Franke and the Knockouts was a short-lived band, formed in New Jersey, USA and fronted by singer/songwriter Franke Previte. Franke and the Knockouts were signed by Millennium Records in 1981 and had three U.S. Top 40 singles and two Top 50 albums. The group's biggest hit, "Sweetheart," was written by Previte along with Knockouts guitarist Billy Elworthy, peaking at #10 in the U.S. in June of 1981. 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), and it would also earn Previte an Academy Award for Best Original Song.