday, June 24th in Nashville, Tenn. Symphony of Wellness is being hosted by legendary singer, Merrill Osmond. The benefit will feature performances by Merrill Osmond, Irlene Mandrell, Gary Morris, The Papa Joe's Children's Choir and Justin Osmond. There will be a dinner and silent auction.
The silent auction will feature everything from a Prada bag, and tickets to the travelling Peter Pan Theater Production, to one of a kind, autographed items by Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, The Beach Boys, The Oak Ridge Boys, Justin Bieber and more.
Justin Osmond, Merrill's son, is a talented violinist, despite that fact that is is ninety-percent deaf. He also runs the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund. The Fund is named in honor of the matriarch of the world-famous singing Osmond family. Olive devoted her life to helping people with hearing impairments. Two of her children were deaf.
The reason we started singing in the first place was to raise money to buy my brothers hearing aids, says Merrill Osmond, lead singer of the iconic 1970s group, The Osmonds. What a privilege to provide that same gift of hearing to Rodney and TaNease Rodney and TaNease were each born with mild to moderate severe hearing loss in both ears. They cannot hear certain sounds which sometimes creates challenges for them at school. You have to speak loudly to them to be heard at all, their mom says. But now I can just talk to them. I dont have to feel like Im shouting at them anymore.
My son and my brothers overcame the challenges of being deaf because they had the tools to help them, Merrill Osmond explains.Justins passion is to give the gift of hearing to people who might otherwise never enjoy it. You can imagine how close to my heart this Symphony of Wellness concert is.
This event is part of a series of Symphony of Wellness concerts scheduled around the United States this summer to help the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund.
The concerts are sponsored by WellCity, a new, Brentwood, Tennessee-based social networking site for people with a passion for wellness and are in partnership with the WellCity Foundation. Merrill Osmond is co-founder of the WellCity Foundation.
For tickets, visit www.wellcity.com and click the Symphony of Wellness tab.
Merrill Osmond lead singer of the world famous Osmond Brothers endorses hormone replacement therapy provider SottoPelle®, signing on as the company's International Spokesperson. SottoPelle utilizes natural bioidentical hormones to benefit a variety of medical conditions.
Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) June 14, 2011
SottoPelle®, a world recognized leader in the application of natural bioidentical hormones and natural hormone replacement therapy, announced today that its patient, Merrill Osmond, lead singer of The Osmond Brothers, has signed a multi-year agreement to be a celebrity spokesperson for the brand. I can't wait to use this unique and wonderful platform to tell the world about the wonders of SottoPelle, said Osmond at a recent event hosted at SottoPelle's North American headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The SottoPelle method for hormone replacement was scientifically created by Gino Tutera, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., who is an internationally renowned leader in the field of bioidentical (natural) hormone replacement.
I chose SottoPelle to help me achieve hormonal balance and wellbeing because it's safe, said Osmond. I would never put anything in my body that was not natural, nor would I recommend it to my wife and family if I did not believe it was the best form of hormone replacement available.
We Osmond's grew up in the spotlight, and now we are literally aging in front of millions of our fans, said Osmond. Sometimes it feels like that same spotlight we once enjoyed is now getting little too harsh to bear. Natural hormone replacement with SottoPelle is my solution to feeling balanced, rejuvenated and vital again, and I am proud to share this secret with everyone who will listen.
SottoPelle uses tiny hormone pellets custom compounded using natural, plant-derived hormones that are biologically identical to the testosterone and estrogen made by the human body. Numerous studies have shown that when prescribed and administered correctly, bioidentical hormone pellets can benefit a variety of conditionsincluding symptoms of menopause, andropause (male menopause) depression, weight gain and osteoporosis.
We are thrilled to have Merrill share his truly inspirational story, said Carol Tutera, President of SottoPelle, Inc. SottoPelle has changed countless lives for the better, and with Merrill literally, singing our praises, we know we can touch so many other people, save more marriages and help millions more people live a better, more balanced, happier life, at any age.
For more information about SottoPelle, bioidentical hormones and natural hormone replacement therapy, visit http://www.sottopelletherapy.com.
###
Just as their 1970s 'Led Zeppelin moment' was kicking in, the Osmond brothers stalled their careers for Donny and Marie TV.
The first thing Osmond fans should know, but may not, is that the lead singer on hit songs like Down By The Lazy River, Yo Yo and One Bad Apple was not -- I repeat, not -- toothsome teen idol Donny, who sang back-up before leaving for a winsomely buoyant solo career, but his cherubic, raspy-voiced older sibling, Merrill.
The second thing you should know is that as far as Merrill -- who holds no grudges -- is concerned, that fact alone may have saved the brothers' lives during a European rock gig back in the group's 70s heyday.
