I have to admit, I was most intrigued by Jay Osmond's hair. It looks like he got a perm. Perms were all the rage in the 70s. I had a couple of them myself in the 80s. Still remember the nasty smell of the chemicals.
This special includes performances by a lot of the big stars of the day. Andy Gibb, Crystal Gayle, Bob Hope, Jimmie Walker, and a debut by a group of five young lads calling themselves The Knudsen Brothers. The brothers sang barbershop, just like the Osmonds had done on Andy Williams' show. They wore blue tuxedos and harmonized very impressively, although I think even in 1978, barbershop was a bit hokey.
I was curious about the talented boys, so I looked them up. They now perform in Branson, Missouri and call themselves SIX. That's because another brother joined the group. The Knudsen brothers actually number ten, but only the eldest six are singers. The other four work to support the group.
SIX sings "God Bless the USA" in harmony... I don't think it's bad, though I think I was more impressed by their debut on the Osmonds' special.
Like the Osmonds, the Knudsen Brothers are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I asked on RfM if anyone knew this band back in the day. One person said they were members of her ward back in Utah and provided free entertainment at their ward functions. I'm not LDS myself and have never been. My exposure to the church comes courtesy of my husband, who was LDS when we met and later resigned. It wasn't hard for him, since he was a convert. His daughters are LDS, and one is somewhat rabidly so. I suppose I can thank them for introducing me to the culture. Ex Mormons are some of my favorite people, though I'm not a fan of the church.
Anyway, I've never been to Branson. It might be interesting to go there sometime, just because of all the performers there. On the other hand, a lot of it seems to be acts that are family friendly and somewhat corny. Kind of Las Vegas lite, with less emphasis on gambling, drinking, and other "sins"... I guess this is where people go who miss the corny TV specials that were so popular in the 70s and 80s. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed them myself, even though I was a kid at the time.
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