The Osmonds have grown exponentially in the last three generations. It all started with Olive and George. Since 2013, the family has exploded to nine children, 55 grandchildren, and 70 great-grandchildren! That’s a total of 124 family descendants!
Just imagine all that musical potential! If they were all pursuing the same field that made them so famous, they would have been more of a choir than a band. Not to mention the stage would have to have been MUCH bigger. No one has been pressured into staying in the music business, though. Wayne’s kids have become doctors while others have gone on to have successful careers in academics and other areas.
Jay Osmond Wrote an Autobiography
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a performing artist on a tour? Well, after reading Jay Osmond's book, you won't have to wonder anymore. Jay Osmond was the drummer in the Osmond family band.
Much later on in life, he wrote an autobiography entitled "Stages" where he takes you, the reader, through the different hardships and successes the family had while on the road together throughout the 70s. There are also anecdotes about people the family collaborated with, such as Elvis and The Beatles. The book was even formatted as a 'play’ on the meaning of stages.
Working With the Jackson 5
Not many people could relate to the experiences of an Osmond — performing with your family in front of thousands of people. But there are still those who have lived through the same thing. Believe it or not, Donny, Marie and the rest of the family weren't the only families performing together in the 70s.
Another one of these extremely talented families was the Jackson Five from Gary, Indiana. The two acts used to coordinate shows together. One time both families stayed at the same hotel in Toronto and the kids from each family played football with each other! How cool!
Seeing the Osmonds
It used to be that people would climb over just about anything to get close to the Osmonds. They didn't even know what parkour was but they were doing it in the name of their idols. No fence or door or staircase was a match for a determined fan.
One bizarre story involved someone actually mailing herself to the family’s hotel room where the talented family was staying. What a creative yet psychotic mind. Talk about a fan mail! We wonder how this person pulled it off... We would assume it required a big, durable cardboard box, a call to DHL, and a whole lot of waiting.
Secret Agent Osmond
Fans were constantly looking for ways to get close to their dear Osmonds. No security arrangements can match the ingenuity and tenacity of a diehard fan. Another story of an Osmond lover getting alarmingly close is this:
Once when the family returned to their hotel room in Florida to rest after a performance for their adoring fans. When they got in, they discovered that there were ropes hanging down to their hotel room balcony. The family notified the lobby to see what could possibly be going on only to find out that two fans had climbed onto the roof and then slid down to their room!