Song:One Bad Apple
Album:Osmondmania! The Osmond Family's Greatest Hits
The major criticism of The Osmonds back in the 70s was they were a ripoff of The Jackson Five. Of course there's more to it than that. One Bad Apple was their only number one hit. The four Osmond brothers started out as a barbershop quartet performing in their home town of Ogden, UT. It was Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay. They were little kids at the time. Andy Williams' father saw them sing on a Disney TV special and they were regulars on The Andy Williams Show from 1962 to 1969. Donny joined the group at some point. The Osmond Brothers recorded for MGM, Uni and even Williams' label Barnaby. But they were unable to score a hit single. The turning point was when MGM Records president Mike Curb saw them perform and signed them to a contract. He sent them to Muscle Shoals, AL to work with producer Rick Hall at FAME Studio. And it was Hall's idea to make them sound like the Jackson Five. FAME staff songwriter George Jackson wrote One Bad Apple with The Jackson Five in mind. Hall thought it would be perfect for the first single. Fans thought it was The Jackson Five and One Bad Apple topped the charts in 1971. The Osmonds other top ten hits were Yo Yo and Down by the Lazy River. But things started to unravel when Curb spun Donny off as a solo artist. He became the focus of the group to their detriment. Then they recorded the 1973 album The Plan. It was a Mormon concept albums produced by Alan Osmond. Once that album bombed, it was the beginning of the end for The Osmonds. Of course they continued and Donny and Marie were very successful. This budget comp has hits by The Osmonds along with Donny Osmond and Donny & Marie hits. The four Osmond brothers still perform occasionally and they last recorded on their own label in 2012. But there was a time when The Osmonds were the hottest group in pop music. Here are The Osmonds performing One Bad Apple at the Los Angeles Forum 1970.
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