Introduction
Donny Osmond Determined to Break Elvis Presley’s Record Before Retiring
After more than six decades in show business, Donny Osmond says he has no plans to retire anytime soon. The reason? He still has one major goal to accomplish: surpassing a record set by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
At 65, Osmond remains as energetic as ever and is preparing to bring his award-winning Las Vegas show to the UK this December. The tour will feature 12 performances, including two nights at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on December 13 and 14. “I love what I do. Getting on stage is like my drug of choice. I love taking people on a journey,” he told the Evening Standard.
Osmond is edging closer to matching a significant milestone—releasing his 68th studio album, the same number Elvis Presley achieved. With his 65th album Start Again released in 2021, he is currently working on his next record, which he describes as “really unique with a very cool concept.” Though it’s still in progress, he promises it will be worth the wait.
Osmond also shares a personal connection to Presley. His mother, Olive Osmond, was a confidante to the late star—almost like a surrogate mother. “He used to call the house just to talk to my mom,” Donny recalled. “One day, my brother Jay picked up the phone and heard a voice doing an Elvis impression. The guy said, ‘Is your mother there?’ Jay asked who was calling and the voice said, ‘This is Elvis.’ Jay didn’t realize it was actually the Elvis Presley!”
In addition to his remarkable solo career, Osmond has had a long-standing residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas, performing five nights a week. His shows celebrate his journey from child star singing with his brothers in The Osmonds, to performing with his sister Marie as the duo Donny & Marie, and starring in Broadway productions. One unique feature of his shows is a 15-minute fan request segment, where audience members can ask for any song from his vast catalog—something he plans to expand for the UK tour.
“This is probably the biggest show I’ve ever put together,” he said. “It includes everything I’ve done—and that’s a lot.”
He’s also excited that his wife of 45 years, Debbie, will be joining him on the trip. Family is incredibly important to Donny, and in between shows he treasures his role as grandfather to his 12 grandchildren. Though his grandkids aren’t overly impressed by his fame, they were excited in 2019 when he appeared on the US version of The Masked Singer as “The Peacock.”
“One of my grandsons, Truman, still calls me ‘Peacock.’ He won’t say Grandpa. Just ‘Hey, Peacock!’” Osmond laughed. “I guess I’ll be the Peacock for the rest of my life.”