Alan Osmond

Alan Ralph Osmond (June 22, 1949 – April 20, 2026) was an American musician. He was a member of the family musical group The Osmonds. Prior to that, Alan (aged 12) and his brothers performed as the Osmond Brothers Boys' Quartet. He served as leader of the group.

Alan Ralph Osmond was born on June 22, 1949, in Ogden, Utah, the son of Olive May (née Davis; 1925–2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917–2007). He was the oldest of the seven siblings who could sing, as the two oldest brothers, Virl and Tom, are hearing impaired.

Starting in 1958, Alan and three of his younger brothers (Wayne, Merrill, and Jay in their respective age orders) began singing as a barbershop quartet. In 1961, the group headed to Los Angeles to audition for The Lawrence Welk Show, only for host Lawrence Welk to refuse to hear them sing; they met The Lennon Sisters at this audition, who directed them to Disneyland, where they found paying work as performers. It was at Disneyland that Jay Emerson Williams, Andy Williams's father, discovered the group. 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 ABC 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 creative leader, playing piano and guitar, co-writing many of their songs with Merrill, 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. Leading The Osmonds at a young age, Alan was called "No. 1" by his brothers.

He mostly stopped performing with the group after 2007, and what he 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 Osmond's 60th birthday. He was still writing songs at the time of his last performances, including a composition to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Orem, Utah.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.