"It's surprising how fast time moves on," the 55-year-old said in a telephone interview from Utah. "We didn't plan on making it 50 years, but it happened. We kept on working together and still enjoy working together."
"We still like each other."
He will be joined by brothers Wayne and Merrill in concert Friday night at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, presented by the Isle of Capri Casino.
Notching 53 years, the brothers do most of their entertaining in Branson, Mo., and limit their tours because of what Jay calls his "terminal illness."
"I'm sick of airports," he said.
The Osmonds will present a variety show that includes pop, rock and barbershop music - "we throw everything in that show," Jay said - as well as a musical salute to other brother acts through the years.
"When we go on the road, it's more of a celebration of the different styles of music that we've done over the years," he said.
The brothers began as a barbershop quartet and got their start singing for churches, working their way up to a convention in 1957. Osmond said they argue as all siblings do, but have learned to work through it.
"Working together that close for that many years, you learn each other's style and how to work with them," he said. "We've been through so many different situations through the years with each other."
Their work has included not only performing themselves, but also producing a 1970s TV variety series for their younger siblings, Donny and Marie.
"We've been through the gamut with each other," he said. "We learned when to not to push and when to stand up. It's a matter of being committed, and we're committed to working together."
Jay chronicles much of his own history with the family in his recently released memoirs, "Stages."
The family has been through a difficult past six years that has seen the deaths of both parents as well as the loss of Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son this year.
"The way we were raised, our sound belief system" has kept the family afloat through the years, he said. "Our church - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons - has given us an anchor to help us weather the storm. We've had quite a few storms, real tragedies.
"No family is immune to these things, but one thing our parents gave us was strong belief in God and the next life. We believe we're continuing on a so-called mission to help people," he added. "The music through the years has helped us get through hard times."
The brothers, he said, are going to places they've never or seldom played to thank fans. They are taking decisions on touring one step at a time.
"We're enjoying it more. We never
know if we'll pass this way again," he said. "We never say
whether we'll come back again or not because we never know."
