Merrill Osmond
Singer Merrill Osmond opens up on his career – being discovered by Walt Disney, his friendship with ‘ The King’ and ‘crazy’ fan adventures…
In the mid-Seventies, the Osmonds – the original boyband – were causing hysteria wherever they went. Lead singer Merrill – who at 68 is as excited about his solo career and his devoted fans as ever, is set to release a new album, recorded live in London (featuring hits including LoveMe foraReason, TheProud One and CrazyHorses), and embark on a UK tour. Here, we catch up with the former teen idol to talk about his roller coaster journey and how his wife, Mary, keeps his feet firmly on the ground…
Merrill, how have you been?
I’ve been doing what I do for 64 years – and I always used to complain that I never got any time off, then suddenly, Covid. I got a year’s vacation! I don’t think I’ve done so much laundry or dishes in my life. My daughter, Sheila, had the disease, which was tough, but we’re all vaccinated and healthy now, fingers crossed. I loved lockdown. I painted, wrote songs – read books… We have kids and grandkids (15!) and they all came to see us – when they were allowed. The little ones call me Santa because of my white beard.
Tell us about the album…
It’s fun. The concert at London’s O2 was the first since Covid and we recorded there. It was a real treat. I did all the songs I’d sung lead on over the years, and a few others I love. I’m the Osmond rocker.
The Osmonds weren’t taken seriously at first, were they?
No, the press called our music ‘ bubblegum’. Until one day, Paul McCartney came out saying, ‘stop blasting The Osmonds –listen to the guys!’ We were shocked. We’d never met him – though we would get to know him later. And we started to get some respect.
Any surprising fans of your music?
When the military went in to get Saddam Hussein in Iraq, they found an entire collection of Osmond albums in one of his bunkers. Mindblowing! Elvis was our buddy, he loved our
music. One day he said, if he had a chance to do it all over, he’d do what we try to do – go out, shake hands, give everybody a hug. Our mom became like a second mom to Elvis. He was a special guy.
You had some memorable fan encounters…
One bizarre experience was when three female fans got themselves into a packing crate and shipped themselves to us in our central London hotel. We were in our rooms, security came and said, ‘This one you gotta see.’ They opened the crate, and out these girls popped. I was 20 – I was so startled I didn’t say anything, just hugged them.
You caused a form of Beatlemania in the UK…
Yes, our security was in touch with Scotland Yard! We figured out there was a fan network. A fan at every corner in London with a flag, and as we drove out, they’d flag someone on the next corner. We got banned from hotels in London. Fans would take axes to doors, scale buildings, climb down ropes into your balcony.
We couldn’t get out of one hotel – the fire department had to clear a path with hoses.
What was global fame like?
Unexpected… We learned barbershop harmony, to do a show in Utah for $60, to earn money for hearing aids for our two older deaf brothers. That’s how it started. Then Walt Disney discovered us and put us on the streets of Disneyland for years. Finally, The Andy Williams Show booked us in the Seventies and all hell broke loose! But we’re churchgoing people. We coasted through the sex and drugs, we weren’t into that. My friends were my siblings.
You were never tempted by the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle?
No. Our father was a sergeant. Growing up, we got up to a bugle call! Our brother, Alan, played the trumpet. We had chores, we went to bed, like a military family. The ‘ego’ got stamped out quickly. I was lead singer for years until Donny sang Puppy Love! People ask if that bugged me, but it didn’t. But yeah, that life could be tough. Especially as a teenager, when you wanted to date and you had security following you. And we had death threats. I sometimes marvel at how we survived. But we had a strong foundation. And wow, we’ve had quite a journey.
Merrill Osmond Live in London is out Friday, 6 August. Tickets for Merrill’s UK tour are on sale now, see merrillosmond.com