In the late
'60s and early '70s, fueled by the success of The Jackson
Five, the Osmonds became close teenybopper competitors,
with their own slew of hits. Donny was the centerpiece,
and he competed with Michael Jackson for the hearts
(and dollars) of pre-teens everywhere. Later, he forged
a very successful solo career, and still later teamed
with sister Marie for a hit TV show. Nonetheless, it
took him until 1987 to record his first adult solo record,
and tunes like "Soldier of Love" and "I'm in It for
Love" with their George Michael-ish feel brought the
former teen idol to the public eye once again.
Work on the
theatrical stage followed, and although Osmond's recording
career again slowed after 1991's Eyes Don't Lie he remained
active throughout the decade, most notably enjoying
a five-year run as the lead in Joseph and the Technicolor
Dreamcoat.
He next made
a splash in 1998 with a new daytime talk show co-hosted
by sister Marie; that same year, he also released a
solo holiday album, Christmas at Home.
Marie
Osmond BORN: October 13, 1959, Ogden, UT found popularity
as a country singer during the 1970s when she was barely
14, when her cover of "Paper Roses" became a number
one country hit and reached the Top Five on the pop
charts. She was raised in a deeply religious Mormon
family in Provo, Utah, with eight brothers.
In the early
'60s, four of the elder Osmond boys appeared regularly
on The Andy Williams Show, where Marie made her debut
when she was only three.
When she
was 13, Osmond Brothers producer Mike Curb, who had
helped popularize Donny and his younger brother Jimmy,
wondered if he could get their only sister into the
act. Marie was more interested in country than mainstream
pop, so Curb teamed her up with veteran songwriter-turned-producer
Sonny James, who helped her record "Paper Roses." This
led her to begin touring with her brothers, most frequently
Donny, on the nightclub circuit. She also appeared regularly
on the charts with songs such as "In My Little Corner
of the World" and "Who's Sorry Now."
In 1975,
Donny and Marie began hosting their own variety show;
produced at the state-of-the-art Osmond Studios in Provo,
it ran for four years.
She and Donny
made their feature film debut in 1978 with Goin' Coconuts,
and the following year, she appeared by herself in The
Gift of Love.
In 1981,
she signed to Curb's new label, but had only one modest
hit, "Back to Believing Again." Three years later, she
found success again on a duet with Dan Seals, "Meet
Me in Montana," which hit number one, as did her solo
follow-up "There's No Stopping Your Heart."
