Former Teen Idol Embracing Early Stardom, Enjoying Las Vegas Residency at Harrah's 

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer 

67 years young, surprisingly multi-talented entertainer Donny Osmond has been at his God given trade for over 60 years. Just five years old, Donny's career began when he sang 'You Are My Sunshine' in 1963, joining his four older brothers on the popular 'Andy Williams Show'. Less than a decade later he and the Osmond Brothers would top the pop charts, with Donny garnering a very successful solo career. 

During the first half of the 1970's the Osmond Brothers would place 10 songs inside Billboard's Top 40, with four making their way in the Top 10, as well as their debut single 'One Bad Apple' spending five weeks at number one. Furthermore between 1971 and 1976, Donny had 12 Top 40 hits, five which landed in the Top 10, including 'Go Away Little Girl' remaining at the top spot for three consecutive weeks.

Continued popularity allowed for him to co-host a variety show (1976-79) on ABC with his sister Marie. 45 years after the show ended its run Donny Osmond has been able to remain in the spotlight, making appearances on hit TV shows, starring in made for TV movies, appearing in Super Bowl ads and music videos, and performing in musical theatre.

The 21st century began with Donny hosting the game show 'Pyramid', as well as the '2008 Miss USA Pageant', and winning season nine (2009) of 'Dancing With the Stars', as well as landing a long time residency (2008-19) in Las Vegas with Marie. In 2019 he portrayed the Peacock on the first season of 'The Masked Singer'. Not done yet, Donny currently performs five nights a week at Harrah's in Las Vegas.

Too think, it all began to unfold before most kids are entering grade school. Osmond admits it became a way of life for him. "When you begin a professional career at the age of five, what else would I be doing?" He adds, "Why would I not continue what I love to do?"

Being a so-called 'teen idol' was challenging, but Osmond credits mom and dad for setting a standard. "My parents did an amazing job at establishing normalcy in my formidable years while living within a world of extremes." 

He explains further. "When you consider the fact that in my teenage years, every time I walked onstage, the screaming was so intense that when I went back to my hotel room, the ringing in my ears would last throughout the night. I would go from one extreme to another almost everyday of my life."

To counteract the non-stop adoration, Osmond did a 180 during his down time. "I threw myself into my immense love of electronics. I would study it everyday. That gave me a balance to think about other things other than thousands of girls screaming my name at my concerts." Jokingly he adds, "But I sure loved it. LOL!"

Aside from their variety show, Donny and Marie recorded together, hosted an Emmy nominated syndicated daytime talk show from 1998-2000, culminating in an 11 year run at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Osmond he says he has a different relationship with his sister than he does with his brothers.

"Either because we are siblings, or for the fact that we worked tirelessly together for so many years on and off stage, Marie and I had the most amazing, almost ESP-like relationship, so that we were in sync every moment on stage."

While Donny, The Osmond's, Marie, and even younger brother Jimmy ruled throughout the 1970's, they all tried to shed the teeny-bopper images heading into the 1980's. His brothers opted to record country music scoring two Top 40 singles with 'I Think About Your Lovin' and 'It's Like Fallin' in Love (Over and Over)'.

Sadly, health issues, record label disputes, combined with a desire not to tour stalled their rise in the genre. No matter the reason, Donny feels you have to evolve to stay connected. "Reinvention is the key to relevancy. I thought they (The Osmond's) made some great country music together."

Donny opted for a more mature adult contemporary comeback in 1988, reaching number two on the Hot 100 Charts with the very upbeat 'Soldier of Love'. Without major record label support the single found success under the pretense of a mystery artist promotion, with a NYC DJ concerned that Osmond, a former child star, wouldn't be accepted by the current pop audience.

The songs overwhelming response attracted Capitol Records. Donny's follow up hit 'Sacred Emotion' reached #13 in early 1989. Scoring two well received Top 20 hits was critical to his return to radio. "With regards to Soldier of Love, it was the perfect song at the perfect time to initiate the evolution of my reinvention."

However, without a solid second single, Donny admits it would have all been for naught. "The song, 'Sacred Emotion', was even more important than 'Soldier of Love' because if that follow-up release wasn't a hit, then the industry would look at my comeback as a one-off. Sacred solidified everything for my return. It made that transition from being a teeny-bopper to a mature artist legitimate."

Shaking the whole teen idol image wasn't easy. "To summarize, it was one of the most challenging things I've ever done." Now he welcomes his past with open arms. "Oddly enough, these days, it's come full circle. Now that, that hurdle is behind me, I've embraced the teenybopper portion of my career with open arms. I actually enjoy singing 'Puppy Love' again."

