By Ed Condran
Donny Osmond made his TV debut on “The Andy Williams Show” before The Beatles’ music- and pop culture-shifting performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964.
Osmond, 67, made his small-screen debut at 5 years old in 1963.
“It’s hard to believe how long I’ve been performing,” Osmond said. “And it’s staggering how many times you would have thought that my career was over, but I never say die. I also have never lost my sense of humor. It has come in handy on many occasions.”
Osmond can take a joke, and he can deliver one, as well. When Weird Al Yankovic asked the former teen idol to be part of his “White and Nerdy” video in 2006, as the poster boy for, well, being arguably the squarest Caucasian, Osmond signed on.
“I thought it was going to be a lot of fun,” Osmond said. “Weird Al is one of the most inventive individuals in the business. When I saw what he was going to do with Chamillionaire’s ‘Ridin,’ ” I was on board.”
Osmond, who is a resident headliner at Harrah’s Las Vegas, went the extra yard. His silly improvised dances, which helped make the video very popular, cracked up everyone, including Yankovic.
“I was performing behind Al, and he couldn’t see me, but he saw it was cracking everyone up,” Osmond said while calling from Las Vegas. “Later on, he lost it when he saw what I did.”
Having a sense of humor is just one of the many weapons in Osmond’s under-heralded arsenal. That’s how Osmond has thrived since he was a pin-up during the early 1970s who scored five Top 10 hits with ballads such as “Puppy Love” and “Go Away Little Girl.”
During the late 1970s, he hosted an ABC variety program with his sister Marie Osmond (the two of them headlined for many years at Flamingo Las Vegas). “The Donny and Marie Show” was a popular vehicle, and Osmond toured when he wasn’t on the soundstage with his country-loving sibling.
“The ’70s was incredibly good to me,” Osmond said. “I accomplished so much. I was everywhere physically or everywhere in terms of magazine covers. The media and fan attention was overwhelming. But that doesn’t last forever.”
Just ask Bobby Sherman, Lance Bass and Jesse McCartney. Those teen dreams, much like the dinosaurs, had to adapt or die. Osmond, like the few boyband alums, did make the necessary modifications.
Osmond worked with iconic British singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel during the late 1980s. That unlikely pairing – wholesome Mormon and innovative, shape-shifting Rock and Roll Hall of Famer – yielded a hit single, “Soldier of Love,” which reached No. 2.
“Peter admires my voice,” Osmond said. “He was excited about working with me and helped me come back. I don’t know who could have predicted that.”
Osmond co-anchored a talk show with his sister during the 1990s. He hosted game shows during the Clinton era. He competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2009. Osmond wasn’t the favorite, but he did what he had to do to win.
“That was hard work,” Osmond said. “You really have to put the time in to become a great dancer, but that’s the same if you want to be a great singer or a great entertainer. You have to work your butt off.”
Osmond’s work ethic continues.
“I don’t want to stop what I’m doing,” Osmond said. “Fortunately, there’s no reason for me to put on the brakes.”
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