Biography.guide
Home › People › Composer › Franke Previte
Portrait of Franke Previte

Franke Previte

b. 1946

American singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Franke Previte

Born 1946. Franke Previte is an American composer, songwriter and singer.

Franke Jon Previte (born May 2, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer. He was the lead singer of the 1980s AOR rock band Franke and the Knockouts.

Biography Born and raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Franke Previte Sr. (an opera singer), Previte was the singer and songwriter of the New Jersey rock quintet Franke and the Knockouts, best known for their 1981 Top 10 hit "Sweetheart". He had previously performed with the Oxford Watch Band and Bull Angus.

Franke and the Knockouts were signed by Millennium Records in 1981 and had three U.S. Top 40 singles, as well as two Top 50 albums.

The band switched to MCA Records in 1984, and split up around 1986. Previte co-wrote music for the hit soundtrack for the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, including "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," and Eric Carmen's hit "Hungry Eyes".

Awards Academy Award for Best Achievement in Music; Best Song for 1987 for Dirty Dancing'''s "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with co-composers John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz.

That same year Previte also received a Golden Globe and a Grammy nomination. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" also won the ASCAP song of the year award. In 2014, the song was chosen as one of ASCAP's top 100 songs ever written, landing at number 15.

Previte was chosen as one of America's top 25 songwriters to represent the US in a songwriter summit in the USSR, which resulted in a release of an album called Music Speaks Louder Than Words'' in 1990.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Academy Award for Best Original Song
Also known as
Franke Jon Previte

People in Franke Previte's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Franke Previte's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Franke Previte?

American singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer

When was Franke Previte born?

Franke Previte was born on 2 May 1946 in New Brunswick.

What is Franke Previte's occupation?

Franke Previte is a composer, songwriter and singer.

What nationality is Franke Previte?

Franke Previte is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Franke Previte

· Wikidata: Q1444560

· DBpedia: Franke Previte

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Franke Previte. https://biography.guide/franke-previte/

MLA: "Franke Previte." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/franke-previte/.

Chicago: "Franke Previte." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/franke-previte/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:02 UTC