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Alan Osmond Alan Ralph Osmond was born on June 22, 1949 in Ogden, Utah. He was the oldest of the 7 siblings who could sing, as the oldest 2 brothers, Virl and Tom, are hearing impaired. Career. Starting in 1958, age 12, Alan and 3 of his older brothers (Wayne, Merrill and Jay) began singing as a barbershop quartet. They were later discovered in 1961 by Jay Emerson Williams, Andy William's father, at a performance at Disneyland which was being filmed for the Disneyland After Dark episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. In 1962, the four Osmonds were cast over a seven-year period on NBC's The Andy Williams Show, a musical variety program. They also appeared in nine episodes of the 1963-1964 western television series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, with Alan in the role of young Micah Kissel. During much of the Osmonds' career, Alan, being the oldest of the group, was the band's behind-the-scenes leader, playing piano and guitar, co-writing many of their songs, co-producing most of their recordings and arranging the dance choreography (he nevertheless seldom sang anything more than backing vocals, in contrast to his younger brothers, except for the songs 'What could it be' and 'The Movie Man') Some of the instruments Alan plays are string bass, trumpet, ukelele, guitar and piano. Alan enlisted in the California Army National Guard in the late 1960s. He served at Fort Ord in northern California as a 144th artillery unit clerk. He mostly stopped performing with the group after 2007, and what he has professed to be his final performance with them was October 13, 2018, at Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, although, Alan did appear for a get-together with Jay, Wayne and Merrill in 2019, as per request for their sister Marie's 60th birthday. Personal life After a brief courtship with singer karen Carpenter, Alan married Suzanne Pinegar on July 16, 1974. He and Suzanne have eight sons, who performed as the Osmond Brothers Second Generation: Michael Alan (born 1975); Nathan George (born 1977); Douglas Kenneth (born 1978); David Levi (born 1979); Scott Merrill (born 1981); Jonathon Pinegar (born 1983); Alexander Thomas (born 1988); and Tyler James (born 1990). Alan, like all the Osmonds, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; seven of his sons have served LDS missions, while the youngest son Tyler did not serve. In 1980, Alan Osmond, along with his brother Merrill, created Stadium of Fire, which has become one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in the United States. Health In 1987, Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a demyelinating disease which affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. His son, David, lead singer of the group Osmonds 2nd Generation, who was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, participated in the eighth season of American Idol on January 28, 2009, with a pass to Hollywood. However, due to laryngitis, he was not able to make it past Hollywood week. David also substituted for his uncle Donny in stage shows with his aunt Marie, and his song "We Are One" was used as the theme song to the Glenn Beck Radio Program from 2016 to 2017; he also hosted a brief revival of Wonderama in 2017. Awards In November 2021, Alan and Suzanne were honored as Pillars of Utah Valley. In 2000, Alan Osmond received the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In his acceptance speech, he stated that he had done some time in the military reserve and that he had taken karate lessons from Chuck Norris, both of which reinforced the "you can do it" attitude that he learned from his father. His motto is, "I may have MS, but MS does NOT have me!" He currently runs the OneHeart Foundation which Alan and his wife founded, and also works as a motivational speaker. To keep up with all Alan is doing, visit his facebookpage: For the Love of Alan |