One could say Charlie and Fran Tea, residents of Meadow Lake Retirement Community in Tyler, know a little bit about international fame.

Donovan Tea, the couple’s eldest son, is one of three male vocalists of the internationally known group, The Lettermen, which first organized in the ’60s.

According to vocalgroup.org, the group is known for their romantic and harmonic music blends.

“From the beginning of Donovan’s ability to talk, he always loved singing and loved music,” Donovan’s mother Fran Tea said. “We always have had a lot of music in our house.”

Donovan joined the Lettermen in 1983, and has been performing with them since. He will perform with the group at Green Acres Crosswalk Center in Tyler at 7 tonight.

Fran and Charlie were eager last week to showcase their Lettermen jackets, pins and other memorabilia collected from their son’s successful career. Mrs. Tea still keeps a Lettermen pin attached to a blouse in her closet that Donovan had made especially for her.

“Two of the original Lettermen members had been High School lettermen, and after searching around for a name, they settled on The Lettermen,” Mr. Tea said. “He is a wonderful son with a great family, and we are proud to be his parents.”

The Lettermen still don letter sweaters briefly during each of their performances.

When they traveled internationally, The Lettermen learned and performed one of their songs in the native language to serenade their audience.

“Out of all of these countries, the group tries to learn at least one song in another language to build an affinity with the audience,” Mrs. Tea said.

The group’s appreciation for their audience, Mrs. Tea said, also is apparent in the way the group interacts with audience members after each concert, inviting them on stage to talk and take photos.

@TMTMelissa