The group was formed in late 1950s by Mike Barnett, Dick Stewart and Tony Butala. They auditioned for Jackie Barnett, chief comedy writer for the Jimmy Durante TV show. They landed the part to impersonate The Rhythm Boys, the vocal group that traveled with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in the late 1920s, and gave Bing Crosby his initial fame. The "Newcomers of 1928" review opened on 28 February 1958 at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, Nevada. This review also starred Paul Whiteman, Buster Keaton, Rudy Vallée, Harry Richmond and Fifi D'Orsay. They played to sell-out audiences and were held over for many weeks. This review also played a six week review at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, with Butala being the only consistent Letterman. Barnett and Russell were replaced by Gary Clarke and Jerry Paul. When the review ended, Butala landed a job as singer/bass player in a lounge group, "Bill Norvas and the Upstarts", with Gary Clarke. After a few months, Clarke left the group and was replaced by Jim Pike. Pike and Butala decided to leave the Upstarts and resume the Lettermen although they had not yet decided to use the Lettermen name. Pike envisioned a group where each member was an excellent soloist as well as a competent group singer. Pike recommended the third Letterman should be Bob Engemann, a singer that Pike had met when he attended Brigham Young University a few years earlier. Both had come to Los Angeles, California, and sang together in different combinations until Engemann had go into the National Guard for 6 months. At that point, Pike joined Bill Norvis and met Butala. This combination first recorded in late 1959.
They secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records through Bob Engemann's older brother, Karl Engemann, who was a record producer there, and for whom Pike had released a record earlier called "Lucy D", which was not successful. Pike, Butala and Engemann as "The Lettermen" released two singles in 1960. The A-sides were "Two Hearts" and "There Hearts Were Full Of Spring". They were not successful. Karl Engemann moved on to Capitol Records as President of A&R. He got them out of their contract at Warner Bros., and made an appointment with Nick Venet, a producer at Capitol and they were signed.
There was another "Lettermen" group in the late 1950s and early 1960s that recorded for Liberty Records, (which was a major label at the time). They were an R&B group with five members, and their single was called "Hey Big Brain". But the "Lettermen" of Pike, Engemann and Butala had the first hit record, so they were entitled to exclusively use the "Lettermen" name. There was also a group in the mid 1950s called The Lettermen Trio, but had no record success.
The Lettermen were unknown until they signed with Capitol Records in 1961. Their first single for Capitol, "The Way You Look Tonight," succeeded on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and their next, "When I Fall in Love," reached the Top 10 in late 1962. They had several other Top 10 hits, such as the 1965's, "Theme From A Summer Place". In late 1967 Bob Engemann resigned, and was replaced by Jim Pike's younger brother, Gary Pike. The hits continued with the 1968 medley "Goin' Out of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You", and in 1968 with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", plus 1969's "Hurt So Bad", which reached number 12. The last successful single was in 1972, "Love" a solo by Pike.
The Lettermen have had 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, five Grammy nominations, an Andy Award, and a Cleo Award. In 1976, Jim Pike left the group and sold the Lettermen name to Butala.
In 1981 Gary Pike left the Lettermen, and today Jim and Gary Pike, along with Ric de Azevedo, sing The Lettermen hits, billed as Reunion.
In 1961, The Lettermen started performing live concerts doing over 100 shows a year, an unbroken string that continues to the present now amounting to 46 years.
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, who (as of 2007) is still a member, has stated that the group ethos is that of three strong soloists that harmonize, and that the group encourages individual singing and songwriting.
They pride themselves in welcoming audience member photographs during the show, unlike many recording acts.
Friendly Persuasion
The Lettermen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More than the mulberries on the hill,
More than the buds on the mayapple tree, I love thee.
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion;
Lips have I to kiss thee too, in friendly persuasion.
Thee is mine, though I don't know many words of praise;
Put on your bonnet, your cape and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love.
Friendly persuasion
Thee is mine, though I don't know many words of praise;
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways,
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love.
The lyrics to The Lettermen's song Friendly Persuasion express a deep and passionate love for someone. The opening lines express the intensity of the singer's love, placing it above idyllic natural elements such as meadows, mulberries and budding trees. The use of "thee" instead of "you" adds a sense of old-fashioned romanticism to the lyrics. The singer then goes on to describe their physical strength and willingness to protect their love interest. The following line, "Lips have I to kiss thee too, in friendly persuasion", reveals a desire to be affectionate and persuasive in a gentle and kind way, rather than being forceful.
The singer admits that they may not be very eloquent in expressing their love, but the object of their affection brings them pleasure in a hundred different ways. The final lines of the song invite the listener to join them, suggesting that the love is reciprocated and that they want to spend time together. The use of "for thee I love" instead of "because I love you" adds a poetic and slightly old-fashioned quality to the lyrics, emphasizing the depth and sincerity of the feelings being expressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Thee I love, more than the meadows so green and still,
My love for you surpasses my admiration for the serene green meadows.
More than the mulberries on the hill,
My love for you is greater than the abundance of mulberries on the hill.
More than the buds on the mayapple tree, I love thee.
My love for you is more than the number of blossoms blooming on the mayapple tree.
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion;
I offer you my sturdy and powerful arms for this purpose.
Lips have I to kiss thee too, in friendly persuasion.
I can also use my lips to persuade you in a friendly manner.
Thee is mine, though I don't know many words of praise;
I may not have a vast vocabulary to describe my love for you, but you are mine.
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways,
You bring me joy in countless ways.
Put on your bonnet, your cape and your glove
Please prepare yourself with the appropriate attire for our journey.
And come with me, for thee I love.
Accompany me on this journey because I love you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKIN, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AGNES MAE HO
Brings back so many happy memories......the music is still "in " in todays standard...I can play and replay this many many times and still find it lovely
edex7
Very tight harmony. Love this song. Thanks for remastering this classic , Phil.
standup4America
You are so right about the sound! I can hear cousin Bobby Engemann, Jimmy Pike and Tony Butala's voice on this one, clear as a bell! Thanks!
R Price Pickard
I add my congratulations and thanks for posting this beautiful arrangement.
navy51
Really nice song. But also really nicely produced video and good quality sound ! Wonder how you do that Phil. You have quite a collection of photo material. Thanks again !!!
dan lindsay
You must be a Lettermen aficionado...been a fan since May 1964 (my senior year). THANK YOU!
ghostrider
A Lettermen Kind Of Love is a great album. They really nailed it here.
cat man
A favourite song, reminder me of my teenage years!
late fall chill
It was a time of simple pleasures and amazing harmonies in music.
lettermen1
Thanks! They are timeless indeed!