THE OSMOND FAMILY REUNITES FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

“THE OSMONDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION CONCERT LIVE IN VEGAS”
AIRS NATIONALLY ON PBS IN MARCH

“THE OSMONDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION CONCERT LIVE IN VEGAS”
DVD, CD AND COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD IN STORES APRIL 1ST ON DENON RECORDS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Osmond Family—Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy recently reunited to celebrate a historic 50th anniversary and performed live together for the first time in 27 years at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show was filmed and will air nationally on PBS stations in March. The collectors DVD and CD packages of this historic evening will be released on DENON Records (a unit of the Savoy Label Group). Produced by Jimmy Osmond, the special effectively reignites “Osmondmania” just as Marie has returned to the spotlight with her spectacular turn on “Dancing With The Stars” and Donny has undertaken a regular spot as guest host on Entertainment Tonight. Originally conceived as a one-off special, the iconic musical family now plans to take the show on the road in May. THE OSMONDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION CONCERT LIVE IN VEGAS” will be in-stores April 1st on both CD and DVD on DENON Records.

The special is a lively mix of The Osmond’s biggest hits in all of their incarnations incorporating video clips and guest artists such as Andy Williams ( on whose 60’s television program the family first came to national attention ). The Osmond Brothers’ hit songs “One Bad Apple,” “Lazy River,” “Proud One,” “We’re Having A Party,” “Double Loving” and “Yo Yo” are performed as well as Donny’s solo hits “Puppy Love,” “Breeze On By” and “Soldier Of Love.” Marie takes a turn with her hit “Paper Roses” as well as a medley of Broadway tunes and Donny teams up with her to perform their hits “I’m Leaving It All Up To You,” “Little Bit Country And Little Bit Rock And Roll” and “It Takes Two.” Jimmy also gets a solo turn performing his #1 chart-topper “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.”

The Osmonds’ success story began in 1959 when the sons of George and Olive Osmond formed a boy’s barbershop quartet featuring Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay. Disappointed with a failed attempt to audition for Lawrence Welk, the boys put on an impromptu performance at Disneyland where there father had taken them in consolation. It was that moment when they were discovered and invited to perform on Disney After Dark—their national television debut. Soon after, none other than Andy Williams who would soon host his own variety show invited the boys to perform regularly throughout the incredibly successful seven year run of the show.

Their act evolving through the next decade, The Osmonds featuring younger brother Donny signed on with Mike Curb and exploded into the mainstream as their first pop hit “One Bad Apple” topped the charts for weeks in 1971. A slew of hits and the addition of “Little Jimmy” would follow firmly establishing them in the pop consciousness. The Osmondsmania was in full swing as the musical group appeared on countless celebrity-driven specials and variety shows with Bob Hope, George Burns, Ann Margaret, Perry Como, Paul Lynde, Flip Wilson, Lucille Ball, Sonny and Cher, Mac Davis, Tom Jones and the list goes on.

Although never an official member of The Osmonds act, Marie made an indelible mark performing alongside her brothers and establishing a solo career with hits such as “Paper Roses.” She would team with her brother Donny to host the Donny & Marie Show for ABC becoming the youngest variety show hosts ever.

Though not always in the spotlight, the Osmonds maintained a high level of respect and loyalty from their fans throughout the years with all of their endeavors. Donny enjoyed success in the ‘80’s as a contemporary dance-pop singer and Broadway performer. He reunited with his sister in the ‘90’s for a daytime talk show, Donny & Marie. He’s currently guest hosting “Entertainment Tonight” on a regular basis and will star alongside Martin Lawrence in the comedy “College Road Trip” in theaters March 7th. Marie enjoyed several country hits in the ‘90’s and made a major splash with her appearance on “Dancing With The Stars.”

The Osmond’s collectively and individually have recorded142 albums with over 100 million units sold worldwide boasting 51 Gold and Platinum sales awards setting concert attendance records around the world. They have won People’s Choice Awards, American Music Awards, Country Music Awards and awards for Excellence in Television Programming. They have performed in over 300 shows per year up until 2004 at the Osmond Family Theater in Branson, MO.

The Children’s Miracle Network, a charity established by the Osmonds to help raise funds supporting children’s hospitals around the country will celebrate it’s 25th anniversary in 2008. To date they have helped raise billions of dollars for children’s hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.

The Savoy Label Group (SLG) features not only the historic Savoy Jazz label but also the Denon, Denon Classics, SLG and 429 Records labels. Savoy Label Group is the North American unit of Columbia Music Entertainment (formerly Nippon Columbia), the oldest music company in Japan. SLG is lead by Steve Vining and CME is headed by Chairman Strauss Zelnick, founder of Zelnick Media which owns interests in and manages an array of media companies.

Contact:
Kurt Nishimura
SILVERLAKE MEDIA
323/663-6303
email:kurtnishimura@earthlink.net
http://www.denonrecordsus.com/osmonds