The Osmond Brothers

Yesterday I caught the Osmonds' 50th Anniversary Concert on PBS, which I believe was filmed in Las Vegas last year. I hadn't thought about them in awhile, and really didn't think too much of them in their heyday.

I remember them being omnipresent in the '70s, and, as with virtually every other "omnipresent" celebrity, band, movie, etc., I tended to ignore them. They were too gimmicky, too squeaky clean. Their music had no edge, no sense of danger that emanated from bands like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, other than the fact that Wayne Osmond resembled Jimmy Page.

At one point in the show, Marie Osmond introduced their two eldest brothers, both of whom were born deaf. She explained that the reason they got into show business was to raise money to get them hearing aids so they could go on their Mormon church mission.

I'd never heard this before, and thought it was pretty cool. I would never have guessed that they had two elder brothers. They all did a rendition of "He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother)" with the eldest brothers interpreting the song in sign language. It brought a tear to my eye...

As far as the earlier comparisons with the Stones and Zeppelin (and let's throw the Beatles in for good measure): I figured that the Osmonds began playing professionally at least 2 years before any of them. It put things in perspective.

The Osmonds appear to continue the old show business tradition of being great and making it look easy!

I hereby recant all the bad things I've ever thought or said about the Osmonds.