The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is

close-harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...

pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contemporary chart (including one No. 1), 32 consecutive ''Billboard''

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

albums, 11

gold records Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, and five

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominations.

History

In 1958, the stage revue ''Newcomers of 1928'' was produced, a nostalgia act which starred 1920s stars

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

Harry Richman Harry Richman (born Henry Reichman Jr.; August 10, 1895 – November 3, 1972) was an American singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and nightclub performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In his peak yea ...

, and

Fifi D'Orsay Fifi D'Orsay (born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier; April 16, 1904 – December 2, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress and singer. Early life Fifi D'Orsay was born Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father who was a postal cl ...

. The show required three male singers to impersonate

The Rhythm Boys The Rhythm Boys were an American male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Crosby and Rinker began performing together in 1925 and were recruited by Paul Whiteman in late 1926. Pianist/singer/songwriter Barris joine ...

, the

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in se ...

that traveled with Whiteman and his orchestra in the late 1920s, and gave

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

his initial fame. The three singers selected were Mike Barnett, Dick Stewart, and

Tony Butala Anthony Francis Butala (born November 20, 1940) is an American singer.

. Jackie Barnett, who was chief comedy writer for the

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

TV show, had auditioned the singers, and he decided to name the group "The Lettermen" for the show. ''Newcomers of 1928'' opened on February 28, 1958, at the Desert Inn in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. They played to sell-out audiences and were held over for many weeks. Continuing with a six-week tryout at the Deauville Hotel in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

, the idea continued to be a smash. Barnett and Russell were replaced midway through the run by Gary Clarke and Jerry Paul. When the show ended, Butala landed a job as singer/bass player in a lounge group, "Bill Norvis and the Upstarts", along with Clarke. After a few months, Clarke left the group and was replaced by Jim Pike (November 6, 1936 – June 9, 2019). Pike and Butala decided to leave the Upstarts and form a new group, although they had not yet decided on a name. Pike envisioned a group where each member was an excellent soloist as well as a great group singer. Pike and Butala joined with Bob Engemann (February 19, 1935 – January 20, 2013), a singer that Pike had met when he attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

a few years earlier. (Pike and Engemann had come to Los Angeles, California, and had sung together until Engemann had to go into the

California National Guard The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

for 6 months. That's why Pike joined Bill Norvis and there met Butala.) The combination of Pike, Engemann and Butala first recorded in 1960. They secured a recording contract with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

through Bob Engemann's older brother, Karl Engemann, who was a record producer there, and for whom Pike had earlier released a record called ''Lucy D'', which was not successful. Karl Engemann years later became

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

's personal manager for many years. Pike, Butala, and Engemann as "The Lettermen" released two

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

in 1960 for Warner Bros. The A-sides were "Two Hearts" and "

Their Hearts Were Full of Spring "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" is a song written by Bobby Troup. It has been recorded by many artists including Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer), Jimmie Rodgers, the Four Freshmen, the Lettermen, the Beach Boys, Sue Raney, the Cyrkle, and Tatsuro Y ...

". They were not successful. After Warner Bros., Karl Engemann moved on to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

as President of A&R. He got them out of their contract at Warner Bros. and made an appointment for them to see

Nick Venet Nick Venet (born Nikolas Kostantinos Venetoulis, 3 December 1936 – 2 January 1998) was an American record producer, who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz. He is best known for signing The Beach Boys to Capitol Records and p ...

, a producer at Capitol. The audition was successful in getting them another record contract. There was another "Lettermen" group in the late 1950s and early 1960s that recorded for

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

(which was a major record label at the time), an R&B group with five members, and their not-so-successful single was called "Hey Big Brain". About that same time, there was a third group called the Lettermen Trio, headed up by Sammy Vandenburg, who also had no record success. But the "Lettermen" of Pike, Engemann, and Butala had the first

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

, so, by law, they were entitled to use the "Lettermen" name exclusively. The Lettermen were unknown until they signed with Capitol Records in 1961. Their first single for Capitol, "

The Way You Look Tonight "The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film ''Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, " ...

," succeeded on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

pop

and climbed to No. 13. Their next, "

When I Fall in Love "When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film '' One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the fir ...

