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.
She Cried
The Lettermen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't love her anymore
She cried (she cried)
And when I told her
Her kisses were not like before
She cried (she cried)
I thought that our romance was over and done
But to her it had just begun
And when I told her
Another girl had caught my eye
She cried (she cried)
And when I kissed her
A kiss that only meant goodbye
She cried (she cried)
(Sha-la-la-la sha-la-la)
And when I told her
I didn't love her anymore
She cried (she cried)
The Lettermen's "She Cried" is a song about a relationship that has come to an end. The singer is telling the story of his girlfriend's reaction to him breaking up with her. The first verse describes how she cried when he told her that he didn't love her anymore. In the second verse, he tells her that her kisses are not like before, and she cries again. The third verse is about how she cries when he tells her that another girl has caught his eye. The chorus is a repetition of the first verse, emphasizing how much she cried when he broke up with her.
The song is full of heartache and sadness that exemplifies the human emotions felt during a break-up. The singer is feeling guilty for hurting his girlfriend and is trying to express the depth of her reaction to him breaking up with her. The doo-wop-style of music provides a perfect backdrop to the profound lyrics of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
And when I told her I didn't love her anymore
When I informed her that I no longer had romantic feelings for her
She cried (she cried)
She expressed her sadness through tears
And when I told her her kisses were not like before
I explained to her that the way she kissed me had changed from how it used to be
I thought that our romance was over and done
I believed that our relationship had ended for good
But to her it had just begun
However, she viewed it as only a new beginning for our romance
And when I told her another girl had caught my eye
I revealed to her that I was interested in another woman
And when I kissed her a kiss that only meant goodbye
When I gave her a farewell kiss that signified the end of our relationship
Contributed by Carson L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elizabeth Blake
This song is so beautiful and sad, no matter who sings it! I love this song!!!!
Carol Driehorst
Great rendition, love it!
ernie tan
i love all of the lettermen's song. the best blending of voices...
standup4America
This is one of the best songs they did and I have this same album and my cousin, Bobby Engemann is pictured on the far right on this album cover. I heard them sing this in concert!
AltoonaYourPiano
It's interesting how the Lettermen were the last old school close harmony group to make it big and also the only one that still produced hits into the 70's.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1970 {May 31st} the Lettermen's covered version of "She Cried" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #100; five weeks later on July 5th, 1970 it would peak at #73 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 7 weeks...
It reached #6 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
Exactly eight years earlier on May 31st, 1962 Jay & the Americans' original version of "She Cried" was at #14 on the Top 100, and eighteen days earlier on May 13th, 1962 it had peaked at #5 {for 1 week}...
Between 1961 and 1971 the Lettermen had twenty Top 100 records; two made the Top 10 and they both peaked at #7, "When I Fall In Love" in 1962 and "Goin' Out Of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in 1968...
James Kieffner
Thanks so much for sharing this. Powerful memories!
lettermen1
Yes, there have been many versions of it, I like to think this is the best!!!
B52sguy
What a very beautiful rendition of the very famous "Jay & The Americans" song. "The Letterman", one of the very best goups to come from the USA. Period; And I, personally, thank you. Joseph F
titusjean
This song came out about the same time my (then) boyfriend broke up with me---he's my husband of nearly 45 years now---we are still much in love!! I cried everytime I heard this song, yet, loved it!