Fans of Donny and Marie who have heard Donny Osmond speak lately would tell you his voice hasn’t aged since the variety show’s ratings reign in the late ’70s. Osmond, who’s celebrating three years and 300 performances of his Las Vegas Strip residency, maintains his singing ability through a combination of good genes, healthy living and vocal exercises. And from boyhood stardom to teen idolatry through television successes and stage comebacks, his faithful fans have been there at every turn.
Osmond covers his entire career from “Puppy Love” to “Soldier of Love.” That includes material from early ’70s Osmonds albums such as Phase III and Crazy Horses.
“Phase III, actually I like that album,” said Osmond in an exclusive interview with Las Vegas Magazine hours before an early August show at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. “What’s interesting is the Osmonds’ trajectory as a band was more rock ’n’ roll. I don’t know if I would go so far as heavy metal, although Metallica … James Hetfield said they used to do “Crazy Horses” in their setlist. Metallica said this. Ozzy Osbourne told me it’s one of his favorite rock ’n’ roll songs of all time.”
Hetfield would have been 8 when Phase III cuts such as “Down By the Lazy River” were in heavy rotation on AM radio stations. That album’s proto-metal song “My Drum” may have been the heaviest track he was allowed to play in his home during his strict religious upbringing due to the Osmonds’ wholesome image.
Osmond just happened to enter adolescence at the dawn of the ’70s pinup era. He was destined for a solo career as well as overexposure in magazines aimed at teens. Donny & Marie rescued him from that, and rescued TV audiences from the early ’70s doldrums.
The series was a blessing and a curse, as culturati wanted a break from the past by the ’80s, but the skills Osmond had taken to a new level during Donny & Marie would open doors to Broadway with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and a return to prime time television on Dancing With the Stars.
It was also natural for him to return to the stage with Marie at the Flamingo after their daytime talk show ended. Now he’s on his own, revisiting his rock ’n’ roll roots five nights a week in a show co-created by stage director Raj Kapoor.
He raps. He reminisces. He’s complemented by a dynamic live band led by drummer Earl Campbell and dancing dynamos captained by superstar-in-waiting Miki Catherine. He also meets fans for preshow Q&As, where attendees are often repeat VIPs.
“It’s really interesting when you think about the different styles of music that I’ve done,” said Osmond, whose single “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Mulan soundtrack has been streamed on Spotify more than 333 million times. “Yeah, I was known primarily as a teenybopper … But it’s kind of a misconception as to who I was through the years that’s slowly eroding away.”
Harrah’s Las Vegas. ticketmaster.com
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