The letter sweaters may only make a brief appearance at each Lettermen performance but The Lettermen harmony is non-stop.  From their first hit in 1961 - - “The Way You Look Tonight” - - through current hits of today, the sound is undeniably Lettermen.  18 gold albums worldwide and scores of top singles attest to a popularity that has endured through several generations.

With over 10,000 sold out shows to their credit, The Lettermen are constantly sending valentines to their audiences with each note of every love song.  Versatility of group members and personal tastes let each display a variety of musical styles - - adapting through years to include whatever the current trend may be.

International audiences attest to the universal appeal of The Lettermen.  Successful tours abroad have included visits to Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.  The music of these true entertainers transcends all language barriers as it romances the soul and warms the hearts of millions. 

Whether singing acapella or backed by an entire symphony orchestra, the Lettermen theme still remains the love song.  Lending that well-known harmony to every arrangement, they have proven that love ballads have an appeal that knows no boundaries and will continue to stand the test of time for many years to come...  

The Lettermen sound went up against the rock era and provided some calm in the frantic ‘60s.  Original members Tony Butala, Mike Barnett, and Talmadge Russell came together in 1958.  Tony had been a child performer with the Mitchell Boys Choir, which performed in such films as Bing Crosby’s White Christmas and Doris Day’s On Moonlight Bay in the early ‘50s.  He was also the singing voice for actor Tommy Rettig in the “Lassie” TV series.

In 1954, while attending Hollywood Performing School (where some of his schoolmates were Jill St. John and Brenda Lee), Tony formed a pop quartet called the Fourmost with Jimmy Blaine, Art Westgate, and lead singer Concetta Ingolia.  They Stayed together for about three years and recorded the single “Give Me the Simole Life” for P.I.V. Records.  The group was down to a male trio when Concetta opted for acting, but she would have something to do with the Lettermen later on when she became known as actress/singer Connie Stevens.

In 1958 Tony met Mike Barnett at a party and was asked to join a group that Mike was in called the Lettermen.  By the first rehearsal the others had dropped out, so Tony brought in his friend Talmadge Russell and a trip took shape.  The group lasted about four weeks, until Barnett and Russell opted for nonmusic careers.  Tony scrambled to form a new Lettermen with friends Gary Clark, who was dating the vivacious Connie, and Jerry Paul.

In the spring of 1958 the group decided to try recording, but by the time they entered Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles Jerry had been replaced by ex-Fourmost member Jimmy Blaine.  Needing to earn a living while waiting for the Lettermen to be discovered, Tony and Gary joined Bill Norvis and the Upstarts to perform in Las Vegas.  Gary soon left the Upstarts and in walked Jim Pike for an audition, promptly winning the spot.

With Tony and Jim in place, only one piece of the puzzle remained.  Connie provided it.  Now starring in TV’s “Hawaiian Eye” as Cricket Blake, she was signed as a singer to Warner Bros. Records in 1959 and was paired with producer Carl Engemann.  She began dating his brother Bob and after hearing him sing contacted Tony.

The Lettermen began practicing in Tony’s garage on North Hatteras in North Hollywood, drawing on the influence of THE FOUR FRESHMEN for their delicate three-part harmony and practicing songs like “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.”

The group had its first recording opportunity with Warner Bros. in 1959, but their two singles (“The Magic Sound” and “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring”) failed to excite radio and the singers were dropped.  (Before that occurred the enthusiastic trip sang backup on Mel Blanc’s “Blymie, Blymie, Blymie.”)

In 1961 Tony heard that the new A&R man at Capitol was looking for talent, so he went up there to find it was an old friend, Nick Venet.  Nick loved the group but told Tony that Capitol already had too many vocal groups.  Soon after, Nick called to say that if they could put the group together in an hour they should meet him at Capitol Studios.  It seems THE FOUR PREPS were busy disputing which song to record and weren’t using the studio time they had booked.  Venet smuggled in the Lettermen on the Preps’ studio time and they recorded “Glory of Love,” “When,” “That’s My Desire,” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”

The 1947 Sammy Kaye number two hit “That’s My Desire” was issued first.  It had a Jimmy Haskell arrangement that put the group somewhere between DION AND THE BELMONTS and THE FOUR SEASONS, giving the group a sound that was close to doo wop.  On its release, disc jockeys started flipping the 45 to the Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields penned Evergreen, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

It charted and reached number 13 on the Billboard Top 100 by fall 1961.  It became the only British charter of their 59 career releases, reaching number 36 in November 1961.

