The Lettermen are coming!

How do you spell romance?

Of course, everybody knows the simple and conventional way of spelling the seven-letter word, but to music enthusiasts who adore love songs and romantic ballads, it spells T-h-e L-e-t-t-e-r-m-e-n.

Who does not know or has not heard of The Lettermen, the legendary vocal group dubbed as "the original boy band of the ’60s and the ’70s" that greatly influenced the evolution of today’s boy band phenomenon?

Considered as "the most romantic singing group of the ’60s," The Lettermen captivated millions worldwide with its endearing music that is a mix of the sound of big band vocal groups and of early rock groups through a number of classic love songs and romantic ballads, such as The Way You Look Tonight, The Seventh Dawn, Theme From A Summer Place, Shangri-la, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing and The Wonder of You.

We remember with fondness this sensational American group not so much because the universal themes of love and romance which are closely identified with its songs are very timely and relevant during this season of love, goodwill and understanding, but also because the love month of February – highlighted, of course, by Valentine’s Day – is just a few weeks away.

And what could be a more fitting and lovelier way (no pun intended) of celebrating the greatest human emotion of love – whether on Christmas, Valentine’s Day or any other day of the year – than by listening to and enjoying the soothing and timeless music of The Lettermen?

Local music fans can rekindle that old romantic feeling by taking a trip down musical memory lane and spending an enchanted evening with The Lettermen when the celebrated singers return to Manila for a series of pre-Valentine performances to be highlighted by a live concert on Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Billed as The Lettermen Live! In Manila, the concert series to be mounted by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions (which also produced the successful The Beachboys concert last Oct. 7, also at the Big Dome), premieres with a dinner-show on Jan. 26 at the Manila Hotel, with The Three Tenors (Angelo Reyes, Joey Lina and Bayani Fernando) as featured guest.

Other shows are slated on Jan. 29 in Cebu City, Jan. 30 in Iloilo City and Jan. 31 in Davao City.

The Lettermen – composed of original founding member Tony Butala, Donovan Tea and Darren Dowler – boasts an outstanding record as singers, entertainers, recording artists and concert performers since it was formed more than 45 years ago in Hollywood by Butala as a vocal group of "three very strong soloists who not only had the ability and showmanship to perform and entertain an audience, but also the discipline needed to be group singers."

After an impressive debut appearance in a record-shattering revue in Las Vegas, the original The Lettermen composed of Butala, Jim Pike and Bob Engemann launched in 1960 its successful recording career when the ballad it recorded for Capitol Records, the soft, melodic and romantic The Way You Look Tonight, shot to No. 13 on the Billboard chart.

This was followed by its second single that year, another soft ballad, When I Fall In Love, which hit No. 7 and established The Lettermen as the most romantic singing group of the ’60s.

The next year, Come Back Silly Girl reached No. 17, while The Lettermen’s debut album A Song For Young Love, hit the Top 10, its first of 32 straight Top 40 albums.

The group continued to rule the music charts in the ’60s and early ’70s as it scored over 25 hit singles, including Theme from A Summer Place (No. 16, 1965, from the Sandra Dee/ Troy Donahue film of the same title), Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (No. 7, 1968, the first hit record ever to completely integrate two songs as one) and Hurt So Bad (No. 12, 1969).

Its signature sound led by Butala’s distinctively breathy vocals made romantic standards of romantic and inspirational songs such as Smile, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Shangri-la, Love, and many more.

As artists and performers, The Lettermen toured with George Burns, Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Bill Cosby and performed on bills with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Jimmy Durante, Debbie Reynolds, Sam Cooke and Sammy Davis Jr. They also appeared several times on The Ed Sullivan Show and were regulars on The Red Skelton Show and The Hollywood Palace.

(Tickets for the Araneta Coliseum concert are priced at P3,000, P2,500, P2,000, P1,500, P800 and P300 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at SM Dept. Stores or call Ticketnet at 911-5555. For the Manila Hotel dinner-show, call Beth Tagle at 438-7200.)

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