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About The Lettermen |
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Warning: TKE Closing Ode For Teke's Sake A Toast to TKE |
The close-harmony pop/folk/rock band The Lettermen performed a number of Teke songs. The Lettermen cut their niche in romantic balad genre. Their light and easy songs made them repeat guests of Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Johny Carson &c. The Lettermen, formed first with Tony Butala, Gary Clark and Jimmy Blaine, then Tony Butala teamed up with two students at Brigham Young University, Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. The group's first single for Capitol, "The Way You Look Tonight," did very well on the pop charts, and its follow-up, "When I Fall in Love," reached the Top Ten in late 1961. The Lettermen had another major hit in 1968 with "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You." The Amazing part is that the band -- Tony Butala with different singers -- is still around today, and is still doing concerts and putting out records (20+ million records, quite a few gold, over the past 40 years). They were inducted in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Now The Lettermen who sang the Teke Songs are Tony Butala, Gary Pike, Donny Pike (or Jim Pike), however the Teke Guide (1985 edition) gives Tony Butala, Don Campo and Red Saber as Famous Teke Alumni, we know that the latter two, joined after the records were pressed and I do not believe Tony Butala went to College (I could be wrong), so who made the Teke connection? The record company that the Letterman Started (Alpha Omega) is the also the name of the UCLA chapter, but according to Jeff Torres (AO) there is no connection between the two. The question remained of how the Teke connection was made until Dan Boehmke, Iota Sigma 63 (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) shed light on the mystery "Iota Sigma chapter of TKE initiated them into our chapter when they performed at a homecoming concert in Eau Claire, WI in the Fall of 1964." Iota Sigma was a brand new chapter at the time having been founded in 12/14/1963. Iota Sigma is currently inactive. Lettermen Fraters and Lettermen thank you. |
The Lettermen, 1969 album, Capitol ST-202,
I Have Dreamed
Side 1 I have dreamed / Traces / Me about you / I love how you love me / California dreamin' (solo: Tony Butala) / I'm gonna make you love me
Side 2 You showed me / Wichita Lineman / Worst that could happen / No other love / T.K.E. Sweetheart Song (#1) *
*T.K.E. Sweetheart Song (Of All the Girls That I Have Known)
The Lettermen, 1978 album, Alpha Omega 1001,
To A Friend...
A limited, special edition album - Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and The Lettermen
Side 1: To a friend / Summer child / That's what a friend is for / I never tried / Just like a song / I want
Side 2: T.K.E. Sweetheart song (#2) / For Teke's sake / We've spoken together / A toast to T.K.E. / Teke Closing Ode
For more on The Lettermen http://www.thelettermen.com
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