Franke & The Knockouts

Franke and the Knockouts was a short lived, early 1980s band formed in New Jersey, USA and fronted by singer/songwriter Franke Previte. Originally there were five members in the band. Franke and the Knockouts were signed by Jimmy Ienner of Millennium Records in 1981 and had three U.S. Top 40 singles and two Top 50 albums. Franke and the Knockouts' biggest single, "Sweetheart," was written by Previte and Guitarist Billy Elworthy and became a Top 10 hit in 1981, peaking at #10 in the U.S. Previte told Songfacts: "The song 'Sweetheart' almost didn't make the record.

Originally there were five members in the band. Franke and the Knockouts were signed by Jimmy Ienner of Millennium Records in 1981 and had three U.S. Top 40 singles and two Top 50 albums. Franke and the Knockouts' biggest single, "Sweetheart," was written by Previte and Guitarist Billy Elworthy and became a Top 10 hit in 1981, peaking at #10 in the U.S. Previte told Songfacts: "The song 'Sweetheart' almost didn't make the record. Jimmy thought it was a hit but a little to cute for a rock band. He was right."

They also wrote and released the original versions of Eric Carmen's 1987 hit single "Hungry Eyes" as well as the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," (both of which were featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing). Previte would later be an Academy Award winner. The band switched to MCA in 1984 and had several album releases but they disbanded in 1986. The group's other two Top 40 hits were "You're My Girl" and "Without You (Not Another Lonely Night)."