With all his years in radio, Tom Cuddy has met and mingled with most of the music stars we all count among our favorites ...
So I just knew he'd have an interesting story or two to share about Donny Osmond ...
Hi Kent:
You asked for a couple of Donny Osmond memories for your Teen Idols feature, so here you go:
This is an incredible comeback story that goes back 30 years.
For years, Donny Osmond has been struggling to shed his child star image. After the phenomenal success he enjoyed with his brothers and as a soloist, he was out of the spotlight for a while and hadn’t had a radio hit since 1976 with “C’mon Marianne.”
So here it is the late 80s, and he had been working on some demos in England. One of those songs was getting some traction in the U.K., when one of Donny’s fans sent the record to WPLJ / New York’s then Music Director Jessica Ettinger.
The song sounded so good that the decision was made to put the record on the air, but not in a typical way. Knowing the pop audience would have serious hesitations about a song associated with Donny’s goody-good image and to allow the song to be evaluated without preconceived notions, the song was aired in America’s # 1 radio market as “the Mystery Artist.”
In the days before e-mails and texts, the request lines were a valuable tool, and it was clear that listeners loved the tune, and only three or four figured out it was Donny. Most people didn’t have a clue and Billboard Magazine, who was listening from their NYC office, couldn’t figure it out and called wanting to know.
So Donny’s manager was called in LA and told what was going on in NY with the “Mystery Artist” airplay. Donny was invited to fly into NY and be on the morning show the day that it was revealed to the audience that the mystery artist was Donny Osmond.
At first, Donny was a little hesitant to fly-in. He was fearful that he would fly 3,000 miles and then, when it was revealed it was him, people might not be so receptive.
This was before Scott Shannon arrived as morning man at ‘PLJ, so it was iconic NY air talent Jim Kerr who revealed it was Donny and he started to take calls from listeners. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Because all the major record labels had offices in NYC and they heard the excitement the “mystery artist” was creating, Donny Osmond went from an artist without a label, to an artist that had several offers.
Donny decided to go with Capitol Records.
After the record, “Soldier of Love” was released, it shot up the charts and peaked on the Billboard charts in 1989, at #2. In my book, he deserved #1!
Donny followed it immediately with “Sacred Emotion” and that gave him a # 13 hit in Billboard.
In over 40 years in radio, I have found some artists over time forget how radio helped them ... but not Donny.
Anytime over the years that we needed Donny’s help at WPLJ, he was always there to lend a hand with a smile.
I remember one time my wife and I were getting boarding passes at JFK airport for a trip to LA. All of a sudden, I heard someone call my name at the airport and it was Donny. He came over to say hi, met my wife and we caught up in the middle of the airport. Most celebrities get escorted quickly to the VIP area so they can be hidden from the public until their flight leaves, but Donny kept talking to us, even as the crowds were forming as they recognized him.
And, Kent, I’ll leave you with A Donny Osmond exclusive ...
Something I’ve never revealed publicly before.
When I was the Executive Producer of “American Top 40” and Casey Kasem announced he was leaving the show for a more lucrative contract with a competitor, tons of well known radio and media talent and artists auditioned for the job as the new host of AT40. Donny Osmond was one of them and he did such a fine job, he was one of our Top 5 finalists.
Even though he didn’t get the full-time gig, Donny did end up being one of the first recording artists to guest host American Top 40.
-- Tom Cuddy
(It sounds like Donny's Mystery Singer tactic served him well as advance training for his stint on The Masked Singer several years later! lol)
Here are a few pictures that Tom sent us ...
L-R: Tom Cuddy, Donny Osmond, Mike Preston (WPLJ Music Director)
As well as one submitted by David Salidor (courtesy of disCOMPANY) of Tom Cuddy, Donny Osmond and Micky Dolenz at Feinstein's (from 2007!)
For all his accomplishments and all his success ... worldwide fame and fortune ... a 50 year career in show business, and gracing the cover of more teen magazines than anyone else in history, I still feel like Donny never really got his due.
