THE lead singer in what might be called the original boy band comes to Darlington at the end of March on a solo tour.

Double grammy award-winner Merrill Osmond will perform some of the Osmonds' greatest hits at the Civic Theatre.

Now 51, he is pleased to be returning to the UK, which he and his brothers regard as a second home. Though the songs will be the same, Merrill said the show would be different from a typical Osmonds' performance in the 1970s.

"I am going to try to give it to the audience, to create a little excitement and bring people up on stage," he said. "We just couldn't have done that in the 1970s. The songs will be the same, but of course I miss performing with my brothers."

He looks back on those days with affection.

"In the 1970s, it was a dream. Every day, you're doing something different and travelling somewhere different. I have enjoyed every phase of my journey. What happened in the 1970s was amazing."

For this Osmond, however, the journey is far from over. As testament to the enduring popularity of the family line-up, Merrill still gets about a million hits a month on his web site.

Collectively, the Osmonds produced 47 gold and platinum records, and the group had five number one hits. "Paul McCartney told me himself we had something there that was just unbelievable," he said. "I am just humbled by it all."

The admiration was clearly mutual. Merrill cites Hey Jude as his favourite song of all time. "Anything the Beatles did is just amazing to me because I liked their variety of songs."

As well as an extremely successful singing career, Merrill is also a producer, most famously working on the Donnie and Marie Show in the US from 1976-79.

His production skills have also been requested by two different US presidents, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Snr, for whom he worked on separate TV documentaries. Merrill said: "I haven't done too much for the current President George Bush, but I have known that family for many years and I like that family. I like their commitment to their religion."

Deeply religious himself, he believes strongly in the notion that music can uplift a person's spirit. "I care about the soul of a person and I care about them being happy."

He said his new material was very much based on these principals. "It's a message of hope. It says that we are going to be OK and that we are all brothers and sisters," he said.

In accordance with this sentiment, Merrill embarked last month on a 13-city tour in America in aid of the tsunami victims which continues throughout February. His show at the Civic Theatre in Darlington is billed for March 31.

Lauren Pyrah