The soft harmonies employed on “Tonight” became a Lettermen trademark, copied by many ‘60s and ‘70s groups like THE VOGUES and the Sandpipers.

Their version of the 1952 number 20 Doris Day hit “When I Fall in Love” became their biggest single, reaching number seven on January 27, 1962.  It established a niche for the Lettermen that didn’t rely on trends.  Their third single, “Come Back Silly Girl,” was noted by a Billboard reviewer with the comment, “A persuasive piece of material and a winning reading of the moody ballad by the Lettermen make this a potent discing.  Good wax for teen and young adult set.”  In the week of February 17th the song charted eventually reaching number 17.

The trio followed up with a variety of standard ballads like “Where or When” and “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and by the end of 1967 they had recorded 23 LPs.  The medley “Going Out of My Head” / “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (#7, February 10, 1968) became their second biggest hit, and by ten they were performing all over the world.

In late 1967 Bob Engemann retired from the group and was replaced by Jim Pike’s brother Gary.  The group continued recording LPs and putting out singles like Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS’ “Hurt So Bad.”  Between 1962 and 1970 they earned the dubious distinction of amassing more records that hit the Top 100 (11) than any other American vocal group.  The first was “Turn Around, Look at Me” (#105, 1962) and the last was “Hey Girl” (#104, 1970).

By 1969 Him, who had developed voice problems, had been replaced by Doug Curran and later by Jim’s other brother Donnie.

In 1981 Donovan Scott Tea and Mark Preston replaced the Pike brothers and in 1988 Bobby Poynton came aboard for Mark, bringing the group to its most recent lineup.

Tony and company continued to maintain a grueling worldwide performance pace more than 30 years after the idea of a pop trio popped into his head.  With 20 chart singles and 55 LPs, the most recent being from 1990, the Lettermen retained a strong following.

Mark eventually moved to Los Angeles, California, got a job singing at the prestigious nightclub "The Horn" where he shared the bill with another vocalist Donovan Scott Tea. They formed a friendship that continues to the present day.

After an appearance on the "Dinah Shore Television Show", Mark was called to Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, where he worked as a featured soloist at many major showrooms. Variety Magazine named him one of the finest entertainers in show business. He did many shows with Phyllis Diller, and as an actor/singer, made several appearances on the hit television series "Vegas$" as well as being the photo double and stand-in for the show's star Robert Urich. He went on to do guest appearances on several network specials. He co-hosted numerous weeks on "Braun & Company", a syndicated variety show originating from Cincinnati, Ohio. It was on this show that he met The Lettermen when they made a guest appearance. Tony Butala was so impressed with Mark and his voice that he mentioned if a vacancy should happen in The Lettermen, he would want Mark to fill the vacancy. In a matter of one year a double vacancy occurred and Mark, along with his best friend Donovan Tea, who he recommended to Tony, joined The Lettermen for their first show on the same day - September 4, 1984. During his four year tenure with The Lettermen, he, Donovan and Tony recorded a Christmas Video and album titled "It Feels Like Christmas", and the "Why I Love Her" album.

Mark left The Lettermen for a while to pursue a highly successful career as one of the all-time major cruise ship star entertainment attractions.

He is now back with The Lettermen - going full steam ahead.

~Jay Warner


Soundtrack - Filmography

1. Final Destination 3 (2006) (performer: "Turn Around, Look At Me")
2. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) (performer: "Love is a Many Splendored Thing")
3. Catch Me If You Can (2002) (performer: "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", "The Way You Look Tonight")
   
4. "Bracken's World" (1969) TV Series (performer: "Worlds")
   
   Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.