The Lettermen are an American pop music vocal group. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. They were popular mainly with adult audiences during the 1960s.
Contents |
History
The group was formed in late 1950s by Mike Barnett, Dick Stewart and Tony Butala. They auditioned for Jackie Barnett, chief comedy writer for the Jimmy Durante TV show. They landed the part to impersonate The Rhythm Boys, the vocal group that traveled with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in the late 1920s, and gave Bing Crosby his initial fame. The "Newcomers of 1928" review opened on 28 February 1958 at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, Nevada. This review also starred Paul Whiteman, Buster Keaton, Rudy Vallée, Harry Richmond and Fifi D'Orsay. They played to sell-out audiences and were held over for many weeks. This review also played a six week review at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, with Butala being the only consistent Letterman. Barnett and Russell were replaced by Gary Clarke and Jerry Paul. When the review ended, Butala landed a job as singer/bass player in a lounge group, "Bill Norvas and the Upstarts", with Gary Clarke. After a few months, Clarke left the group and was replaced by Jim Pike. Pike and Butala decided to leave the Upstarts and resume the Lettermen although they had not yet decided to use the Lettermen name. Pike envisioned a group where each member was an excellent soloist as well as a competent group singer. Pike recommended the third Letterman should be Bob Engemann, a singer that Pike had met when he attended Brigham Young University a few years earlier. Both had come to Los Angeles, California, and sang together in different combinations until Engemann had go into the National Guard for 6 months. At that point, Pike joined Bill Norvis and met Butala. This combination first recorded in late 1959. They secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records through Bob Engemann's older brother, Karl Engemann, who was a record producer there, and for whom Pike had released a record earlier called "Lucy D", which was not successful. Pike, Butala and Engemann as "The Lettermen" released two singles in 1960. The A-sides were "Two Hearts" and "There Hearts Were Full Of Spring". They were not successful. Karl Engemann moved on to Capitol Records as President of A&R. He got them out of their contract at Warner Bros., and made an appointment with Nick Venet, a producer at Capitol and they were signed. There was another "Lettermen" group in the late 1950s and early 1960s that recorded for Liberty Records, (which was a major label at the time). They were an R&B group with five members, and their single was called "Hey Big Brain". But the "Lettermen" of Pike, Engemann and Butala had the first hit record, so they were entitled to exclusively use the "Lettermen" name. There was also a group in the mid 1950s called The Lettermen Trio, but had no record success. The Lettermen were unknown until they signed with Capitol Records in 1961. Their first single for Capitol, "The Way You Look Tonight," succeeded on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and their next, "When I Fall in Love," reached the Top 10 in late 1962. They had several other Top 10 hits, such as the 1965's, " Theme From A Summer Place". In late 1967 Bob Engemann resigned, and was replaced by Jim Pike's younger brother, Gary Pike. The hits continued with the 1968 medley "Goin' Out of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You", and in 1968 with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", plus 1969's "Hurt So Bad". The last successful single was in 1972, "Love" a solo by Pike. The Lettermen have had 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, five Grammy nominations, an Andy Award, and a Cleo Award. In 1976, Jim Pike left the group and sold the Lettermen name to Butala. In 1981 Gary Pike left the Lettermen, and today Jim and Gary Pike, along with Ric de Azevedo, sing The Lettermen hits, billed as Reunion.
In 1961, The Lettermen started performing live concerts doing over 100 shows a year, an unbroken string that continues to the present now amounting to 46 years. Over the decades, the group has had various line-ups, replacing members who left for various reasons with new people to maintain a trio. Tony Butala, who (as of 2007) is still a member, has stated that the group ethos is that of three strong soloists that harmonize, and that the group encourages individual singing and songwriting. They pride themselves in welcoming audience member photographs during the show, unlike many recording acts.
