Vocal Harmony: Tony Butala of The Lettermen dies at 87
The co-founder of the 1960s hit trio was the last remaining member of the original group lineup.
By Imani Donovan ·
Tony Butala, one of the three men who built The Lettermen into a 1960s pop sensation, died on Sunday. He was 87. His passing leaves the final surviving member of the group’s original trio.
The band’s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed the death to the Associated Press. She released an official statement describing Butala as an integral part of the Lettermen family. The statement noted that no cause of death was provided.
Butala’s musical career began in childhood. He was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938. He sang on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age 8. By age 10, he moved to Los Angeles with his mother. There, he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in films such as White Christmas and Peter Pan.
In the late 1950s, Butala co-founded The Lettermen with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. The trio found its first major hit in 1961 with a cover of The Way You Look Tonight. That song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It earned a Grammy nomination in 1962. The group also received a best new artist nomination at the same ceremony.
Over the following decade, the group placed 19 more songs on the Billboard charts. Two tracks reached the Top 10. These included When I Fall in Love in 1962 and a medley of Goin’ Out of My Head and Can’t Take My Eyes off You in 1968. Their final charting hit was Everything is Good About You in 1971. The band toured colleges and international venues during this period.
Pike died in 2019 at age 82 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Engemann died in 13. Butala stepped away from performing in 2019. In 2020, he and the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The current lineup consists of Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton, and Rob Gulack. Celebrations of life will be held in Wisconsin and California, with details to be announced later.
The official band statement called Butala’s life a living example of talent and perseverance. It added that his true joy was entertaining audiences worldwide. There will be no public viewing.
Source: Orange County Register