," reached the Top 10 in late 1962 and hit No. 1 on AC. They had several other Top 10 AC hits, such as 1965's "

Theme From A Summer Place "Theme from ''A Summer Place''" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film ''A Summer Place'', which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental by Hugo W ...

". In late 1967, Bob Engemann resigned and was replaced by Jim Pike's younger brother, Gary Pike. The hits continued with the 1967 medley "

Goin' Out of My Head "Goin' Out of My Head" is a song written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein, initially recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964. Randazzo, a childhood friend of the group, wrote the song especially for them, having also supplied th ...

"/"

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a we ...

" and in 1968 with "

Put Your Head on My Shoulder "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is a song written by Canadian-born singer-songwriter Paul Anka. Anka's version was recorded in August 1958 at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, three weeks before he recorded his no. 1 hit " Lonely Boy", and w ...

", plus 1969's "

Hurt So Bad "Hurt So Bad" is a song written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, and Bobby Hart. It is a classic 1965 Top 10 hit ballad originally recorded by Little Anthony & The Imperials. Linda Ronstadt also had a Top 10 hit with her cover version in 19 ...

", which reached No. 12 and lasted 21 weeks on the Hot 100, second only to the 22 weeks for

The Archies ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

' "

Sugar, Sugar Sugar, Sugar is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim (singer), Andy Kim. It was originally recorded by the Archies – a fictional band of studio musicians linked to the 1968–69 US Saturday morning TV cartoon ''The Archie Show'', inspire ...

" within that calendar year. The last successful single was in 1971,

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's "

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

", a solo by Jim Pike. The Lettermen have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 Adult Contemporary singles, including one Adult Contemporary No. 1, 32 consecutive ''Billboard'' Hot 200 charted albums, 11

, five

nominations, an Andy Award, and a Cleo Award. The Lettermen were featured on the TV show ''Dobie Gillis'' in the episode "Vocal Boy Makes Good" which originally aired on January 16, 1963. The Lettermen were featured on ''The Jack Benny Program'' in the episode "The Lettermen" which originally aired on March 31, 1964. In 1976, Jim Pike left the group because of vocal problems and sold the Lettermen name to Butala. After Gary Pike left the Lettermen in 1981, the Pike brothers along with Ric de Azevedo sang The Lettermen hits, billed as "Reunion". In 1961, The Lettermen started performing live concerts, doing over 200 shows a year, an unbroken string that continues to the present. 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 has stated that the group ethos is that of three strong soloists that harmonize, and that the group encourages individual singing and songwriting. Butala has stated that the combination of himself, Donovan Tea (thirty-eight years) and Bobby Poynton (sixteen years) "is the best combination of voices, and best sounding group since the original trio." Butala also said this of the previous line-up of himself, Tea, and Mark Preston (eleven years) thus highlighting the high standard of vocalists The Lettermen had always had. This is also evident in the addition of Rob Gulack to the group in 2019 as Butala eased into retirement. Among their many songs include renditions of several traditional

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

kundiman Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino love songs. The lyrics of the kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundiman was the traditional means of sere ...

s'' such as ''Dahil sa Iyo'' ("Because of You"), ''Sapagkat Kami Ay Tao Lamang'' ("For We Are Only Human"). Their enunciation and pronunciation in the language has developed over the decades that they have interpreted these love songs. In 1969, in light of

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

' singer

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...

's arrest in Miami for indecent exposure, the Lettermen performed at a concert against indecency, along with

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...

Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith is well known for her renditions of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" & "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain". ...

, and

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

President Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

supported the concert. (Source: ''Rock Almanac'', 1983) The Lettermen had covered songs by the Doors in 1968. On December 9 and 10, 2012, The Lettermen Society Convention was held at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in

Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County, Michigan, Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Unio ...

. The members had dinner and breakfast with the current group of Tony Butala, Donovan Tea, and Bobby Poynton. They attended the soundcheck and Lettermen Holiday Show with ticketed audience members in the casino showroom. This celebration was the 31st annual convention. The 32nd annual Lettermen convention was a four-day event at the

South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa (formerly South Coast) is a resort located along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada, south of the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan, the founder of Coast Casinos. It includes a c ...

between October 10 and October 13, 2013. Hundreds of Lettermen Society members and fans were invited to attend. Bob Engemann died on January 20, 2013, in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

, at age 77, of complications from his December 13, 2012, heart bypass surgery. Jim Pike died from complications of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on June 9, 2019, at his home in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...