"Crazy Horses is one of the biggest-selling records we ever had,'' the personable 55-year-old, calling in from Utah, chuckles about the squeaky clean quintet's rare foray into hard-rock. "And it was introduced to France where no one knew our (wholesome) image, but they'd heard the song on the radio, so our concert sold out within minutes."
"But when we finally walked onstage in our white jumpsuits, the whole audience was Zeppelin, with long hair and drugs all over the arena, and we were these little munchkins running around onstage in jumpsuits singing this rock and roll song they all loved."
Things could have gone badly, Merrill recalls, with the brothers' wholesome Mormon image, cheesetastic choreography and reliance on pubescent pin-up Donny, then 14, to whip up what would, under normal circumstances, be a frenzied crowd of teenyboppers.
"We knew what we were faced with," laughs the genial middle Osmond, checking into Centre in the Square Friday for a career-spanning concert with brothers Wayne and Jay (Alan, sadly, has been sidelined with multiple sclerosis).
"So we just put Donny in the back playing his piano and the three older ones did the show up front with me singing lead. We vamped Crazy Horses for about a half-hour."
It's one of many surreal moments from a career spanning an incredible 50 years, from the original band of brothers -- Jay, Wayne, Merrill and Alan -- singing barbershop harmonies on The Andy Williams Show, through a chart-topping bout of 70s Osmondmania, 80s flirtation with country music, triumphant reunion tour last year to mark a half-century in showbiz and, according to Merrill, a sudden "resurgence" in all things Osmond.
"I'll tell you, it's an absolute miracle,'' enthuses the bearded, snow-topped grandfather of six, who looks suspiciously like Kenny Rogers. "If you had told me even a year ago it would be happening, I would have told you it's crazy. I myself have a website, merrilldavisosmond.com, that gets a million hits a week -- and that's just mine!''
He laughs. "I'm an old man, y'know, but hundreds, if not thousands of people show up at airports . . . still! If a radio station were to announce our arrival in some areas of the world, you'd have to have massive security to take us out the back door!"
Not so much in North America, perhaps, where the popularity of Donny and Marie has always eclipsed their more anonymous sibs, but when you factor in a musical legacy that includes every boy band from New Kids On The Block to 'N SYNC and the Jonas Brothers, their influence becomes easier to fathom.
"I think basically there were a lot of Osmond fans in the 70s and 80s that weren't really vocal,'' notes Merrill. "Maybe because they were almost persecuted for being an Osmond fan when Sweet and Innocent and Go Away Little Girl (Donny's solo hits) came out.
"But now that it's sort of hip to be called an Osmond fan, they're just coming out of the woodwork.''
Hip to be an Osmond fan? It's a tough concept to wrap one's head around until you realize that to Merrill, the Osmonds have always been hip, at least in theory.
Sure, they pranced about like New Age vaudevillians in their form-fitting spandex jumpsuits -- courtesy of Elvis Presley's designer -- went head-to-head with teenybop rivals like the Jackson 5 and seemed only slightly less two-dimensional than the animated characters they voiced on their cheesy Saturday morning cartoon, The Osmonds.
But in their hearts, Merrill insists, they were rock 'n' roll revolutionaries.
"There was an album called The Plan which was sort of like our White album," he says of the Mormon concept album patterned after the Beatles double disc tour de force. "It's sort of hip to be able to put that album back on and play it and see how progressive it really was in the 70s."
And then there's the guitar riff they borrowed from -- get this -- Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song on their smoochy top 15 single, Hold Her Tight.
"We were major fans of Led Zeppelin and still are," insists Merrill. "And we grew up loving their music and they, of course, became our buddies too."
Zeppelin, Merrill insists, were so impressed with the Osmonds that the shaggy, depravity-drenched party animals got onstage with them during a concert in 76.
"At Earl's Court in London," he recalls proudly. "They came over to see our show and we all got together and met their families, and it blew us away because sometimes the image the industry paints about certain people and what reality really is, is different."
Image. It's something the Osmonds have grappled with -- in both a positive and negative way -- for most of the 50 years they've been flitting in and out of the pop culture spotlight.
It was their ticket to stardom as a generation of baby boom boppers embraced their savvy pop instincts and perky charm, but it made them the butt of jokes as music fans grew more sophisticated and turned on, tuned in and dropped out.
Never mind their prog-rock aspirations and Led Zep love affair. Critics, irritated by their toothy grins and pious religious values, had a field day, dismissing them as kitschy throwbacks whose biggest legacy was to provide a musical template for the schlock-o-rific Brady Kids.
It didn't bother Merrill, who had demons of his own to grapple with: second-tier status to kid brother Donny and the fact the Osmonds made a collective decision to back the Donny & Marie Show just when the band's musical mojo was peaking.
"Our family was such that we would all get behind whoever it was that was taking off," notes Merrill. "When Donny and Marie were chosen, all of us basically jumped in and produced that show. It became a major family affair, and so the record side of our lives just . . . stopped."
