Donny Osmond says he has no plans of retiring until he beats a record set by Elvis Presley.
“The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” who inspired the bedazzled jumpsuits worn by the Osmond family band in the 1970s, might soon be bested by the former teen idol, now 66.
Keep reading to learn why Osmond isn’t ready to drop his microphone for the last time.
In 1972 when Elvis Presley was enjoying a career of unparalleled fame, Donny Osmond was a young teenager, whose face was plastered on the cover of teen magazines around the world.
Speaking in a 2021 interview about being a teen heartthrob, Osmond says “It was euphoric to hit the stage and all these thousands of girls were screaming your name. What guy wouldn’t want that?”
As a youngster, the teen idol loaned his harmonies to the iconic Osmonds, an ensemble with his five brothers that was originally started as a barbershop quartet by the family patriarch, George (1917 to 2007).
Both George and his wife Olive (1925 to 2004) loved music and passed their passion for performing to their singing children.
‘Some guy named Elvis’
After leaving the family band, the “Puppy Love” singer launched a hugely successful solo career and later appeared on screen with his little sister Marie in Donny & Marie (1976 to 1979), the latter who gained global recognition in 1973 with the hit song “Paper Roses.”
The family was so famous they were even lounging in a suite belonging to the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” who was close to the Osmond family matriarch, Olive.
“He said, ‘Brothers, come on in,’” Jay Osmond, 69, recalls of the moment the star-struck family was invited into Presley’s Las Vegas suite. “I was 15 years old, and the impact that it had on my life is…well, we all changed that night.”
Meanwhile, the younger Osmond details the relationship his mom Olive forged with the legendary Presley, who died in 1977.
“She was almost a surrogate mom [to him],” says the star of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “[Presley] would call the house just to talk to my mom.”
Recalling a time when his Jay answered one of Presley’s calls, Osmond says, “One day, my brother Jay, he picks up the phone and he says ‘Hello’ and he hears this voice [does Elvis impression] ‘Is your mother there?’ He said ‘Yeah! Who’s calling?’ He said, ‘This is Elvis.’ Jay didn’t put two and two together, right? He yells out ‘Hey mom, some guy named Elvis is on the phone for ya!’ He told me that story and we laughed our heads off. He didn’t know it was Elvis Presley.”
In addition to the brotherly love the “Suspicious Minds” singer shared with the family, Osmond reveals on X (formerly Twitter) that he also inspired the sibling’s sassy “jumpsuit look” in the 70s.
“I still remember one of his backstage visits at The International [Las Vegas]. He said, ‘I got a new look for you,’ and suggested we try out jumpsuits like his. He was the inspiration for The Osmond’s jumpsuit look.”
‘Then I’ll beat Elvis’
While the father of five sons, and 14 grandchildren, has since ditched the jumpsuits, he’s still finding inspiration in the “Jailhouse Rock” singer.
After more than 50 years of performing, Osmond – who married Debra Glenn in 1978 – reveals he has no plans of retiring until he hits a milestone, a measurement set by Presley many decades ago.
“I love what I do, I love getting on stage, it’s my drug of choice; I love taking people on a journey,” the hit-maker tells the Standard. “I kind of see the end of the tunnel, it’s not very close because I have a lot of things I still want to do, but one of which I think I have to get to is 68 albums because then I’ll beat Elvis.”
In 2021 Osmond released his 65th album, “Start Again,” and is already working on his 66th, that he says will be “really unique” with a “very cool concept.”
He adds it’s “going to take a while to finish this one,” which is good for fans who aren’t yet ready to see the curtain drop on his shows.
Osmond is currently taking his Las Vegas show to venues across North America.
After a limited run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the UK, where he plays the role of Pharaoh, the TV host returns to Harrah’s Hotel and Casino, headlining his first solo residency.
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