The Osmonds' 50th anniversary reunion concert, filmed in Las Vegas last year and seen on PBS television a few weeks ago, wasn't about individuals, Jimmy Osmond says.
"It wasn't about Donny, Marie, Merrill, Alan or Wayne," the Osmond brother said during a phone call from a new home he's building in Provo. "It was about the family and what we have accomplished this past half a century. It's about the bundle and not the individual sticks."
The Osmond 50th reunion concert DVD will be released to the public April 1. And for Osmond, that's not a joke.
"The DVD is a little different than what you saw on PBS," he said. "There are narrations and interviews that we originally wanted to air, but PBS wanted the program itself to be a straightforward concert."
Osmond said he is still surprised at how the songs sung by his family have touched the lives of millions of people.
"You know the reason the Osmonds started singing was to raise money for our older brothers (Virl and Tom, who are hearing impaired)," Osmond said. "And from there things got a little bigger and bigger with each show."
From hit singles such as "One Bad Apple, "Crazy Horses," "Yo Yo" and "Down by the Lazy River," to name a few, the Osmonds ruled Billboard's Top 100 in the '70s.
Solo and duo hits from Donny and Marie and solo work by Jimmy continued the hit parade.
"It's amazing to me to see how much impact our music has had on people," Jimmy Osmond said. "I remember gathering ideas for the set list for the reunion show and initially left 'Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool' off the list."
The song was his first solo hit that reached No. 38 on the charts in 1972.
"It's funny how much the song was loved in London," he said. "After thinking about it, I realized that the show is for the fans. And it would be a crime to omit that song from the set."
When Osmond booked the show at the Orleans Hotel Showroom in Las Vegas, he was overwhelmed at the response.
"It was originally going to be a one-night thing," he said. "But we ended up performing three nights. And they were all sell-outs."
In addition to the aforementioned hits, the concert DVD also features "We're Having a Party," "Puppy Love," "Solider of Love," "Paper Roses," "Let me In," "I Can't Live a Dream," "Sound of Music," "Through the Years," "Love Me for a Reason" and "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother."
Also in the set is a Donny and Marie medley featuring excerpts from "Morning Side of the Mountain," "Make the World Go Away," "I'm Leaving It All Up to You," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Deep Purple," "It Takes Two" and, of course, their signature song, "I'm a Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll."
"We didn't really rehearse for this," Jimmy Osmond said. "I mean, the brothers have a show in Branson (Missouri). Donny still tours and Marie still makes appearances as well. So, there really hasn't been a time when we all haven't been performing at one point or another.
"We were ready for the show because of that. And once we stepped on stage, it was like coming home."
The hardest part of the whole shebang, he said, was the fact that there were only three days last year when the performing siblings could get together for the show.
"Between all of our crazy schedules, it was funny how it worked out," he said.
Now the demand for a reunion tour has kept the Osmonds busy juggling schedules.
"We booked a show at Wembly Stadium in London and it sold out in minutes," he said. "It was amazing. But then again, 'Long Haired Lover ...' was the theme song for the soccer team there."
While Osmond is humbled by the love they have received from the fans throughout the years, he was "blown away" at an event in Florida a few weeks ago.
"We had an event for the Children's Miracle Network that my mom started as the Osmond Foundation," he said. "Since its inception in 1983, the network has raised more than $3 billion for children's hospitals. I looked around and saw my family and realized this is what we're all about."
The Osmonds "50th Anniversary Reunion Show" DVD is released by Denon and runs for 61 minutes. It is not rated, and retail price is $19.98. The "50th Anniversary Reunion Show" CD is priced at $18.98.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com