"In hindsight, it really has been a very frustrating thing, especially for me and Wayne, because we were just in that whole rock era, and being the lead singer, I was just getting ready to start doing my thing, so there is a point of contention there."
But with age, he says, comes perspective.
"Now we look back and say 'Hey, we learned a lot.' I've learned how to produce a major TV show and motion pictures and syndication and all kinds of stuff I could never learned otherwise. My brothers and I are so grateful. There's no one that has an attitude problem, no one bitter over what happened. We're grateful for everything we have."
And the critics?
"We're not concerned about critics anymore. We've earned our place, we know who we are and what we're about.
"Elvis Presley (one of many show biz legends who befriended the clan) told us, 'The moment your fans start bringing their children and they become fans, then you've bypassed the generation gap' -- and that's really what has happened. The fans are bringing their kids, and they're getting excited again about what's going on with these old grey-haired guys.
"We've done our thing, whether anyone likes us or not, and the fan base continues to grow."
April 25, 2009
Joel Rubinoff
KITCHENER
~~~
Were the famous Osmond Brothers really discovered by happy accident (or act of God) at Disneyland? Thats certainly the story that is often told but as with all stories, there is always something more to be told.
Those who read my book, The Vault of Walt, know that I stated that while researching Disney stories I try my best to go back to the original sources: newspapers and magazines from that time period, interviews with people who were there, legal documentation, and more. However, that doesnt mean that I completely trust those sources. It just means that it gives me a pretty good foundation to do further research.
Lots of things have appeared in newspapers and magazines that arent true, including quotations attributed to a person. Legal documentation can be misleading or wrong as well since it is sometimes based on what is being told the person recording the information. More importantly, just because a person was actually there when something happened doesnt mean they know the entire story of what was going on. In later years as well, chronological events sometimes become very fluid and things just blend together to make a better story.
Chuck Corson was a manager of the Customer Relations Division. In the early days of Disneyland, Entertainment was not a separate department, but part of the Customer Relations Division. Corson assisted the legendary Tommy Walker with the elaborate entertainment program in 1959 for the big openings of the Matterhorn, the Submarine Voyage and the Monorail.
Many people forget that the celebration also included Meredith Willson, who wrote one of my favorite musicals of all time The Music Man, conducted from a gazebo that moved down the street. He led a band that literally had 76 trombones (with 110 cornets right behind) just like in the famous song he wrote for that Broadway show. Nobody seems to mention that performance when mentioning that Willson came back to do a much larger version for the dedication of the Magic Kingdom in 1971.
Nearly 40 years later, after the 1959 ceremonies, Corson wrote the following anecdote to Ron Logan, then vice president of Entertainment, who was trying to gather up information about early Disney entertainment from those who were there. (Logan began his long career in Disney Entertainment in the early 1960s as a fanfare trumpet player for Disneylands Candlelight Processional.)
As Corson remembered how the Osmond Brothers were discovered at Disneyland:
The Osmond family had driven down from Utah. In fact, they were sleeping in their camper in the parking lot. They came into the park one day, and the four little guys were enthralled with our Dapper Dans and asked if they could sing for them. They said, sure, and they wowed them. T.J. Marker who was the head of the [Dapper Dans] group, brought them to my office because he wanted me to hear them.
They were absolutely sensational, of course. It happened that we had a local television show at that time, every Saturday night, which was called Meet Me at Disneyland and aired on Channel 5. The kids were asked if they could stay over. In fact, we put them up at the Disneyland Hotel and got them out of the camper! They stayed over until Saturday night and appeared on the show. And the story goes that Don Williams, Andys brother, happened to see them on that show and thats how they met [singer] Andy Williams. Of course, Donny and Marie werent even around at that time!
Corson was there and had absolutely no reason to embellish the truth. He sent Logan the information to help fill in some of the gaps of Disney Entertainment history. However, even in those cases when someone was actually at an event, it is important to double check all the statements.
Every biography lists Disneyland After Dark (originally aired April 15, 1962) as the Osmonds network television premiere. The show was released theatrically as a short subject overseas in 1962, and domestically in 1963.
The foursome from Ogden, Utah wowed a crowd of Disneyland guests at the Carnation Plaza Gardens with their performance of two numbers: "Hello To Everyone" and "Side By Side."
So why did Corson say they got their start on Meet Me at Disneyland? Was he just confused? What was Meet Me at Disneyland?
From June 1962 to early September 1962, Disneyland produced a Saturday-only show (airing at 7:30 p.m. PST and proclaimed as Live from Disneyland Town Square) titled Meet Me At Disneyland in a an attempt to drive up attendance during the summer weeknights. It was a live broadcast directly from the park each week so it was pretty frantic. Sponsors included Stouffers, Fritos, Chicken of the Sea, and Hills Brothers Coffee, who were all involved as lessees in Disneyland at the time.
