Donny Osmond

It says a lot that a man in his mid-50s is the by-word for teen idols the world over to this very day. It says even more about his lasting influence on pop culture, considering how fondly remembered his days as one of the biggest celebrities on the planet are by millions of middle aged men and women (The latter quite possibly more so).

Yet the man with the most clean cut image in pop is a seventh son, and when he was one year of age his brothers Alan, Jay, Jimmy, Merrill and Wayne, were already singing together as The Osmond Brothers.

The oldest of them (Alan) may have been nine when they formed but that didn’t stop them from making a name for themselves at first as a barbershop act, and then as featured guests on Andy Williams’ variety show, a gig the band got in the early 60s.

When Donny was five years old he got his first solo slot on the show, singing “You Are My Sunshine”, and eventually he became the co-lead singer as the band hit their prime, selling an astonishing 80 million records over a single year by the early seventies.

However while he was still in the band he was also being prepped for a solo career, and his status as a teen idol, along with singles like "Go Away Little Girl" and "Puppy Love", made him one of the most famous people on the planet for a time.

He enjoyed a successful career both in television and music for years after that. His variety show with his sister Marie was a big hit in particular, but it wasn’t until the late 80s when he recovered his artistic mojo. This saw him working with the likes of Jeff Beck and Dweezil Zappa to make a grand comeback.

This was very successful in its own right, and since 2010 he can be found reunited with his sister Marie in a Las Vegas variety show celebrating both of their long and storied careers. You’re unlikely to find a performer out there with as much experience and love for his craft as Donny Osmond.