THE LETTERMEN
Several college-focused vocal groups emerged in the latter half of the 1950s, taking a non-rock-and-roll position while catering to the same youthful music fans. Being an actual student was not a prerequisite, but performing at colleges and universities was a great way to build an audience; folk bands like The Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four did so regularly. More specific to the trendy academic image were The Four Freshmen and The Four Preps; live concert albums, often recorded at campus shows, were released by all these acts and others. The group that took this strategy the furthest was The Lettermen, who actually wore striped letterman sweaters (each sporting a large "L") on their first three Capitol albums, then exhibited a more dapper ... MORE ››