Personnel over the years
- Tony Butala
- Bob Engermann
- Gary Pike
- Donny Pike
- Jim Pike
- Ralph "Chad" Nichols
- Don Campeau
- Ernie Pontiere
- Bobby Poynton
- Darren Dowler
- Donovan Tea
- Mark Preston was asked to join the group in 1980, but due to previous commitments, had to turn the offer down. In the following years, Preston was the opening act for Phyllis Diller, as well as stand-in and photo double for Robert Urich. In 1984, Butala called again, and at that time, Preston joined the group. Along with Donovan Tea (who started the same day) the trio released several singles, and two albums. Preston left the group in 1988, and returned to a solo career that encompassed showrooms around the country, and many different cruise lines. In January 2006, Preston rejoined the Lettermen, and the combination of Butala, Tea and Preston is the current line-up.
- David "Red" Saber (now a maritime captain hired to scatter cremated ashes in the sea at Redondo Beach, California)
Awards and recognition
- Inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001
Discography
Albums
- A Song for Young Love (1962)
- Once Upon a Time (1962)
- Jim, Tony and Bob (1962)
- College Standards (1963)
- The Lettermen in Concert (1963) (Live)
- A Lettermen Kind of Love (1964)
- She Cried (1964)
- The Lettermen Look at Love (1964)
- Portrait of My Love (1965)
- The Hit Sounds of the Letter (1965)
- You'll Never Walk Alone (1965)
- More Hit Sounds of the Lettermen (1966)
- New Song for Young Love (1966)
- The Best of the Lettermen (1966)
- For Christmas This Year (1966; re-released in 1975 and again in 1990)
- Spring! (1967)
- The Lettermen!!...And Live! (1967) (Live)
- Warm (1967)
- Goin' Out of My Head (1968)
- Put Your Head on My Shoulder (1968)
- Special Request (1968)
- Hurt So Bad (1969)
- I Have Dreamed (1969)
- Close Up (1969)
- The Best of the Lettermen, Volume 2 (1969)
- Reflections (1970)
- Traces/Memories (1970)
- Everything's Good About You (1971)
- Feelings (1971)
- Love Book (1971)
- Lettermen 1 (1972)
- Spin Away (1972)
- Alive Again...Naturally (1973)
- Now and Forever (1974)
- All-Time Greatest Hits (1974)
- There is no Greater Love (1975)
- Make a Time for Lovin' (1975)
- The Time Is Right (1975)
- The Lovin' Touch of The Lettermen (1975)
- Kind of Country (1976)
- With Love From The Lettermen (1977)
- To A Friend (1977)
- Love Is... (1979)
- Close to You (1992)
- Sing We Noel (1992)
- Twin Best Now (1992) (Japanese import)
- When I Fall in Love (1992)
- Why I Love Her (1987; re-released in 1993 and again in 2006)
- The Best of the Lettermen (1993)
- Deck the Halls (1995)
- Today (1997)
- Christmas with the Lettermen (1997)
- (1999)
- Greatest Movie Hits (2000)
- A Song for Young Love/Once Once Upon a Time (2003)
- (2003)
- Absolutely The Best (2004)
- (2006)
- (2007)
- (2007)
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US AC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | "The Way You Look Tonight" | 13 | 3 |
| 1961 | "When I Fall in Love" | 7 | 1 |
| 1962 | "Son of Old Rivers"1 | - | - |
| 1962 | "Come Back Silly Girl" | 17 | 3 |
| 1962 | "How Is Julie?" | 42 | 16 |
| 1962 | "Turn Around, Look at Me"2 | 105 | - |
| 1962 | "Silly Boy (She Doesn't Love You)" | 81 | - |
| 1962 | "Again"3 | 120 | - |
| 1963 | "Heartache Oh Heartache"4 | 122 | - |
| 1963 | "Allentown Jail"5 | 123 | - |
| 1963 | "Where or When" | 98 | - |
| 1964 | "Put Away Your Tear Drops"6 | 132 | - |
