The Lettermen

Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1959, easy listening / pop vocal trio The Lettermen founded by Tony Butala and Jim Pike. Initially part of a musical revue in 1958 where he performed as a member of a fake vocal group called the Lettermen, Butala wanted to form a similar group of his own. After leaving the show, he began to put together a vocal group, but most versions of the line-up didn’t last very long. With the addition of Jim Pike, Butala found a perfect partner to collaborate with. The two recruited Bob Engerman for a new trio that they decided to call the Lettermen. The three members – all of whom excelled on solo lead vocals as well as group harmony vocals – signed with Warner Brothers Records and released two unsuccessful singles in 1960. Hooking up with producer Nick Venet, the trio signed with Capitol Records in 1961. Their first single, “The Way You Look Tonight,” was a hit and climbed to number 13 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Their next single, 1962’s “When I Fall in Love,” landed inside the Top 10. They also had hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart including “Theme from a Summer Place” (1965), 1968’s “Goin’ Out of My Head / Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” and 1969’s “Hurt So Bad.” The group’s line-up took its first hit when Bob Engermann left in 1967 and was replaced by Jim Pike’s brother Gary. Their singles in the 1970s continued to chart but they never reached the Top 40 again. The group soldiered on and continued to tour and record although their lineup began to change on a more frequent basis over the years. After Jim Pike’s departure in 1976, Tony Butala remained the only original member until 2019, when he retired from performing. The Lettermen were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001 as well as the Fans Entertainment Hall of Fame (2011), the Hit Parade Hall of Fame (2012), and the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2020). Over the course of their career, the Lettermen released many albums including 32 that charted in the Billboard 200 – 11 of them going gold – and had 16 Top 10 hits in the Adult Contemporary charts. Bob Engermann died on January 20, 2013, at the age of 77. A little over six years later, Jim Pike passed away on June 9, 2019, at the age of 82.

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