The next artist on the ‘most forgotten’ list is Gary Lewis & the Playboys, but I’ve featured them on the blog a couple of times recently so they won’t have the honor today.

Instead, we come to the only 70s band near the top of the list: The Osmonds. To be fair, I’m sure people remember Donny (and Marie) Osmond to a greater degree than their family band. But the singing group that had 10 Top 40 hits in the first half of the 70s… not so much.

The Osmonds are the first act on this list to score a #1 single. ‘One Bad Apple’ debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1971 and stayed there for five weeks. Originally written for the Jackson 5, it was passed on in favor of ‘ABC.’ I guess that worked out for both bands.

The song sure sounds like the Jackson 5, especially when Donny chimes in with the Michael part.

After The Osmonds’ successful early 70s run, Donny shifted his focus to a solo career and hosted a TV show with sister Marie. That didn’t bode well for the band, and the hits dried up, even as they branched out into country and hard rock.

They continued performing for decades with different lineups and different names (oldest brother Alan fathered eight sons, who performed as The Osmond Boys in the 80s). Wayne Osmond, the second oldest brother, died of a stroke earlier this year at just 73.