| 1964 | "You Don't Know Just How Lucky You Are" | - | - |
| 1965 | "Girl with a Little Tin Heart"7 | 135 | - |
| 1965 | "Theme from A Summer Place" | 16 | 2 |
| 1965 | "Secretly" | 64 | 8 |
| 1965 | "Sweet September"8 | 114 | 24 |
| 1966 | "You'll Be Needin' Me" | - | - |
| 1966 | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | 72 | 4 |
| 1966 | "Chanson D'Amour"9 | 112 | 8 |
| 1967 | "Our Winter Love" | 72 | 16 |
| 1967 | "Volare" | - | 17 |
| 1967 | "Somewhere My Love" | - | - |
| 1967 | "Goin' Out of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | 7 | 2 |
| 1968 | "Sherry Don't Go" | 52 | 9 |
| 1968 | "All the Grey Haired Men"10 | 109 | - |
| 1968 | "Holly" | - | - |
| 1968 | "Medley: Love Is Blue/Greensleeves" | - | - |
| 1968 | "Sally le Roy" | - | - |
| 1968 | "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" | 44 | 8 |
| 1969 | "I Have Dreamed"11 | 129 | 16 |
| 1969 | "Blue on Blue" | - | - |
| 1969 | "Hurt So Bad" | 12 | 2 |
| 1969 | "Shangri-La" | 64 | 8 |
| 1969 | "Traces/Memories Medley" | 47 | 3 |
| 1970 | "Hang On Sloopy" | 93 | 18 |
| 1970 | "She Cried" | 73 | 6 |
| 1970 | "Hey Girl"12 | 104 | 17 |
| 1971 | "Morning Girl" | - | 34 |
| 1971 | "Everything Is Good About You" | 74 | 6 |
| 1971 | "The Greatest Discovery" | - | - |
| 1971 | "Feelings" | - | 33 |
| 1971 | "Love" | 42 | 8 |
| 1971 | "Oh My Love" | - | - |
| 1972 | "Spin Away" | - | - |
| 1973 | "Sandman" | - | - |
| 1973 | "Summer Song" | - | 25 |
| 1974 | "The You Part of Me" | - | - |
| 1974 | "Touch Me in the Morning/The Way We Were" | - | 31 |
| 1975 | "Eastward" | - | 16 |
| 1975 | "You Are My Sunshine Girl" | - | 28 |
| 1976 | "If You Feel the Way I Do" | - | - |
| 1976 | "The Way You Look Tonight"13 | - | - |
| 1977 | "What I Did for Love" | - | - |
| 1979 | "World Fantasy" | - | - |
| 1980 | "In the Morning I'm Coming Home" | - | - |
| 1985 | "It Feels like Christmas" | - | - |
| 1986 | "Proud Lady of America" | - | - |
| 1987 | "One More Summer Night" | - | - |
| 1988 | "All I Ask of You" | - | - |
Footnotes:
1"Son of Old Rivers," a parody of "Old Rivers" by Walter Brennan, was recorded by Butala, Engelmann, and Pike.
2"Turn Around, Look at Me," the b-side of "How Is Julie?," did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
3"Again" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #20 on the Bubbling Under chart.
4"Heartache Oh Heartache" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #22 on the Bubbling Under chart.
5"Allentown Jail" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #23 on the Bubbling Under chart.
6"Put Away Your Tear Drops" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #32 on the Bubbling Under chart.
7"Girl With a Little Tin Heart" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #35 on the Bubbling Under chart.
8"Sweet September" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #14 on the Bubbling Under chart.
9"Chanson D'Amour" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #12 on the Bubbling Under chart.
10"All the Grey Haired Men" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #9 on the Bubbling Under chart.
11"I Have Dreamed" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #29 on the Bubbling Under chart.
12"Hey Girl" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit #4 on the Bubbling Under chart.
13The 1976 release of "The Way You Look Tonight" was a new disco version.
