Herb Alpert

A trumpeter, singer, composer, arranger and producer, A&M Records founder Herb Alpert distinguished himself with his Tijuana Brass orchestra, with Latin versions of pop and jazz hits in the 1960s. Born in Los Angeles on March 31, 1935 into a family of musicians who had emigrated from Eastern Europe, he learned the violin and then the trumpet at the age of eight. After starting out in a college marching band, he was hired by Keen Records as a composer, penning the hits "Baby Talk" for Jan & Dean and "Wonderful World" for Sam Cooke. He embarked on a singing career under the name Dore Alpert with RCA (1960), then, on returning from a trip to Mexico, founded the Tijuana Brass ensemble, of which he became the driving force. His first album for A&M Records, which he founded with Jerry Moss, The Lonely Bull (1961) was followed by twenty-seven Billboard 200 hits, including five number ones, fourteen platinum certifications and fifteen gold discs. The cover of one of these, Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965), remains famous and often parodied. Among many other hits, exotic versions of current hits, "This Guy's in Love with You" (1968) and "Rise" (1979) are the only number ones ever made by a singer and an instrumentalist. Holder of a Tony Award, eight Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Herb Alpert has his own star on Hollywood Boulevard (1977) and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, following an award for his contribution to Latin music at the Billboard Latin Music Awards (1997). In 2013, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama. After selling the A&M label to PolyGram in 1987, Herb Alpert released several albums under his own name and two as a duo with his wife Lani Hall. No.1 jazz album of 2019, Over the Rainbow is followed by Catch the Wind (2021), Sunny Side of the Street (2022). In 2024, the trumpeter signed his fiftieth album in over sixty years of activity, entitled 50.