Alan Osmond of the Osmonds, was only eight years old when his father charged him to serve as the leader of his siblings, who became the celebrated Osmonds singing group.
“Every group needs a leader,” his father would say. “Speak up! Don’t be shy.”
Alan recognized early the power of enthusiasm—that nothing great is achieved without being active and energetic and faithful. After six decades of an unprecedented musical journey of fame and stardom with his siblings, he still maintains the enthusiasm of his early years.
Recently, he has written two books: “Alan Osmond—One Way Ticket” with Debbie Ihler Rasmussen, which is a detailed autobiography; and the second with his wife Suzanne, entitled, “Twice Upon a Time,” their creative version of some of their favorite fairy tales.
“If my parents had listened to the doctors, I wouldn’t even be here,” Alan begins his story. His two older brothers, Virl and Tom, were born with an inherited hearing impairment, and Alan’s parents, George and Olive Osmond, were advised not to have more children. They went on to have Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy, each with a gift of music and the enthusiasm and discipline that yields success. With a regimented father and an educator for a mother, it wasn’t long before the children were performing to earn money to pay for hearing aids for Virl and Tom.
Their rise to fame came when they were invited to perform on the Andy Williams’ show—and through hard work over the next seven years, the Osmonds became an entertainment sensation.
Alan’s story chronicles a life well-lived, as he, with his siblings, sold more than 100 million records. Alan produced over 200 original songs, served as executive producer of the “Donny and Marie Show,” helped create President Ronald Reagan’s Opening Inauguration Ceremonies, which led to his creating the annual “Stadium of Fire,” a popular Utah County fireworks extravaganza. And that is only a small part of his numerous achievements.
Alan recounts his courtship with Suzanne and their subsequent marriage, and even includes a song he wrote entitled “True Love,” expressing the love he and Suzanne have for each other. He offers it to his readers as a free download.
In the late 80s, Alan noticed he was having difficulty playing his guitar and was frequently falling. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis or MS, but he kept going. His mantra became, “I may have MS, but MS does not have me!”
“My family is my priority and my love is unconditional. Show business was our living, but my family is my life.” Alan says it was love of family that guided them. “That’s how we survived show business.”
His younger brother Donny Osmond, who stars sold-out shows in Las Vegas, paid this tribute to Alan: “While The Osmond Brothers’ success may now be part of musical history, future historians will certainly recognize that Alan Osmond was definitely the cornerstone of our achievements. Thank you, Alan, for being the leader of the band.”
Alan Osmond says: "Suzanne and I have written a new book about three of our favorite fairytale stories. Yes, like us, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Cinderella" and "The Three Little Pigs" all grew up, married and had children. These stories are about their children in "Twice Upon a Time Tales."
And, after five months of hard work, Alan's audiobook "One Way Ticket" is here, recorded in his and Suzanne's own voices.
These books are now available at Amazon.com and alanosmondbook.com. "One Way Ticket" includes free music downloads.