He is just such an incredibly talented man ... and it often felt that the whole teen idol thing actually held him back from being taken too seriously. (The corny tv show didn't help much either, for that matter!)
But this guy can SING ... and play DOZENS of instruments well ... and has that enduring charisma that even now, all these years later, still charms an audience to putty in his hands.
Listen to some of his latter day work and you'll be amazed by just how good it is. (Besides the Joseph soundtrack, I also highly recommend Donny's Christmas album ... I have played this one non-stop throughout the holiday season for many years now ... impeccable.)
Jeez ... I sound like one of his teenage fans!!! Frannie LOVES the guy and even SHE doesn't gush as much as I just did!!! (lol) kk
******
>>>After a short break, The Osmonds came out to an ovation I have never heard before. I was stationed center stage, right in front of Donny and spent the show dragging teen - aged girls off of the stage apron as they tried to get their hands on their idol. What I remember most, though, was the pain I felt from the punch to the groinal area I received from an innocent looking 13-year-old girl. I saw stars. (Steve Sarley)
Whenever I write about Steve's "groinal area," I always feel obligated to give him a call to be sure he's all-right ... so I did exactly that this morning. (I mean, what's worse than a pandemic???)
Anyway, he assured me that he's fine ...
Oh my God, I forgot that story ever appeared in FH.
It is a true honor to have my groinal area mentioned in the esteemed pages of FH again.
******
Joseph took a brief hiatus in Chicago ... and when it returned the demand for tickets was greater than ever.
Naturally, we had to see it again.
To help drum up additional interest (yeah, like THAT was necessary!), Joseph, The Pharaoh and The Narrator all made a personal appearance at North Riverside Mall to sign CD's, T-Shirts, Theater Programs, etc.
My two girls were DYING to see them ... they LOVED the musical and couldn't wait to see it again. (Years later when Paige became part of the family, she starred in two productions of "Joseph" ... first as a seven year old member of the children's chorus down in Fort Worth, TX, and then again as the Narrator in her high school production ... kind of a full circle Joseph evolution! Needless to say, SHE'S a major fan, too!)
Anyway, I figured I'd just take a long lunch, shoot on up to the mall, meet the kids there, get a couple of autographs and maybe (if we were lucky) a picture with the key members of the cast and be on my way.
I couldn't believe the number of people that were there to see them that day ... the length of the line ran through the length of the mall! I had NEVER expected this kind of turn-out!
We waited for a little over four hours and were finally getting near the front of the line when they announced that they would be shutting things down in twenty minutes.
To help speed up the process, and allow as many people to see the actors as possible, there would be no more picture taking ... and whatever you wanted to have signed needed to be brought up in advance so that you could meet up with your merchandise when you finally hit the table.
Well, Kris, my youngest, absolutely LOVED The Pharaoh ... nobody steals the show from Donny Osmond ... but this guy came pretty damn close!!! The ovations after his Elvis bit were phenomenal. (And I can say, without the slightest reservation, that Chicago's Pharaoh blows away the Pharaoh that made the DVD release. Johnny Seaton ... you was robbed!!!)
Anyway, as we finally made our way to the front of the line, Kris ran right up to the Pharaoh and I came up behind her and told him "You're her favorite!"
"Is that right?" he said ... well, then let's get a picture together right now. (The poor guy had to be SO relieved that somebody was FINALLY paying attention to him instead of swooning over Donny!!!)
So we snapped a quick shot, got our CD signed by all three cast members, and were on our way. (I didn't realize how long ago this really was until I looked at the picture ... Nicki, my older daughter on the right, just gave birth to our fourth grandchild a month ago ... her second ... and thanks to a remarriage to Frannie, we now have four grown children of our own ... and four GRANDchildren as well. Man, I gotta go lie down!!!) kk
*****
And finally, imagine my surprise when I received THIS birthday card this year!!! (I love it! Special thanks again to Tom Cuddy ... the nicest guy I've never met!!!)
https://www.americangreetings.com/pickup?rr=y&m=&token=ree87f2d8-2f95-4ff6-8119-d40952233181&pn=prod3479946&utm_medium=pickup&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=receiver
