This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Tony Butala.
Tony Butala, is the original and founding member of The Lettermen. The group will be performing at the South Point March 20-22.
The one change Butala would have made in the 50 plus year career of one of the most popular vocal groups in history is a surprising one. "We chose the wrong name!" he exclaims. "In the late 50’s, when you started a vocal group and wanted to stand out from the crowd, all you had to do was use a novel new name that would give your group a unique look and image." "If you are a new group in today’s world and want to get noticed, you have to dye your hair purple or pink, multi-pierce your face, ears and tongue, and even then you may not be different enough to get any notoriety."
The Lettermen name first appeared in February 1958 on the marquee of the Desert Inn Hotel Resort Showroom in Las Vegas Nevada, where Butala, Mike Barnett and Talmadge Russell performed in the record-shattering revue, "Newcomers of 1928," which starred big band leader Paul Whiteman, silent film comic Buster Keaton, singers Rudy Vallee and Harry Richmond, film star Fifi D’Orsay and the sneezing comedian Billy Gilbert.
The vision of The Lettermen was of three very strong soloists who also had the ability and showmanship to perform and entertain an audience, but who also had the discipline needed to be group singers. The sound they came up with was a sound between the big band vocal groups such as the Modernaires, Pied Pipers, Mills Brothers, Four Freshmen and the early R&B rock groups such as the Ink Spots, Flamingos and the Platters.
They have continually recorded, and formed their own Alpha Omega Records in 1979. Some of their newer CD albums, now numbering over 75, are: "The Lettermen – Favorites," "The Lettermen – Best Of Broadway," "The Lettermen – Live In The Philippines," their holiday CD "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and their 2010 release "The Lettermen -- New Directions."
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