What do you think of this story?

Click here to send a message to the editor.

Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

“A Summer Place” for great music

Go out of your head over The Lettermen

They have sung and recorded in over 14 languages and racked up 18 gold records. They had 32 consecutive albums, which charted in the Top 100 in the United States, four of which were certified gold. The 60s and early 70s saw them score over 25 chart hit singles, including "Theme From 'A Summer Place,’” "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You," and "Hurt So Bad.”

Over the last 45 years they have toured Japan, The Philippines, China, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, France, South America, Canada, Mexico and even Saudi Arabia. And this Saturday they are slated to entertain the crowd at Fayetteville’s Villages Amphitheater.

Who are these hitmakers? They are Tony Butala, Donovan Tea, and Darren Dowler, better known these days as The Letterman. Their vision was of three very strong soloists who also had the ability and showmanship to perform and entertain an audience, but who also had the discipline needed to be group singers. The sound they came up with was a sound between the big band vocal groups such as the Modernaires, Pied Pipers and Mills Brothers, and the early R&B rock groups such as the Flamingos and the Platters.

Founding member Tony Butala's breathy vocals were the lead on most of The Lettermen many hit records. Jim Pike and Bob Engemann completed the original trio. The group has seen over half a dozen other singers step up to the mike as a Letterman, including Jim’s brothers, Gary and Donny.

In almost every poll, The Lettermen were named Best New Group or Best Vocal Group as two more albums followed in 1962 - Once Upon A Time and Jim, Tony and Bob, the latter an effort to segue away from The Lettermen name.

Butala began singing professionally at age seven in Sharon, Pennsylvania and by the age of eight on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh. Within a few years, he moved to Hollywood, California to become a member of the famous Mitchell Boys Choir, who since 1932 had appeared in over one hundred motion pictures, scores of television and radio shows, radio & television commercials, and world-wide concert tours. While in the choir, he appeared in such classic films as “White Christmas,” “Peter Pan,” “War of the Worlds” and “On Moonlight Bay.”

Donovan Tea joined The Lettermen in 1984 and his tenure of over 20 years has been the longest other than Butala's. Tea was born in Houston, Texas, and started singing professionally at 17 when he won an international vocal competition in Guilford, England. After touring Europe, he returned home to sing at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Master Chorale. At 18, he became a lead singer for The Young Americans, opening for the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr., Rich Little and Tony Bennett, and performed for then President Gerald Ford in Washington, D.C.

While with The Young Americans, he guest-starred on NBC's holiday special "Merry Christmas, Fred, From The Crosbys," performing a tap dance with Fred Astaire and singing backup for Bing Crosby on "White Christmas.

Born in Indiana, raised in Florida, Darren Dowler was influenced by musically talented parents and family, so he was exposed to show business at a very early age. He started performing at the age of fourteen and never stopped. He moved to New York at age seventeen and immediately started performing in plays and local bands. Working multiple jobs, attending acting classes, and singing at night, he was determined to become a professional performer. He landed roles in 'on and off' Broadway shows, and appeared in multiple television series, such as “The Adventures of Superboy, “Swamp Thing, The Series,” and “As the World Turns.”

While he was in a record shattering review in Las Vegas in 1995, The Lettermen witnessed him perform and knew that he would be an ideal member of The Lettermen.

Tony Butala is proud of the fact that his group, The Lettermen, has been part of Americana for over forty-five years and that as long as there is a Lettermen group, they will be singing good, quality, and positive harmony music that the whole family can enjoy.