. He was 82.

Personnel

Current members *

Tony Butala Anthony Francis Butala (born November 20, 1940) is an American singer.

– second tenor * Donovan Tea – baritone * Bobby Poynton – first tenor * Rob Gulack – second tenor Past members * Jim Pike – first tenor * Bob Engemann – baritone * Gary Pike – baritone & first tenor * Doug Curran – first tenor * Donny Pike – first tenor * Ralph "Chad" Nichols – baritone * Don Campeau – first tenor * David "Red" Saber – baritone * Harrison "Harry" Clewley – first tenor * Mark Preston – first tenor * Ernie Pontiere – first tenor * Paul Walters – baritone * Darren Dowler – first tenor

Timeline

Awards and recognition

*2001: Inducted into the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

*2011: Inducted into the " Fans' Entertainment Hall of Fame" - Las Vegas, NV *2012: Inducted into the

Hit Parade Hall of Fame John Harlan Rook (October 9, 1937 - March 1, 2016) was an American radio programmer and executive, most known for his tenure in Chicago. Under his guidance in the 1960s, 50,000-watt ABC-owned WLS became the highest rated station in the Chicago ...

*2020: inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

Discography

Albums

Compilations

*1966: '' The Best of The Lettermen'' (re-released 1988 on CD/Capitol)(No. 17) *1969: ''The Best of The Lettermen, Volume 2'' *1969: ''Close Up'' (No. 90) (Released 7/16/1969) The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania)16 Jul 1969, WedPage 14 *1970: ''The Lettermen'' (3-LP set) *1971: ''Let It Be Me/And I Love Her'' *1973: ''Best Now'' (CD: Capitol/Japan) *1974: ''Sings Old Rock'n Roll'' *1974: ''All-Time Greatest Hits'' (No. 186) *1975: ''The Lovin' Touch of The Lettermen'' *1977: ''With Love from The Lettermen'' *1988: ''Twin Best Now'' *1989: ''When I Fall in Love'' *1990: ''Best Now'' (CD: Capitol/Japan) *1990: ''Greatest Hits – 10 Best Series'' *1992: ''Collectors Series'' *1993: ''Best Hits'' *1993: ''36 All-Time Greatest Hits'' *1994: ''Their Greatest Hits & Finest Performances'' *1997: ''Super Now'' *1998: ''Memories: The Very Best of The Lettermen'' *2002: ''A Song for Young Love/Once Once Upon a Time'' *2003: ''Soft Rock Collection'' *2003: ''Greatest Hits: The Priceless Collection'' *2003: ''The Lettermen Collection: Beautiful Harmony'' (6-CD set:Japan) *2004: ''Absolutely the Best'' *2006: ''Complete Hits'' *2007: ''Complete Hits Volume Two'' *2010: ''Lettermen Best'' *2014: ''The First Four Albums And More''

Singles

Footnotes:
¹ "Son of Old Rivers," a parody of "Old Rivers" by

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

, was recorded by Engemann and Pike.
² "Turn Around, Look at Me," the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of "How Is Julie?," did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 105 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart.
³ "Again" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 120 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁴ "Heartache Oh Heartache" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 122 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁵ "Allentown Jail" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 123 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁶ "Put Away Your Tear Drops" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 132 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁷ "Girl With a Little Tin Heart" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 135 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁸ "Sweet September" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 114 on the Bubbling Under chart.
⁹ "Chanson D'Amour" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 112 on the Bubbling Under chart.
¹⁰ "All the Grey Haired Men" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 109 on the Bubbling Under chart.
¹¹ "I Have Dreamed" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 129 on the Bubbling Under chart.
¹² "Hey Girl" did not chart on the Hot 100, but hit No. 104 on the Bubbling Under chart.
¹³ The 1976 release of "The Way You Look Tonight" was a new disco version.

References

External links

* *
'The Lettermen' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lettermen, The Latter Day Saints from Arizona American musical trios American pop music groups American vocal groups Capitol Records artists Liberty Records artists Traditional pop music singers Musical groups established in 1959 1959 establishments in Arizona