THE HEARTBEATS aka THE THREE FRIENDS

Brooklyn,1955 four students at the Utrecht high school;Tony Grochowski(2nd Tenor),Frankie Stropoli(Lead),Al Rosenberg(1st Tenor) and Joe Sucamele(Bass) formed a vocal group under the name of The Heartbeats,they recorded one disc for Jubilee Records with the sides_Finally/Bol & Bubble. the B side have as lead a girl named Florence Guida.
These sides with The Teardrop's recordings on Josie Records are considered one of the first white doo wops recordings.

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With the release the group have many appearances on various Rock & Roll shows it was at one such show in Philadelphia where they met the black Heartbeat's group and as result of the disscussion name the white Heartbeat's disband instead.

Soon Tony Grochowski(2nd Tenor) and Frankie Stropoli(Tenor) with a new guy Joey Villa(Lead) form a new vocal group called The Boyfriends,they have one original demo_Bill & Blanche. this was listen by Leo Rogers liked the tune and formed the Lido Records Company for this group release.the demo was produced and arranged by Teddy Randazzo of The Three Chuckles fame(see in this blog) and finally released in September,1956 as_Blanche.and under the new group name of The Three Friends.(name recommended by Teddy as immitation of their group 3 Chuckles).

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The song have a big acceptacion and was covered by Eddie Delmar in Philadelhia.the group travel with Alan freed at the NY. Paramount.


Two new releases in 1956-57 for Lido Records without any success(the group are influencied by the pop sound of The Tree Chuckles and in those days of Rock & Roll sound their sound were untimely) caused the breakup of the group Frankie go as a solo artist and Tony and Joey recorded many demos one of these _Short Short. later recorded by Joey Villa and their band The Royalteens was a hit # 3 in 1958.

Tony sang background Tenor for The Royalteens,Four Seasons  for solo artists as Eddie Robbins,Teddy Randazzo or Eddie Reardon many of these work were credited to The Three Friends.

In 1962 Joey Villa reissued_Blanche on MF and Chevron Records with different B Sides.

In 1957 The Three Friends recorded on Lido Records their last single,this have the side_Chinese Tea Room.

To Listen or Download please visit;http://www.box.net/shared/0bc5ony54h

Complete Discography...

***The Heartbeats.

-Finally/Boil & Bubble. Jubilee Records-1955. 

***The Three Friends.

-Blanche Baby I'll Cry. Lido/Relic Records-1956.
-I'm Only A Boy (To Her)/Jinx. Lido. Records-1956.
-Chinese Tea Room/Jinx. Brunswick Records-1957.
-Now That You'Re Gone/Chinese Tea Room. Lido Records-1957.

 ***Joey Villa & The Original Three Friends.

-Blanche/The Oriental. Chevron-1962.

*** Joey Villa (with The Original Three Friends).

-Blanche/Mona Lisa. MF Records-1962.

*** Eddie Robbins with Tony Grochowski.

-Dear Parents/A Girl Like You. Power/Dot/Tip Top Records-1957.

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