Selling Shoes to The Osmonds

So very sad to see on the news that Wayne Osmond of The Osmonds has passed away. It took me back to one day in 1972 before I was designing album covers and for a few short years I was designing amazing platform and stacked-heel boots and shoes in colourful leathers and reptile skins. My company was called Daisy Roots and my showroom was in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge.

One day I got a call from Polydor Records press office saying they’d like to bring over Donny and Wayne Osmond to buy some shoes. In due course, a big Daimler pulled up on the pavement outside and a couple of bodyguards stepped out and ushered in Wayne and 15-year-old little Donny accompanied by their father George Osmond. Great guys, very polite and lots of fun. They tried on several pairs of shoes, including pa George who was trying some on for the other guys in the band. They took with them several pairs of my platform boots and shoes. A couple of weeks later I saw them all on on TV wearing my footwear.

These were the first of many musicians who were to buy my shoes. Later I sold them to various members of Roxy Music and to Elton John – who had several pairs in various colours. George Harrison had a pair too. And native American band Redbone paid me a visit too. Best of all was Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher who would rush in every few months, always in a hurry, and order a pair of size 8 zip-up short ankle boots with a stack heel and always, always in green leather. No other colour would do. “Because I’m Irish!” he would say.

An amusing addendum to my Osmonds story . . . In 1975 I got the chance to see The Osmonds live at Earls Court, in London. It was 29 May 1975. They were truly amazing, great musicians, great vocals, so professional and a really great concert. Truly amazing too were the other band I saw on the very same stage four days earlier . . . Led Zeppelin!