Donny Osmond has lived a life in show business.
He’s always worked. That’s what he does, and has done — even before he turned 10.
It seems the hectic schedule and work ethic helped swing a young Osmond from the potential self-destruction and overindulgence that destroyed the lives of many youthful pop stars.
“I’m so busy, I didn’t have time to get into trouble; I was professional right from the get-go,” said the singer, who was a teen idol as a solo artist and as a member of the Osmonds — with his brothers — in the 1970s.
“I was always practicing, always coming up with new routines with my brothers,” Osmond recalled in a recent phone interview. “I was always working on an album. I was always on tour … doing a television show.”
A year ago, “The Soundtrack of My Life” was released by the seventh son of George and Olive Osmond.
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“It’s my 60th album,” Osmond said in the interview, which was designed to promote the Christmas-themed show that he and sister Marie will present at 8 p.m. Fridayat Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
“We bring a lot of the elements from our Las Vegas show,” said Osmond, who long has worked with his younger sister on stage, on television and in the recording studio.
He enjoys ribbing his sibling about the fact that he was a champion on TV’s “Dancing With the Stars” — and she was not.
“It’s become part of the routine in Las Vegas,” said Osmond, a Utah resident.
As a duo, Donny and Marie notched Top 10 hits in 1970s America with “I’m Leaving It (All) Up to You” and “Morning Side of the Mountain.”
Osmond knows that complacency is the enemy of a team that has been onstage in front of audiences so often.
“It’s so easy to fall into that trap when you’re doing the same show over and over and over again,” Osmond, 57, said. “That’s why we don’t do the same show over and over again. We’re constantly changing things.”
Knowing how to keep the dazzle in an act is nothing to new to Donny Osmond, who enjoyed his first No. 1 song as a member of the Osmonds when he was only 13.
The chart topper was “One Bad Apple,” which, ironically, was intended for the Osmond’s biggest rival, according to Donny. “That was actually written for the Jackson 5,” Osmond said.
Another strange twist in the Osmonds-Jackson 5 saga involved the chart-topping “Ben” — a 1972 ballad from a movie about killer rats that gave Michael Jackson his first No. 1 single as a solo artist.
“That was actually written for me,” Osmond said. “That was my song.”
But the Osmonds’ career path steered the song away from Donny. “I was on tour with my brothers, and they had to finish the movie,” Osmond said.
The “King of Pop” was granted the song, but Michael and Donny did not avoid one another despite the competition between the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds.”
“Michael and I talked about this quite a bit; we had some good laughs over it,” Osmond said. “The rivalry — yes, it was there, but it wasn’t as serious as the press made it out to be.”
Despite a notable comeback in the 1980s that was sparked by the smash single “Soldier of Love,” Donny Osmond could only watch as Michael Jackson’s career rocketed to elite superstar status.
“In the ’80s, he just left me in the dust,” Osmond said with a laugh. “But we always stayed in touch with each other.”
Osmond has stayed levelheaded and in control of the reins of stardom during the wild swings of an illustrious career.
He takes advantage of social media — including Facebook — to keep the public informed of his continuing work.
“I kind of missed out on the social aspect of being a kid, but I’m kind of glad everything turned out the way it did,” the entertainer said. “I was able to stay away from a lot of that garbage that takes place in teenage years.”
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance writer.
Donny & Marie Osmond
Where: The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond
When: 8 p.m. Friday
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Tickets: $64, $84, $99; must be at least 21 years old to attend
Information: 219-473-7000, www.caesars.com/horseshoe-hammond