Franke & The Knockouts

Frontman Franke Previte guided the New Jersey outfit Franke & the Knockouts to multiple pop successes during the first half of the 1980s. Having performed with regional groups from his teenage years onward, Previte assembled the unit alongside guitarist Billy Elworthy in 1980, landing a rapid contract with Millennium Records. The remaining members of the original five-piece lineup consisted of keyboardist Blake Levinsohn, bassist Leigh Foxx, and drummer Claude LeHenaff. Their debut album, reflecting a bright pop-rock approach, achieved unexpected commercial traction by yielding the Top Ten hit “Sweetheart” and the follow-up Top 40 entry “You’re My Girl.” Drummer LeHenaff departed toward the end of 1981, after which future Bon Jovi percussionist Tico Torres contributed to the next pair of releases; keyboardist Tommy Ayers came aboard in early 1982. The group issued its sophomore effort, Below the Belt, that same year and secured another Top 40 placement with the synth-driven ballad “Without You (Not Another Lonely Night)” during the summer months. After moving to MCA, Franke & the Knockouts delivered their last album, 1984’s Makin’ the Point, amid continued commercial decline. Previte achieved major recognition in 1987 when a pair of his co-written compositions appeared on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Eric Carmen’s rendition of “Hungry Eyes” climbed to the Top Five, reviving the former Raspberry’s chart profile, while Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes reached number one with “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” Originally tracked by Franke & the Knockouts yet left unreleased at the time, “Hungry Eyes” joined the band’s three charting singles on the 1999 compilation Sweetheart Collection.