Jay Osmond
Jay Osmond | |
|---|---|
Jay Osmond as part of The Osmonds in 1971 | |
| Born | Jay Wesley Osmond March 2, 1955 Ogden, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Spouses | Kandilyn Harris Osmond
(m. 1987; div. 2011)Karen Randall (m. 2014) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Formerly of | The Osmonds |
Jay Wesley Osmond (born March 2, 1955) is an American musician. He is a member of the Osmond family of performers. He wrote the story to the 2022 musical The Osmonds, a musical based on the life and music of the family. The musical was shown around the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2022, after being previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early life
Jay Wesley Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, the sixth son of Olive May (née Davis; 1925–2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917–2007).
The Osmonds
Starting in 1958, Jay and three of his older brothers (Alan, Wayne, and Merrill in their respective age orders) began singing as a barbershop quartet. They were later discovered in 1961 by Jay Emerson Williams, Andy Williams'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:[1]
We were under tremendous pressure whenever we performed on The Andy Williams Show. We only ever had one take to do it right. Eventually they called us the ‘One Take Osmonds’ because boy, we had to be right on it, there simply wasn’t the time for us to make a mistake. Every week we had to do something different whether it was pianos, tap dancing, ice skating, karate or saxophones, we had to learn to do something new every week. One time they wanted me to play a drum solo and I hadn’t even learnt how to play the drums; man I was six years old.
They also appeared in nine episodes of the 1963-1964 ABC western television series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, with Jay in the role of young Lamentations Kissel.[2]
In addition to drums, he shared lead vocals on the group's hit "Crazy Horses," a hard rock song that fit Jay's more guttural voice better than usual lead singers Merrill or Donny: he occasionally contributed lead vocals to other tracks, usually ones with a harder-driving sound, such as "One Way Ticket to Anywhere" and "Having a Party." Jay continued with Merrill and Wayne (later joined by Jimmy) as a member of the Osmond Brothers when the group shifted to country music in the 1980s.
Jay is last of the original four Osmond Brothers still singing full-time. As of March 2024 he began headlining his own show in Branson, Missouri.[3]
Osmond is the host of the Osmond Family Hour, a weekly Internet radio program.[4] In late 2025, Osmond began hosting middays at KQEO in Idaho Falls, Idaho.[5]
In October 2024, Osmond began appearing as one of the rotating guest stars in Now That's What I Call a Musical, an English jukebox musical based on the Now That's What I Call Music! album series.[6]
The Osmonds Musical
Osmond wrote the story to the 2022 musical The Osmonds. It is based on the life and music of The Osmonds musical group and family.[7] The musical was originally set to premiere in August 2021, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The musical had its world premiere at the Curve Theatre, in Leicester, England on 3 February 2022. The musical was embarked on a tour around the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2022.
Personal life
Jay married Kandilyn Harris on August 25, 1987. They were divorced in 2011, with Osmond later describing the marriage as a difficult one.[8] Together, they have three sons: Jason George (born September 23, 1988), Eric Clinton (born January 2, 1991) and Marcus Jay (born January 8, 1996). Jay's oldest son Jason married Lauren Merrill on March 11, 2011, and they have one son, Grayson George, born 2013, and two daughters, Roslyn Renee born 2015 and Charlotte Dee born 2018.
Jay married Karen "Karina" Randall, whom he met via online dating, in May 2014.[5][8] Karina was a fellow divorcee and eventually became involved in the Osmonds' business enterprises, including the Osmonds musical.[9] Karina debunked the notion that she did not know of The Osmonds before meeting Jay; she was not an Osmonds fan but knew that the family's clean reputation and lack of scandal in the tabloids made him a more reliable potential partner than some of the other men she had encountered.[8] His step-granddaughter London Brise Mortensen (born October 14, 2006) was accidentally killed on September 18, 2014, at age 7. Jay and Karina Osmond reside in Idaho Falls, Idaho.[5]
Like the rest of his family, Jay Osmond is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
References
- ^ "INTERVIEW: Jay Osmond | Welcome to UK Music Reviews". Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963-1964)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Singer Nathan Osmond Says 'It's Been Fun' to Follow in Footsteps of Donny and Marie (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Program Schedule - June 24. myBNR.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c Wright, Amee (December 8, 2025). "Jay Osmond talks Idaho Falls radio show, family musical and Giving Machines performance". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ Hopkins, Phil (October 16, 2024). "Now That's What I Call Irony!". Yorkshire Times. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ "World Premiere of The Osmonds: A New Musical Will Begin in 2022". Playbill. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Rett (February 2, 2026). "After decades in show business, Jay Osmond and wife Karina are radio hosts in eastern Idaho". East Idaho News. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ Hardy, Jane (April 6, 2022). "Still reason to love the Osmonds". The Irish News. Retrieved July 3, 2022.