James Arthur Osmond (Jimmy) was born on 16 April 1963 in Canoga Park, California. He is the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds, being the ninth child of Olive May Davis Osmond and George Virl Osmond Sr. His siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Marie Osmond. He is also the only Osmond of the nine not to have been born in the family’s hometown of Ogden, Utah.
Jimmy is a singer, actor, and businessman. He got his start in show business 50 years ago when he appeared on the Andy Williams Show with his brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Donny and sang the song “Red Roses for A Blue Lady.” In the years following, Jimmy would go on to perform on stage with his brothers and sister Marie in concerts around the world, as well as, have a solo career. As a solo artist, he accumulated six gold records, one platinum record, and two gold albums. He received his first gold record, the first Osmond to achieve this feat, at age five for a song he recorded in Japanese, “My Little Darling.” And his recording “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool” in 1972 resulted in The Guinness Book of World Records designating him the youngest performer to have a #1 single on the UK Singles Chart, crediting the song to “Little Jimmy Osmond”.
Of all his career highlights, perhaps his most memorable are the times he spent on the Andy Williams Show. This autumn Jimmy will be returning to the United Kingdom with a brand new live show – A Tribute to Andy Williams – Moon River and Me. In conjunction with the tour, he will be releasing a new recording featuring many of the hit songs that Andy Williams performed over the years. About the album and tribute, he said:
To commemorate my fiftieth year in show business, I decided to produce this album as a tribute to my mentor and friend, Andy Williams. It was Andy’s television series where my career began when I was only three years old. We toured the world together, and his music left a deep imprint on my heart. I could never have imagined that I would come full circle and find myself once again performing on his stage. For that, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Andy’s family for allowing me this amazing honor. Andy was all about helping talented new artists get their big break. So, I feel it’s only appropriate that proceeds from this album and show will benefit aspiring students in the performing arts.
There will never be another voice like Andy Williams, but I do hope that you will enjoy listening and remembering his music as much as I do.
The tour will begin on 26 September and run until 30 October 2016. Included in the show are award-winning music, nostalgic footage from the Andy Williams Show, and Jimmy’s personal memories of his friend and mentor, Andy Williams. Jimmy will be performing some of the memorable romantic songs that made Andy Williams legendary in the music business. Such songs include “Music to Watch Girls by,” “Happy Heart,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Almost There,” “May Each Day,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” and the song that became Andy’s theme song, “Moon River.” It is guaranteed to be a show that the entire family, both young and old, will enjoy.
