The Japan Times - Lettermen co-founder Tony Butala dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Butala, co-founder of the Grammy-nominated trio The Lettermen, whose lush vocal harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s, died Sunday. He was 87. The band’s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed Butala’s death to The Associated Press. She shared an official statement from the band.

“We have lost an integral member of The Lettermen family,” it read. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the recent passing of Tony Butala, founding member of the international recording artists ‘The Lettermen,’ and recipient of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with his children, grandchildren, siblings, the love of his life, the entire Lettermen organization and all who knew and loved him.” A cause of death was not provided.

There will be no public viewing. Details for celebrations of life held in Wisconsin and California will be announced at a later date. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, Butala’s career started in childhood. He started singing professionally at age 7, on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age 8 and by age 10, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, where he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in classic films like “White Christmas,” “Peter Pan,” “War of the Worlds” and “On Moonlight Bay.”

In the late ‘50s, Butala co-founded The Lettermen alongside Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. The hits quickly followed: They had their first with their version of Fred Astaire’s “The Way You Look Tonight” in 1961, which peaked at No. 13 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was nominated for a Grammy in 1962. At that award show, they also received the coveted best new artist nomination. Over the course of the next decade, The Lettermen would place 19 more songs on Billboard charts.

Two made the Top 10, 1962’s “When I Fall in Love” and the Grammy-nominated 1968 medley “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes off You.” Their last hit was 1971’s “Everything is Good About You.” The beloved group toured constantly, playing colleges across the country and venues around the world.

Butala was the last surviving member of the trio’s original lineup: Pike died in 2019 at age 82. The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease. Engemann died in 2013. Across its many decades, The Lettermen has had various lineups, replacing members who left but always remaining a trio to keep its distinctive three-part sound alive. The current lineup is made up of Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack.

Butala stepped away from performing in 2019. And in 2020, Butala and The Lettermen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Tony never met a stranger,” the official band statement continued. “His life was a living example of talent, perseverance, and refinement. But above all, his true joy was entertaining and sharing his music with audiences worldwide.”

H.Hayashi--JT