Archive for May, 2008

GeneTree is currently collaborating with the Osmonds to promote the concept of extended family, and will work with the family to find and connect with unknown relatives living throughout the world.

“Family is one of the most powerful positive influences in each of our lives,” said Alan Osmond, the oldest performing member of the Osmond family. “We are delighted to collaborate with GeneTree to promote the importance of family connections and to emphasize the close genetic connection we all share as members of a single human family.”

The Osmond family homepage, www.Osmond.com, features a prominent link toOsmonds.GeneTree.com, under the heading, “Hi Cousin! Are You An Osmond?” The Osmonds GeneTree link encourages people throughout the world to learn more about their genetic heritage by registering for a free GeneTree membership account, and ordering and submitting a cost-effective GeneTree DNA test kit. GeneTree members can use the site to find and contact previously unknown relatives in more than 170 countries, utilizing the world’s most diverse collection of DNA samples. In addition, GeneTree is publishing the Osmond family tree and family photos on the site and sending out an exclusive 50^th Anniversary keepsake photo of the Osmonds with every DNA kit order.

A GeneTree banner illustrating Osmonds.GeneTree.com will also be placed at venues throughout the Osmond 50^th Anniversary tour, and a GeneTree brochure inviting people to join GeneTree and learn whether they are related to the Osmonds will be included in each of the concert programs.

During the course of the tour, the Osmonds and GeneTree will meet with newly discovered relatives who learned of their family connection through Osmonds.GeneTree.com.

The tour kicked off May 18 with a performance in Belfast, Ireland, followed by performances in Glasgow, Scotland (May 20); Newcastle (May 22), Sheffield (May 23), Manchester (May 24), Birmingham (May 26), Cardiff (May 27 and May 28), London Wembley Arena (May 30) and London 02 Arena (June 1) in Great Britain; Perth, Australia (June 5); Taipei, Taiwan (June 8); Manila, Philippines (June 14); Singapore (June 17); and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (June 21).

“It is a genuine honor to work with the Osmonds in broadening and deepening family connections for people throughout the world,” said John Winger, vice president of marketing for GeneTree. “It’s difficult to imagine a group of entertainers who represent the ideals and reality of family better than the Osmonds.”

The Osmond family is one of the world’s best-known and most popular entertainment families. The Osmonds – originally consisting of performing brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay – entered the world music stage with a breakout performance at Disneyland, followed by regular appearances on the Andy Williams Show in the early 1960s. The group later added brothers Donny and Jimmy and the family’s only sister, Marie, to the mix. Older brothers George Jr. and Thomas are both legally deaf and do not sing with the family, although they have appeared fairly frequently on stage with their siblings.

Beginning in the early 1970s, the Osmond Brothers released a series of successful albums with a long string of hit singles, including “One Bad Apple,” which topped the pop charts for five consecutive weeks and top ten singles “Yo-yo” and “Down by the Lazy River.” The Osmonds’ notoriety and popularity was furthered by the Saturday morning cartoon series The Osmonds, which aired in 1972 and 1973; theDonny and Marie variety show (1976 to 1979); Donny’s starring Broadway turns in the title role ofJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat and as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast; Marie’s recent third-place run on Dancing with the Stars; and a 50^th-anniversary appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show honoring the family’s patriarch George Osmond shortly after his passing.

About GeneTree

GeneTree (www.genetree.com) is a DNA-enabled family history-sharing Web site designed to help people understand where their personal histories belong within the greater human genetic story. GeneTree creates opportunities for unlocking human genetic heritage, discovering ancestors, connecting and collaborating with living relatives, and sharing rich media to help discover, document and preserve family histories. GeneTree was developed by the Sorenson family of companies and draws on the expertise of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that developed the world’s foremost collection of genetic-genealogy information; and Sorenson Media, which created of the world’s leading digital video compression software.

The GeneTree online press room is located at http://www.genetree.com/help/pressroom.html.