We get up close and personal with Little Jimmy Osmond who will be coming to Grimsby in April. Martin Hutchinson reports

FOR more than 50 years The Osmond Brothers have been entertaining us – and now they are coming to entertain Grimsby!

However, good things must eventually come to an end and now they are undertaking their final UK tour – and it's their biggest ever.

Thanks to their appearances on The Andy Williams Show on TV, The Osmonds became worldwide stars.

And, when they started to release records and tour, the reaction was so powerful that Osmondmania hit the world.

Their hit catalogue is pretty impressive, with hits like One Bad Apple, Let Me In, Crazy Horses and Love Me For A Reason being the pick.

Speaking from his home in Utah, Jimmy explained Britain has a special place in his heart.

He said: "I've always been welcomed in whatever I do, whether it be singing or doing panto.

"Since the Seventies, the UK has been amazing, not just to me, but to all my brothers, too.

"They aren't fans – they are all friends, and we don't deserve them."

The line-up for this final UK tour is Jimmy, Jay, Wayne and Merrill.

Jimmy said: "This line-up has been the core. It's my 'safe' place really.

"The brothers haven't really stopped performing in all this time.

"They are the longest-running group in history with the same members, and it's all down to the older brothers who made it happen."

There has been times when different combinations of the group have toured.

With four members and sometimes only three, but Jimmy says that these fluctuations don't affect them.

"The barbershop quartet is sometimes affected when there's only three of us and Merrill – so I switch lead singing duties."

After a trio of top 20 hits, Jimmy seemed to disappear from the scene and became involved with other things.

He said: "I never really stopped myself actually.

"I performed a lot in Japan and then I got involved in other people's careers, from Bon Jovi to Michael Jackson.

"Then about 20 years ago I was thinking what I wanted to do and I wanted to get involved with my brothers again – after all, they had sacrificed a lot and pushed us younger ones forward.

"Timing is everything and we have had to be together."

When he had the hit with Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool, he was reported as not knowing where Liverpool was, but that was soon put right.

He said: "It's true that I had never been to Liverpool and didn't know anything about it, but I soon learned."

And despite the fact that he celebrates his 48th birthday on April 16 (a rare day off on the tour), he still has to sing the hit he had before he was ten years old.

In fact he is still the youngest person to have a chart-topper in the UK.

"I learned a long time ago that you don't mess with people's memories," he said

"I left the song out of the set, but we were at the Wembley Arena and the place erupted and I had to sing it – so basically it was a case of 'just shut up and do your job'."

"Amazingly, it was the biggest selling UK hit for anything with The Osmonds' name."

"The good thing is that people have allowed me to grow up. But this tour is really about my brothers.

"I don't really listen to our songs as I'm not that narcissistic, I tend to like classic rock and The Eagles.

"There's no doubt that it's gonna be a gruelling tour, but we love what we do. We do about 200 shows a year and you can't fake it for that length of time."

Not only does he enjoy performing for their many fans, the brothers enjoy being together.

He said: "It's great that we can celebrate 53 years and still be friends.

"However, we don't always get along and we do have our rows."

Get along

The Osmonds Final UK Tour – Up Close & Personal, will be coming to The Auditorium, Grimsby, on Friday, April 20, at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £28.50 to £30.50 from the Box Office on 0844 8472426.