JAY Osmond is looking entirely relaxed on the other side of the Zoom lens but I'm a little concerned that his gentle mood could change track fairly quickly.

The sixth-born member of the legendary pop family has written the musical story of The Osmonds, but what does this mean? Is it simply a jukebox show, an opportunity to replay the hits that sold 100m units – or does it have a real dramatic narrative?

There are other questions which could set off discordant moments in the conversation. Were the white-toothed, perennially cheerful brothers too nice and squeaky clean to have had a pop life worth writing about?

What of the music, Jay? How did the boys from Utah feel when Donny’s arrival onto the stage dragged them from the pop- rock world into the land of ‘bubblegum'?

And what of the dynamic of The Osmonds? How do you keep seven egos in check, decide who holds the power? And there’s the religious factor. In the 1960s and 70s, The Osmonds were rarely described without the adjective Mormon attached.

We begin however with a chat about how the musical came about. “Five years ago I was thinking of writing a book about our story when a producer friend of mine said he thought the story should become a musical,” says the band’s drummer. “And he said it should be told from my perspective. Now, I’ve never written a musical before. And we’d been approached several times over the years with offers to create a musical based on The Osmonds. But the timing felt right and he encouraged me to go it alone.”

Jay Osmond met with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s producers and five years later the story has been completed. He recognised immediately, however, it couldn’t be just a series of links to connect the 30 songs performed in the show.

“I wanted to show people the different sides of The Osmonds. People knew we had a tight-knit group but no one knew the reason for this. I wanted to reveal what made us tough [dad George instilled this] and how we managed to get over the obstacles.”

The story begins in 1963 when the brothers were hired to appear on the Andy Williams Show and took America by storm.

We flash forward to the 70s and then back to the 60s, which suggests the script is far from simplistic.

Osmond also had to trace the group’s evolution, from variety act to pop rockers, to chart toppers. The shifting tones gave the band longevity but must have created schisms? “I love that question because it sums up the reality of conflict exactly. It was hard, because we played as The Osmonds, and then Donny joined and we became his backing band.

“It was hard for people to categorise us. You know, we’ve put out 200 albums over the years, we’ve sang and danced and done it all, but because of that you have identity issues.”

In the same year (1972) when Donny came out with Puppy Love, the brothers released the rocking Crazy Horses. And when you add to that little Jimmy Osmond’s Long Haired Lover From Liverpool, the team were covering all the bases, but radio station playlist schedulers found them hard to pigeon hole.

Jay Osmond knew that the show, which features two sets of Osmonds, (“There are the little guys and the older Osmonds) had to address that dilemma.

But he also had to deal with their personal lives, holding relationships together, all the time remembering they were a family unit, as well as a band.

“We had a voting system,” he reveals, with the hint that democracy wasn’t always smooth.

And there was the Mormon tag. Did the association deny them the chance to be seen as rockers? “Well, it’s almost like you’ve seen the musical because that’s exactly what we deal with. At one point we were called ‘The Mormon Von Trapp family.’”

What of the disparate voices in the band? Has he reflected those in his writing? “Yes, the Osmonds’ story may have been different had it been written by Merrill for example. Or Donny. So, I wrote it how I saw it. And you’re right; I was concerned at first that this was my story.

“But each one of the brothers has come up to me and said how much they support the project. And the other night Donny wrote me a note saying, ‘Not only do I support this, I believe in you.’”

That’s nice. But then that’s what you’d expect from The Osmonds. Fundamentally nice people who look out for each other. “We’ve always had this ‘one for all and all for one,’ motto.” He grins: “But as you can imagine, it’s sometimes been difficult to push your own priorities aside.”

What have been the toughest parts of the Osmond’s journey? The constant pressure to produce albums? Going out on the road constantly? Having to wear the Elvis rhinestone suits, or cope with Donny and Marie on the telly? “One of things I struggled with was bringing out my personal view within a family system.

"And how to progress musically. On top of that we had a lot of different people telling us what to do. And yet all the time we had to make the decisions that were best for the family.”

It’s a dynamic most groups never even have to contemplate. “But I think we pulled it off. We’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘Wow, what a boy band!’ And they’re talking of a band that was in the charts 50 years ago.”

Indeed. The Osmond’s story is tale of longevity. And fun. And some very good songs. But with some searching into how it was all possible.

There’s little doubt that Wyoming-based Jay Osmond has loved the family band journey, even coping with all the competition that came their way, such as the Bay City Rollers. “The boys were great,” he says with real generosity of spirit. “The Jacksons were our buddies.”

His voice becomes a little more serious. “You know, the hardest part of my career has been putting this musical together, so that it’s real and heartfelt.”

The reviews suggest the drumming Osmond has pulled it off. And it’s a chance to showcase his own talent.

He adds; “I’ve always been a team player, never one to go up front but this has changed that. And I feel great about it.”

The Osmonds - A New Musical, King's Theatre, Glasgow, runs until this Saturday (19 February). Then 20-24 September, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, and 1-5 November, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen