The Lettermen are an American pop music vocal group. The Lettermen's tradem… Read Full Bio ↴The Lettermen are an American pop music vocal group. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. They were popular mainly with adult audiences during the 1960s.

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.

How Is Julie
The Lettermen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wherever I go, whoever I see
How is Julie?
My friends ask of me

How is Julie?
Friends wants to know
Give her our love and that we said hello
You're such a lucky guy

All my friends would say
For an angel like Julie to love you that way

Everyone knows Julie is mine
So when they ask me
I say that she's fine
But if they'd look closer
They'd know it's a lie
For my darlin' Julie left me last night

Yes my darlin' Julie, my wonderful Julie
My sweet angel, Julie, left me last night

Overall Meaning

The Lettermen's song How Is Julie is a sad ballad about a man who has recently been left by his girlfriend, Julie. As he goes about his daily routine, his friends ask him about Julie and how she is doing. They are unaware of the breakup and assume that he is still in a happy relationship. The singer, feeling ashamed and embarrassed about the recent events, tells them that she is fine and sends their love her way. Even though he is no longer with her, he still considers her his angel and is grateful for the time they spent together.

The lyrics show the pain and heartbreak that come with a recent breakup. The singer is still in love with Julie, but she has clearly moved on, leaving him alone and brokenhearted. He wants to protect her from any negative perceptions of their relationship by not sharing the truth with his friends. This song shows that even though someone may seem happy on the outside, they may be going through a tough time internally. It also highlights how sometimes the opinions of others can shape how one feels about their own experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

Wherever I go, whoever I see
No matter where I am or who I am with

How is Julie?
People always ask me about Julie

My friends ask of me
Mostly, it's my friends who inquire about her

Friends wants to know
People are curious to know about my relationship with Julie

Give her our love and that we said hello
Send our regards to Julie on our behalf

You're such a lucky guy
People think I am fortunate to have Julie in my life

All my friends would say
My companions usually express their opinions warmly

For an angel like Julie to love you that way
They believe it's remarkable that Julie, a lovely person, loves me passionately

Everyone knows Julie is mine
People are aware of Julie being committed to me

So when they ask me
When someone inquires about her

I say that she's fine
I assure them that everything is well and good with Julie