Meeting The Lettermen

Whether you're brokenhearted, besotted, or blissfully unattached, let's all get drunk with inspiration this February by discovering or reconnecting with the enduring classics of The Lettermen. I was first introduced to The Lettermen through the piano pieces of my mother. Many times, the first few bars of Theme From A Summer Place, Warm, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes which came streaming in from the living room would rouse us from our beds in the morning. But, I'm pretty certain this Lettermen experience isn't unique.

I may have not been born yet when The Lettermen scored hit after hit in the '60s and '70s, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that their songs' appeal and signature sound would continue to cross all ages, break barriers, warm hearts. In fact, The Lettermen music, which has been sung and recorded in 14 languages to date, has been oft-described as "comfort music." My friend Marie, for one, turns to Lettermen songs she downloaded from the Net via Limewire, when she misses her father, who passed away some years back.

A young Ilonggo TV reporter, during a presscon at Iloilo City's Sarabia Manor Hotel, asked The Lettermen, how does the group reach out to the younger audiences, who are probably the children-if not grandchildren-of the group's hardcore fans at the peak of their career? According to The Lettermen, composed of Donovan Tea, Mark Preston and the remaining member of the original trio, Tony Butala, they croon songs about love-and love songs well, we're, by no means, strangers to what power they hold over us (or at least to most of us), humans-suckers for any sort of homage to this four-letter word.

The Lettermen, who punctuated the country's January with a series of concerts that included Manila and here in Cebu, arrived in an Iloilo caught up in the thundering drumbeat and vibrant pageantry of the city's Dinagyang Festival. Their show formed part of the weeklong festivities, which saw other gigs of such rock acts as Bamboo and Cebu's very own Cueshe. Dr. Sandra Sarabia, the gracious owner of Sarabia Manor Hotel, where the group happened to be billeted and fortunately, I as well, invited yours truly to join the local press for a chitchat with one of the greatest vocal harmony groups of all time. (Sarabia Manor Hotel, I learned, has made the job for many an Ilonggo writer covering entertainment easier by hosting press conferences when big artists swing by this southern city.)

Tony Butala said that they have broken the rules adhered by many singing groups by not setting the spotlight on a main singer. It's safe to reckon that this has been instrumental to the 45-year-old group's staying power. How many times have we've heard of a lead singer going on his merry way, launching a solo career, and leaving his group fumbling about for a replacement or worse, disbanding in his wake? Sure, all members are soloists in their own right; but it has been their conscious effort that their music engenders equal footing. "We're a tight core in terms of blending, there's no tenor, nor bass," Butala said. In fact, as Butala recalled, Kenny Rogers was one of the over 200 singers who had, at one time or another, auditioned for The Lettermen, but was declined because "though he was extremely talented, when singing with a group, he did not harmonize well." If he did make the cut, there wouldn't be Kenny Rogers.

Butala is very proud of the fact that his group has been part of the lives of many Filipinos, adding that as long as there is The Lettermen, there'll be quality and positive harmony music for everybody to enjoy.

I was not able to attend their SRO concert itself, but I was told that the Lettermen performed three hours at the Central Philippine University and accommodated after the show every single fan asking for an autograph.

Whether you're brokenhearted, besotted, or blissfully unattached, let's all get drunk with inspiration this February by discovering or reconnecting with the enduring classics of The Lettermen.