Osmond Brothers Visit Tonawanda
November 1967
One of the biggest summer attractions in our fair city of North Tonawanda is the musical tent, Melody Fair. A great variety of professional singers and entertainers appear at Melody Fair, attracting visitors from all parts of Western New York, which proves the theater-in-the round to be a great asset to our city.
Appearing this summer at the tent with hilarious Phyllis Diller were the very talented Osmond Brothers. Unlike most singing groups our age who specialize in rock-and-roll, the Osmond Brothers have proven themselves to be very versatile and extremely talented. They have made numerous appearances on the Andy Williams Show where they rose to fame as a result of delighting audiences of young and old alike. They can sing out a rock-and-roll number such as, Hang on Sloopy, but are just as good at crooning romantic songs like, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever. They are excellent singers of Broadway hits such as, Hello Dolly, and popular songs like Andy Williams’ hit, Music to Watch Girls By. They demonstrate their talent for barbershop quartet harmonizing when they blend their voices in melodic rhythms to such old favorites as I Want A Girl Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad. Aside from their superb singing ability, the Osmond Brothers dance – not only the wild modern dances, but also tap dancing and softshoe. They play electric guitars and saxophones and Jay is one of the hottest drummers in the business. Undoubtedly they possess many more musical talents and are capable of entertaining audiences for many years to come.
There are five brothers appearing in the act, but the Osmond family has nine children, eight boys and one girl. The two older boys, Virl and Tom, are working in Canada for one year as missionaries. The five brothers in the act are Alan, 17, Wayne, 15, who is sometimes known as Squeek, Merrill, 13, Jay, 11 and Donny 9. The boys’ only sister is Marie, who adds her special grace and charm when she appears on stage. The youngest in the family is Jimmy, who is only about four years old. But he is a natural performer and wins the hearts of every person in the audience when he so darlingly sings.
The Osmond Brothers got their start in show business when they took a trip to Disneyland about six years ago. They were watching a barbershop quartet perform and one of the members noticed that the brothers were all dressed alike. He asked the boys if they would like to sing a song and they agreed. The boys were then asked to audition for Tommy Walker, who was very pleased with their excellent performance and rewarded them with a part in the Walt Disney television program, Disney After Dark. Andy Williams’ father had seen them on the show and was so delighted with the boys’ versatility and talent that the boys were asked to audition for Andy Williams. Mr. Williams promised them guest appearances for two shows, and the response from audiences was so enthusiastic that they were signed for numerous other shows. They became very good friends of Andy Williams and a frequent added delight to his show.
Education is very important to the Osmond Brothers and they are taught by a private tutor and by correspondence. Alan Osmond, who has graduated high school last year, is planning to enter college in the future to major in music and is especially interested in arranging and writing music. All the boys enjoy swimming and the older boys like to play basketball or watch football games when they can manage to have some spare time. But the family has very little time to spare because they are always busy practicing, rehearsing, and learning new songs and routines. For the past three years, the Osmond Brothers have been visiting Sweden, where they learned a number of Swedish songs. In the years to come, they are planning to tour Japan, Russia, Denmark, and London, England.
If you’re wondering whether your brother can still play his trumpet, or if your sister knows how to sing The Shadow of Your Smile, don’t rush them off to Disneyland to be discovered. The Osmond Brothers work very hard at their jobs, even though they possess an enormous amount of talent. They spend from six to seven hours at every theater and music hall they perform in, restaging, and rehearsing and must also adjust their performances as the boys’ voices change. They must also be commended on the fact that they very rarely argue with each other and enjoy working together as a family. In spite of all talent and fame, the Osmond Brothers have remained very humble and show nothing but appreciation for their success.
We hope the Osmond Brothers have the very best of luck always and will meet with even greater success in the future. They deserve every available opportunity to meet with success and we hope to be seeing a great deal more of them in the years to come.
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