The Lettermen Community Project

“Why I Love Her”….35 Years Of Music And Memories

We all know the immense talent of Donovan Tea on stage, but did you know he is an accomplished song writer? Thirty-five years ago, in November of 1987, The Lettermen released the “Why I Love Her” album featuring 4 original songs written by Donovan. “One More Summer Night,” “Why I Love Her,” “Little Girl” and “She’s A Woman” are not only a
testimony to Donovan’s writing ability, but the timeless harmony of the distinct Lettermen sound. What does Donovan say about this side of his musical career?

“Tracy Rogers Clark, a good friend and coworker with The Lettermen, contacted me a couple of days ago and informed me that this is the 35th anniversary of the release of The Lettermen’s “Why I Love Her” album. This caught me off guard. As I approach my 68th birthday, I’m amazed at just how fast the years have flown by. Tracy asked me some very intelligent questions concerning my composing of four of the songs on that album. Those of you who know me will not be surprised that I don’t have any intelligent answers. All I can offer is a few cursory memories as I sit here and revisit those younger years in my mind.

I’ve never been able to read music very well. I’ve come to believe that I must’ve been dropped on my head as a baby and therefore cannot “compute” things in my head like most people do. But my dear Mother and Father instilled a love for music in me at a very early age. I remember making up songs and singing them to my Mother when we would drive from Amarillo to Dallas to visit my cousins.

I started taking piano lessons, but in less than six months, my piano teacher stopped me in the middle of a lesson and said, “You play football, don’t you?” I said, “yes ma’am.” And she said, “I think you should go play football and stop wasting my time!” (Brain damage confirmed!)

So, when I sit down to play piano, I play with absolutely no regard to music theory or chord structure, and I make up the songs as I go along. I’ve always kept a tape recorder, (you remember those) on the piano for reference and the music would just seem to appear. I compare it to a musical Ouija board… my hands would play… and I sang whatever came into my head. Some would call it creative… but for me… I believe it was just cathartic.

Songwriting was the reason Darla and I moved to Nashville. But reality quickly set in. There are literally tens of thousands of songs written every year and only a few hundred are recorded by an artist of any stature. So, it’s tantamount to winning the lottery. But we got close once or twice. Jess Rand, The Lettermen’s manager for 25 years, gave “When I Look At Children” to Barbara Streisand and she loved it. But she’d already recorded a song about children for her album. Jess said she liked my song better, but it was too late. Such is life.

All that said, I’ve been honored to have The Lettermen record a few of my songs. “It Feels Like Christmas” has been sung on national television and included on compilation albums and CD’s all over the world and I’m grateful for that. But I want to thank all of YOU, The Lettermen fans, who have been so kind to me through the years. Your stories of how much my songs have meant to you in your lives touch my my heart. Thank you all!”
~ Donovan Tea

The LCP – Entering Into 2023

When 2020 called upon us to reimagine the concept of a traditional fan club and encompass the element of service and support of the communities we interact with, the Lettermen Community Project was born. Amazing things have happened
in the short two and a half years since the LCP inception. Numerous people have been supplied food through various food drives, women rescued from the sex trade underworld have received clothing and household items, a child has a furnished bedroom to call their own, many children will have hoodies to keep warm this winter and toys on Christmas morning, and hundreds of first responders, military personnel and care facility residents have received encouraging greeting cards.

None of this would be possible without your support. As we enter 2023 we want to hear more from our members. What does “spreading Peace, Love and Harmony” mean to you? What more traditional fan club functions would you like to see within the LCP? We are caretakers of your organization, and are always open to your ideas, thoughts and suggestions. We are also looking for a few people in various locations that would like to function as regional ambassadors. This would allow for local fan projects and gatherings, united by the love for The Lettermen while serving the local community. Under close coordination with the LCP office, we encourage fans to look for opportunities outside of attending a Lettermen concert to interact and enjoy old and new friendships alike while introducing a new generation and audience to The Lettermen. If you would like more information, please reach out to us via email at LettermenCommunityProject@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Spotlight…Three Weeks Of Thanks

We are just three weeks away from Thanksgiving. This year Rob Gulack takes the reins of the Three Weeks Of Thanks video series that will be posted to our social media accounts. Starting Thursday, November 3, 2022, we will post a daily video message from Rob telling us about something he is grateful for. We hope that you will join us and that you will be inspired to count the many blessings that you have in your life as we enter the Holiday Season.

We will be blessing elementary school teachers with a Holiday Greeting Card Shower. Cards can be mailed to our office through December 1, 2022. We will also have cards available to fill out for fans attending our show at the Goodyear Theater in Akron, Ohio, on 12/18 to show their appreciation to our educators. More details will be available through social media posts.