Biography
Formed during 1954, when rock & roll had barely emerged, the Three Friends first assembled as students at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School. Tony Grochowski, Frank Stropoli, and Joe Villa made up the lineup; Stropoli and Grochowski had already cut a single for Jubilee the previous year as members of the Heartbeats, its flip side titled “Boil & Bubble.” After that release, the Heartbeats underwent lineup shifts that brought Villa into the fold. The trio initially pursued a pop vocal-and-comedy routine and began attracting modest bookings, yet the arrival of rock & roll together with a composition centered on a classmate named Blanche redirected their path.
Late in 1955 another Heartbeats outfit scored notable New York airplay with “Crazy for You” through the efforts of deejay Alan Freed. To sidestep any mix-up, the three singers sought a fresh identity while working alongside Teddy Randazzo of the Three Chuckles; Villa later credited Randazzo with proposing the name Three Friends.
The group itself wrote “Blanche,” drawing inspiration from a young woman who had attended their high school. Leo Rogers signed them to his fledgling Lido imprint, and the dreamy ballad appeared in September 1956 backed by the midtempo “Baby I’ll Cry.” Billboard’s October 27 issue awarded the disc three stars, deeming it “very good.” Freed’s approval translated into frequent spins on his New York program, quickly elevating the Three Friends’ profile. The record broke regionally along the East Coast and secured prime engagements, including Freed’s star-studded Christmas 1956 revue at the Brooklyn Paramount alongside Shirley & Lee, the Moonglows, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the Dells, Jesse Belvin, the G-Clefs, and the Heartbeats, plus a separate appearance at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre.
During a November 1956 promotional visit to Philadelphia, the trio and deejay Hy Litt of WHAT radio discovered that no copy of the single could be located; listeners were treated to an impromptu live rendition of “Blanche” and additional numbers. Nearly a year passed before new material surfaced. Lido 502, issued in October 1957, paired the teen-oriented ballad “I’m Only a Boy (To Her)” with the midtempo “Jinx,” while Lido 504 offered two ballads, “Now That You’re Gone” and “Chinese Tea Room.” Their refined pop approach struck some listeners as overly mature for teen tastes, and neither coupling charted. Brunswick later paired “Jinx” with “Chinese Tea Room” for a 1957 reissue that fared no better.
The Three Friends also supplied uncredited harmonies for other artists, supporting Eddie Robbins on the 1958 Power single “Dear Parents” b/w “A Girl Like You” and Eddie Reardon on his 1958 Brunswick pairing “Who Is Eddie” b/w “Just Trying.”
After departing the Three Friends, Villa fronted the Royal Teens, whose novelty rocker “Short Shorts” scored a major 1958 hit first on Power and then on ABC Paramount. The Three Friends contributed vocal harmonies to several later Royal Teens recordings, among them “Believe Me.” Villa subsequently launched a solo career, recording for multiple labels including Dee-Lite and releasing an album plus assorted singles. He revisited “Blanche” twice—first in 1963 on Chevron with a female R&B backing group, then during the 1980s when Teddy Randazzo handled background vocals and production. Villa remains active both as a solo performer and with a Three Friends aggregation on 1950s revival bills, while much of the group’s catalog now appears on multi-artist compilation CDs.
Late in 1955 another Heartbeats outfit scored notable New York airplay with “Crazy for You” through the efforts of deejay Alan Freed. To sidestep any mix-up, the three singers sought a fresh identity while working alongside Teddy Randazzo of the Three Chuckles; Villa later credited Randazzo with proposing the name Three Friends.
The group itself wrote “Blanche,” drawing inspiration from a young woman who had attended their high school. Leo Rogers signed them to his fledgling Lido imprint, and the dreamy ballad appeared in September 1956 backed by the midtempo “Baby I’ll Cry.” Billboard’s October 27 issue awarded the disc three stars, deeming it “very good.” Freed’s approval translated into frequent spins on his New York program, quickly elevating the Three Friends’ profile. The record broke regionally along the East Coast and secured prime engagements, including Freed’s star-studded Christmas 1956 revue at the Brooklyn Paramount alongside Shirley & Lee, the Moonglows, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the Dells, Jesse Belvin, the G-Clefs, and the Heartbeats, plus a separate appearance at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre.
During a November 1956 promotional visit to Philadelphia, the trio and deejay Hy Litt of WHAT radio discovered that no copy of the single could be located; listeners were treated to an impromptu live rendition of “Blanche” and additional numbers. Nearly a year passed before new material surfaced. Lido 502, issued in October 1957, paired the teen-oriented ballad “I’m Only a Boy (To Her)” with the midtempo “Jinx,” while Lido 504 offered two ballads, “Now That You’re Gone” and “Chinese Tea Room.” Their refined pop approach struck some listeners as overly mature for teen tastes, and neither coupling charted. Brunswick later paired “Jinx” with “Chinese Tea Room” for a 1957 reissue that fared no better.
The Three Friends also supplied uncredited harmonies for other artists, supporting Eddie Robbins on the 1958 Power single “Dear Parents” b/w “A Girl Like You” and Eddie Reardon on his 1958 Brunswick pairing “Who Is Eddie” b/w “Just Trying.”
After departing the Three Friends, Villa fronted the Royal Teens, whose novelty rocker “Short Shorts” scored a major 1958 hit first on Power and then on ABC Paramount. The Three Friends contributed vocal harmonies to several later Royal Teens recordings, among them “Believe Me.” Villa subsequently launched a solo career, recording for multiple labels including Dee-Lite and releasing an album plus assorted singles. He revisited “Blanche” twice—first in 1963 on Chevron with a female R&B backing group, then during the 1980s when Teddy Randazzo handled background vocals and production. Villa remains active both as a solo performer and with a Three Friends aggregation on 1950s revival bills, while much of the group’s catalog now appears on multi-artist compilation CDs.
Albums
