Jimmy Osmond | |
---|---|
Born | James Arthur Osmond April 16, 1963 Canoga Park, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Singer, businessman |
Spouse | Michelle Larson (m. 1991) |
Children | 4 |
Parents |
|
Musical career | |
Genres | Pop |
Years active | 1967–2018 [1] |
James Arthur Osmond (born April 16, 1963) is an American singer and businessman. [2] He is the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds. As a solo artist, Osmond has accumulated six gold records, one platinum record, and two gold albums. [3]
He was born in Canoga Park, California, the ninth and last child of Olive and George Osmond. His older siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Marie. [4] He is the only one of the nine Osmond siblings not to have been born in the family's hometown of Ogden, Utah. He was taught by tutors to accommodate his professional life. He was also educated by Mary Osmond, his brother Merrill's wife. [ citation needed ]
He received his first gold record at age five for a song he recorded in Japanese, "My Little Darling". He was the first Osmond to achieve this.[ clarification needed ] His recording of "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" in 1972 resulted in The Guinness Book of World Records designating him the youngest performer to have a #1 single on the UK Singles Chart. [5] The song was credited to "Little Jimmy Osmond". In Japan, he had the moniker "Jimmy Boy". [6]
In 1978, Osmond starred in the feature film The Great Brain . He starred in other acting roles as well, including two episodes of the TV series Fame. He performed on stage and television often with his older siblings. In 1985, he met Latino impresario Manuel Montoya at A&M Records, and this led to his only Spanish recording, "Siempre Tu". He toured Latin American markets, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile.[ citation needed ] On the heels of this, he served as a juror at the 1986 edition of the OTI Festival. The 2012 Osmonds album I Can't Get There Without You was performed with Jimmy Osmond on lead vocals; it was the first album to feature Jimmy as lead singer, as older brother Merrill Osmond historically held that role in the band. In live performances, Jimmy often serves as a co-lead singer with Merrill, a role previously held by Donny during the band's heyday in the early 1970s.
Osmond is president of Osmond Entertainment. He has developed and supervised most of the Osmonds' merchandising business, as well as producing hundreds of hours of programming for networks including ABC, PBS, the BBC and the Disney Channel.
He has also performed in musical theater. Like his brother Donny many years earlier, he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . He also starred in Boogie Nights in 2004 at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool. In 2005, Jimmy Osmond's American Jukebox Show toured the UK in 2005, again to the Grand Theatre in Blackpool. Co-stars of the show included Billy Pearce and Jimmy's brothers Jay and Wayne. From December 11, 2010 to January 2, 2011, he played Buttons in Cinderella at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings; from December 16, 2011, to January 15, 2012, he played the role of Wishee Washee in Aladdin at Grand Theatre, Swansea; and from December 1, 2017, to January 7, 2018, the role of Abanzar in the pantomime Aladdin at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.
He has appeared on several UK TV shows, including the reality TV series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! broadcast by ITV in 2005 (he finished in fourth place), a 2006 appearance on All Star Family Fortunes , a celebrity version of Come Dine with Me , Celebrity Family Fortunes, and Everybody Dance Now. In January 2010, Osmond participated in the British ITV1 celebrity reality television programme Popstar to Operastar . In 2016 Jimmy was a finalist on the UK version of Celebrity Masterchef.
In 2014, Osmond authored a semi-autobiographical children's picture book, Awesome Possum Family Band. The same year, he took over the operations of the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri, where he is now responsible for producing and booking shows. [7] In 2015, Osmond was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts and humanities by Iowa Wesleyan University. [8] The first Osmond family member to receive that distinction, he delivered the keynote commencement speech on May 9, 2015.
On December 27, 2018, following his performance as Captain Hook in the Birmingham Hippodrome's staging of the pantomime Peter Pan , Osmond was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with having had a stroke. [9] He had previously suffered a stroke in 2004 caused by a since-corrected patent foramen ovale. [10] He spoke publicly for the first time since the stroke in April 2019, stating that he was in good health and was taking a "long-overdue break" from show business for the time being. [11] He has not spoken publicly since then but has continued to operate his businesses including the Andy Williams Performing Arts Center. [12] In a February 2020 interview, Jimmy's brother Merrill stated that Jimmy continued to recover, still planned on maintaining his business ventures, and that Merrill hoped that Jimmy would eventually return to the group. [13]
He married his wife, Michelle Larson, in 1992. They have four children. [14]
Year | Single Both sides from same album except where indicated | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | AUS [17] | UK [18] | |||
1971 | "If Santa Were My Daddy" b/w "Silent Night" | - | Non-album tracks | ||
1972 | "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" | 38 | 2 | 1 | Killer Joe |
"Mother of Mine" | 101 | - | |||
"Tweedle Dee" b/w "Mama'd Know What to Do" | 59 | 25 | 4 | ||
1974 | "Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus" b/w "If Santa Were My Daddy" | - | Non-album tracks | ||
"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" b/w "Give Me a Good Old Mammy Song" | 93 | 11 | Little Arrows | ||
"Little Arrows" b/w "Don't You Remember" | - | 54 | |||
1978 | "Theme from 'The Great Brain' (You're There)" b/w "Life Is Just What You Make It" (non-album track) | - | "The Great Brain" soundtrack | ||
1980 | "She Put the Light On" b/w "Uncertain" | - | Kimi Wa Pretty | ||
Howard Andrew Williams was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hosted the Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, along with numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy Awards. He sold more than 45 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.
