Straight out of Canada, the extraordinarily talented DeFranco family crossed the border on their way to conquering North America. Their catchy pop tunes became part of the 70s soundtrack and their teen idol quotient was off the charts.

The five DeFranco kids all played instruments and sang in their native Ontario where they were quite well known. Their debut single "Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat" reached the number 3 spot on the Billboard chart in 1973 and the family got plenty of national (and international) attention.

Young Tony was the lead singer of the group and was only 13 when the quintet topped the charts. After he and his siblings--Benny, Marisa, Merlina and Nino--appeared in several teen magazines of time, boys and girls flocked to the dishy new idols.

The group's next hit was "Abra-Ca-Dabra" that placed them in the Top 40 and 1974's "Save the Last Dance for Me" reached the Top 20. During the mid-70s, the DeFranco Family were regular guests on American Bandstand and other variety shows, like The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.

The disappointing performance of their single "Write Me a Letter" pushed the family on to the Las Vegas circuit and subsequent singles didn't find a large audience. The group disbanded in the late 70s but the family didn't break up. On the contrary, the DeFranco are still one big happy family, living in California, though only Tony and Marisa still perform.