The Heartbeats were an American doo-wop and R&B quartet from Jamaica, Queens,
New York, formed in early 1953 as The Hearts by Vernon Sievers, Wally Roker,
Albert Crump and Robbie Tatum; they changed to The Heartbeats after a female
group shared the name. Their best-known single, "A Thousand Miles Away", charted
at number 53 on the U.S. Billboard chart in 1957, and the group was shuffled
between several labels before disbanding in 1959, after which lead vocalist
James Sheppard went on to form Shep and the Limelites. The remaining members
pursued other careers, with Wally Roker con...