Olive May Osmond was the matriarch of the American Osmond singing family.
Donald Clark Osmond is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the early 1970s, Osmond began a solo career, earning several additional top ten songs.
Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and businesswoman. She is known for her girl-next-door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. Her musical career, primarily focused on country music, included a large number of chart singles with four reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Her 1973 cover of "Paper Roses," released when she was 14, made her the youngest female act with a number-one country single. Between 1985 and 1986, she also had number-one country singles with "Meet Me in Montana," "There's No Stopping Your Heart,", and "You're Still New to Me." As a television personality, she has been a host of Donny & Marie and on The Talk. Her acting career includes appearances in television films and Broadway musicals; she has also written several books and helped found the Children's Miracle Network.
The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group that has been made up, at one time or another, of three or four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet.
The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet and a quintet. The group has consisted of siblings who are all members of a family of musicians from Ogden, Utah, and have been in the public eye since the 1960s.
Alan Ralph Osmond is an American former singer and musician. He is best known for being a member of the family musical group The Osmonds. At the time, Alan and his brothers were performing as the Osmond Brothers Boys' Quartet.
Jay Wesley Osmond is an American musician. He is a member of the Osmond family of performers. He wrote the story to the 2022 musical The Osmonds, a musical based on the life and music of the family. The musical was shown around the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2022, after being previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Merrill Davis Osmond is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and bassist of the family music group The Osmonds and The Osmond Brothers, as well as an occasional solo artist.
"One Bad Apple" is a song by the Osmonds, released as a single on November 14, 1970. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 2, 1971. It hit the top of the chart on February 13, 1971 and stayed there for five weeks. It also reached No. 6 on the R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1971. Both "One Bad Apple" and the Donny Osmond-credited single "Sweet and Innocent" are on the 1970 album Osmonds. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 4, 1971.
George Virl Osmond Sr. was the patriarch of the singing Osmond family.
"Crazy Horses" is a song by the Osmonds, the title track from the album of the same name. It was released as the album's second single and reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is the only hit record from the Osmonds to feature Jay Osmond as lead vocalist. It has since been covered by numerous other performers.
Thomas Rulon Osmond is a member of the Osmond family, though he rarely performs with his musical family.
The discography of American pop singer Donny Osmond contains 18 studio albums, nine compilation albums, one live album, four video albums, three extended plays, four music videos, 25 singles, and eight additional appearances. After several years collaborating with his siblings' band, The Osmonds, he embarked on a solo career in 1971. His debut single, "Sweet and Innocent," reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and made him a teen pop star. Its follow-up entitled "Go Away Little Girl" topped the same chart in 1971. Also in 1971 his debut studio album was released called The Donny Osmond Album. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart. His third studio release, Portrait of Donny, reached number six on the Billboard 200 and is his highest-charting album to date. Its two singles became top ten hits on the pop chart: "Hey Girl" and "Puppy Love." He released his fourth studio effort in 1972, Too Young. The record peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200. It spawned the top 20 pop hits: the title track and "Why." In 1973, Alone Together marked his fifth studio album release and peaked at number 26 in the United States. It spawned his cover of "The Twelfth of Never," which reached number eight on the Hot 100. By the mid-1970s, Osmond reached adulthood and his career began to decline despite collaborations with his sister, Marie Osmond. In 1976, he recorded an album of disco, which only reached number 145 on the Billboard 200.
Donny & Marie is an American variety show that aired on ABC from January 1976 to May 1979. The show starred brother-and-sister pop duo Donny and Marie Osmond. Donny had first become popular singing in a music group with his brothers, The Osmonds, and Marie was one of the youngest singers to reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts.
"I'm Your Puppet" is a song written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham; the best known version is the one recorded by James & Bobby Purify which reached #5 on the US R&B chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1967. The song was featured on their 1967 album, James & Bobby Purify.
The New Andy Williams Christmas Album is a live Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was digitally recorded live in concert at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri in 1993 and released by the LaserLight division of Delta Music Inc. in 1994. It includes performances of songs that he had previously recorded for his four solo holiday releases as well as a new spoken word track that briefly summarizes the life of Jesus Christ.
"We Can Make it Together" is a song written by Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Wayne Osmond and performed by Steve and Eydie featuring The Osmonds.
Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical film about the earlier years of the famed entertainment family, starring Marie Osmond as matriarch Olive Osmond, and Joseph Bottoms as patriarch George Osmond. This film was released on VHS tape in 1998 but has never had an official DVD issue.