小简介 　　 　　熟悉70年代流行歌曲的朋友，对于当年热门歌坛一白一黑两支家族合唱团互别苗头的战况， 应该都很难忘怀。这两支合唱团都是由五名青少年兄弟组成的，而且都是由其中年纪最小的弟弟担任主场。 黑的是包括 Michael Jackson 在内的 The Jackson 5，白的是由 Donny Osmond 挂帅的 The Osmonds。 由于成立于1966年的 The Jacson 5 早在1970年初就已经率先连续夺得冠军而声名大噪。The Osmonds 则到了1971年才崛起，同时它们是＂张相比较的人喜爱＂的白人，似乎压倒了 The Jackson 5 的声势， 而让人们错认为他们是后来居上。 事实上， 他们在演艺圈的历史要比 The Jackson 5 要来得就一点。这两个家族除了膚色不同外，其实某些地方是很相似的。首先， 他们都有着充满野心的父母，其次，他们的父母都很会做人，两家都各有九个小孩。 　　 　　来自犹他州的 Osmond 家族，信奉的是摩门教。按照他们的习惯，每个星期一的晚间都是“家族之夜”，　大家都带着孩子上教堂去，鼓励孩子们表演各种才艺。　由此发掘出后来以演艺事业出名的 The Osmond 。 　　 　　The Osmonds 在1971年初以“One Bad Apple”夺下连续五周全美冠军后，他们成了媒体最喜爱的宠儿， 许多青少年流行杂志纷纷报道他们的故事， 对于长相最讨人喜爱的Donny 更欲以大篇幅报道 　　 　　Following the breakout success of the Jackson 5 in 1970, it was practically inevitable that a pre-existing quintet of brothers, who had already enjoyed almost a decade in the national spotlight, would follow them to teen idol superstardom. With dynamic youngest brother Donny as a focal point (much like Michael was for the Jacksons), the Osmonds did exactly that, enjoying a run of massive popularity during 1971-1972. While their success as a unit began to wane and had flickered out by the end of 1974, the Osmonds spun off a long-lasting show business career for Donny (as well as sister Marie), and the other members of the group even enjoyed a successful comeback as country artists. 　　 　　Born to George and Olive Osmond of Ogden, UT, brothers Alan (born June 22, 1949), Wayne (born August 28, 1951), Merrill (born April 30, 1953), and Jay (born March 2, 1955) began singing together in 1959, honing their performance skills at family entertainment venues such as county fairs and amusement parks. At this point, the brothers chiefly sang barbershop harmony, mixing some gospel tunes into their repertoire as well. In 1962, George took the boys to Los Angeles, hoping to secure an audition for The Lawrence Welk Show; after Welk refused to see the group, their father eased the disappointment with a trip to Disneyland, where the brothers gave an impromptu concert with another barbershop quartet employed by the park. The Osmonds were signed on as regular nighttime performers, and luck smiled on them just a few weeks later when the father of popular singer — and newly minted variety show host — Andy Williams caught their act and recommended them to his son. Five days before Christmas in 1962, the Osmonds made their national television debut on The Andy Williams Show, on which they would continue to appear regularly until its cancellation in 1967. About a year after that initial appearance, younger brother Donny (born December 9, 1957) officially joined the group as well, and the Osmonds soon began to broaden their musical range with clean-cut pop songs. 　　 　　Following the demise of the Williams series, the Osmonds moved on to The Jerry Lewis Show, where they stayed until 1969. In 1970, the commercial explosion of family bubblegum groups such as the real-life Jackson 5 and the fictional Partridge Family made the Osmonds obvious candidates for pop stardom. MGM president Mike Curb signed the Osmonds and sent them to work with Muscle Shoals studio owner and famed R&B producer Rick Hall. Halls staff songwriter George Jackson had penned a sure-fire hit titled One Bad Apple (Dont Spoil the Whole Bunch), which appeared on the groups debut album, Osmonds. Released as a single at the very beginning of 1971, One Bad Apple shot up the charts and landed in the top spot for five weeks, finally establishing the Osmonds as recording stars after nearly a decade in the public eye. A steady stream of hits continued unabated through 1972, including Double Lovin, the Top Five hits Yo-Yo and Down by the Lazy River, Hold Her Tight, and Crazy Horses. Their albums sold well too; Osmonds went gold, as did its four followers: 1971s Homemade and the 1972 triumvirate of Phase-III, The Osmonds Live, and Crazy Horses. Whats more, Donnys concurrent solo career was in full swing as well, with Go Away Little Girl topping the singles charts in 1971. 　　 　　The Osmonds momentum was slowed a bit in 1973 with The Plan, a concept album about their Mormon faith that failed to connect with the record-buying public to the same degree (although it was surprisingly popular in the U.K.). Younger sister Marie Osmond began making public appearances with the group later that year at the age of 13 (although she was never an official member) and scored a solo hit with Paper Roses. In the end, changing tastes and an excess of spinoff projects proved to be too much for the original Osmonds to last as a group; 1974s Love Me for a Reason was the quintets last Top Ten single, by which point Donny and Marie had established their own separate careers (although they often recorded as a duet act over the next few years). The group didnt officially disband until 1980, but as a unit they had long since ceased to be a commercial force in pop music. 　　 　　Donny made a brief comeback in the late 80s as a contemporary dance-pop singer and Broadway performer, as well as reuniting with his sister in the late 90s for a daytime talk show, Donny & Marie. Marie had a few hits on the country charts in the 90s and was featured on one season of the ABC television show Dancing With the Stars in 2007. Beginning in the early 80s, the four eldest members of the Osmonds — Alan, Merrill, Wayne, and Jay — performed together as a country act under the name the Osmond Brothers and achieved respectable commercial success. In 1996, Alan retired from performing, and Jimmy Osmond took his place. They continued to release albums available through their website and The Osmond Family Theatre in Branson, MO.