Technology has added a bit of nostalgia to his current performance in Vegas. "In fact, with the new AI segment in my show where I sing on stage with my 14 year old avatar self, Puppy Love is once again one of the coolest and important parts of my show."

Osmond found success in musical theater through much of the 1990s when he starred as Joseph in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat', appearing in over 2,000 performances beginning in July 1992 in Toronto's Elgin Theatre. Creator Andrew Lloyd Webber later chose Osmond to star in the 1999 film version. His connection runs deep.

"Just like Soldier of Love, Joseph was a very important part of the reinvention process. Plus it was the next big thing in the evolution of my career. Although I had no idea that my initial six month contract would be extended to six years."

Switching gears, Donny recently portrayed another central character in the stage production. "After that long touring run and also the very successful release of the movie, Andrew and I discussed the possibilities of assuming the roll of the Pharaoh. So, I did it in Scotland in December of 2024 and had the time of my life. It was hilarious!"

Conquering pretty much every entertainment medium, Donny equates his journey as such. "I enjoy every aspect of my career. I liken it to climbing a mountain. It's euphoric when you summit. But once you're up there, you then have an interesting vantage point of seeing other mountains which are enticing to climb that you otherwise couldn't see." Adding, "Those mountains are now within your reach of climbing."

Having shared the stage with the legendary Andy Williams, his brothers, Marie, and countless pop and rock stars, are there any today he'd welcome working with. "Regarding another artist, there are two that immediately come to mind. I think it would be so cool to do something with either Bruno Mars or Dua Lipa."

Throughout his six decades Donny has always continued to release new music. His 2014 album 'The Soundtrack of My Life' (Donny's 18th overall) has a familiar theme, containing his versions of popular songs from his youth. Among the 12 tracks include 'Peg' (Steely Dan), 'Your Song' (Elton John), 'Long & Winding Road' (Beatles), and 'My Cherie Amour' featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica. 

"I thought it would be a unique challenge to record an album of songs that one, influenced me over the years, and two, had an interesting back story of influence in my life. The challenge was not to do it exactly like the original. That's called karaoke. I'm not interested in that. I would change it enough to call it my own."

He recorded 'Ben' for the album, a 1972 chart topper for Michael Jackson that was originally penned with Donny in mind. "The story behind 'Ben' is it was originally written for me to sing but I was unavailable because of touring, and they needed it to be finished in time for the release of the movie, 'Willard'. So they got Michael Jackson to record it."

With Michael and the Jackson Five sharing a similar history to the Osmond's during the 1970's, Donny admits they often reflected on their past. "Mike and I would always love reminiscing about the similarities of our early teen careers. I miss those good 'ol days."

More than six decades since he first sang live, and more than five decades since he gained international fame, Donny is content to perform five nights a week at Harrah's, where he performs timeless hits and introduces brand new music in a completely reimagined song and dance celebration. He recently earned the title of Best Headliner 2024 by the Las Vegas Weekly Best of Vegas Awards.

Osmond says he feels comfortable in 'The Neon City'. "There's no place like it on this planet. It is the entertainment capital of the world, bar none! With that in mind, you can only imagine how it feels to be given the award of being the #1 headliner of the year. Because I've been entertaining for so long, I really have such a great appreciation for that accolade."

Among his treasure trove of hits include 'Hey Girl', 'Puppy Love', 'Sweet & Innocent', 'Too Young', 'The Twelfth of Never', and 'Go Away Little Girl'. With his brothers he recorded mega hits 'One Bad Apple', 'Yo-Yo', 'Double Lovin', and 'Down By the Lazy River'.

Gold records, Top 10 hits, teen magazine covers, worldwide admiration, as well as continued success on TV and stage hasn't jaded Osmond. Coming from a tightknit family steeped in their Mormon faith, he has life's priorities in order. 

"Using an example of building a house, it cannot survive long term without a firm foundation. And that foundation cannot be stable if built upon sand. The bedrock of my life is God. Always has been. Always will be. And with that, my house cannot be a home without my family. That is my eternal outlook and it sustains me in challenging times."

Faith and family before fame. Words we can all live by from multi-talented entertainer Donald Clark Osmond, better known affectionately to millions  of fans as 'Donny Osmond'. 

Osmond's Las Vegas residency 'DONNY' at Harrah's Showroom at Harrah's Las Vegas has been extended through November 2025. For tickets and information visit https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-las-vegas/shows/donny-osmond