Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton was an early 1970s band who scored a Top 40 hit with their first single, "Go Back". Though nearly everybody in the group was from a LA based band called Stonehenge, the group was re-vamped with the introduction of Michael Fennelly to the line-up. Although Fennelly was the final addition to the group, he was the group's leader, writing all of their material and being the sole guitarist and vocalist. Fennelly had previously been one of the principal vocalists and songwriters in The Millennium, whose sole album (Begin, 1968), is considered a classic of sunshine pop.

The group was signed to Elektra Records, probably at the insistence of Jac Holzman, who was a big fan of Begin, and was later responsible for Curt Boettcher being signed to Elektra. The group recorded their first album for the label, and things looked promising when their debut single, "Go Back", climbed to #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, the album, Crabby Appleton, stalled at #175 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, which would mark the extent of the group's chart success. Their second (and final) album, Rotten To The Core, as well as their subsequent singles, all missed the charts, and the group disbanded.

Fennelly went on to attempt a career as a solo artist and studio musician, though none of his later efforts as a solo musician were successful.

Both Crabby Appleton albums have been reissued on CD by Collector's Choice Music, and "Go Back" has been released on many "Hits of the 1970s" compilations.

The group is apparently named after the character of the same name from the Tom Terrific cartoon.

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