Wayne Osmond, the second eldest of the legendary Osmond family, died on January 1 at the age of 73.
Wayne, one of nine Osmond siblings, formed the Barbershop Quartet in 1958 with his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. After being discovered during a Disneyland show, the boys spent seven years casting the NBC show. the andy williams show Started in 1962.
The Osmonds were founded in their hometown of Ogden, Utah. Their mother, Olive, reflected on their origins in the Mormon faith in a 1976 interview, as recounted in Fred Bronson’s book Billboard Hot Songs Ranking No. 1. “The church encourages talent, starting from a young age with singing, sports and speaking,” she mused. “That’s how the four boys started singing together.”
The Osmonds had four top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and 10 top 40 hits, including 1971’s No. 1 “One Bad Apple.” Allen co-wrote “Down by the Lazy River” (No. 4, 1972) with Merrill Osmond, the band’s biggest self-penned hit. The band achieved the number one album on the Billboard 200 chart Phase IIIreaching No. 10 in 1972.
The Osmonds disbanded in the summer of 1980, following 13 Hot 100 hits from 1971-76. 11 songs, led by their entry hit in the format, the Top 20 “I Miss Your Love.”
While The Osmonds dominated the charts as a group, Downey enjoyed solo success, scoring five Hot 100 top 10 hits from 1971-73, including three weeks at No. 1 with “Go Away Little” Girl,” which topped “One Bad Apple” seven months later. He returned to the charts after a 13-year hiatus, reaching No. 2 in 1989 with “Soldier of Love.”
In addition, Downey and sister Marie Osmond had seven Hot 100 singles from 1974-78, including two in the top 10. Mary had a successful career in country music, writing four No. 1 country songs from 1973-86.
On Jan. 2, Downey shared a heartfelt tribute on I am sure I speak for every one of our brothers and sisters when I say we are blessed to have Wayne as a brother.
Below, browse the Osmonds’ 10 biggest hits on the Hot 100.
Osmond’s largest advertising billboard The click rankings are based on the actual performance of the weekly Hot 100 rankings from its inception on August 4, 1958, to January 4, 2025. position has the lowest weekly income. Due to changes in charting methodologies over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates in different periods.
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“go home”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 36
Hot 100 peak date: July 14, 1973 -
“Let me in”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 36
Hot 100 peak date: October 13, 1973 -
“Hold her tight”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 14
Hot 100 peak date: August 5, 1972 -
“a proud man”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 22
Hot 100 peak date: September 20, 1975 -
“double love”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 14
Hot 100 peak date: July 3, 1971 -
“Crazy Horse”
Hot 100 peak position: No. 14
Hot 100 peak date: December 9, 1972 -
“Love me for a reason”
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 10
Hot 100 peak date: October 19, 1974 -
“At the lazy river”
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 4
Hot 100 peak date: March 4, 1972 -
“Yo yo”
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 3
Hot 100 peak date: October 16, 1971 -
“A bad apple”
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 1 (Five Weeks)
Hot 100 peak date: February 13, 1971