Herb Alpert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herb Alpert
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Alpert in 1966
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dore Alpert, Tito Alpert |
| Born | March 31, 1935 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1956–present |
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Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is famous for playing the trumpet and for leading the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. He also helped start A&M Records, a very successful music company.
Herb Alpert has sold around 72 million records worldwide. He is the only musician to have a No. 1 hit song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart as both a singer ("This Guy's in Love with You" in 1968) and an instrumentalist ("Rise" in 1979). He has won many awards, including eight Grammy Awards and a Tony Award. In 2006, he was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2012, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.
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Early Life and Music Journey
Herb Alpert was born on March 31, 1935, in Boyle Heights, California. His family was very musical. His father played the mandolin, his mother taught violin, and his older brother was a drummer. Herb started playing the trumpet when he was eight years old.
He played in the University of Southern California marching band. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army and played in the 6th Army Band. In 1957, he began writing songs for Keen Records. He co-wrote hit songs like "Baby Talk" for Jan and Dean and "Wonderful World" for Sam Cooke.
In 1962, Herb Alpert and his friend Jerry Moss started their own record label. They first called it Carnival Records, but later changed the name to A&M Records.
The Tijuana Brass Era
Herb Alpert's performing career took off after he visited a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico. He was inspired by the exciting crowd and the traditional mariachi music. He took a song he was working on and added trumpet sounds, crowd cheers, and other noises. He renamed the song "The Lonely Bull".
He paid for the song to be released as a single. It quickly became a Top 10 hit in 1962. He then released his first album, The Lonely Bull, with his band "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass". At first, the "Tijuana Brass" was just Herb Alpert playing his trumpet multiple times on the recording.
His 1965 album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights, was incredibly popular. It was the number one album of 1966, selling more than albums by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Because of this huge success, Alpert had to create a real touring band for the Tijuana Brass. Many of their songs, like "Tijuana Taxi" and "Spanish Flea", became very famous. Some were even used as theme music for the TV game show The Dating Game.
In 1967, a short animated film featuring two of their songs won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
In 1968, Alpert had his first No. 1 hit as a singer with "This Guy's in Love with You". He sang it to his first wife on a TV special. The song became so popular that he decided to release it as a single.
After years of touring, Alpert took a break from music in 1969. He felt that the trumpet had become his "enemy." He later found a new teacher who helped him reconnect with his passion for playing. He realized that the real instrument was himself and his emotions.
Later Music and "Rise"
In 1979, Herb Alpert had another huge hit with the instrumental song "Rise". This song became No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it was used on the TV show General Hospital. The bass line from "Rise" was later used in The Notorious B.I.G.'s No. 1 hit song "Hypnotize".
Alpert has continued to release new music almost every year. In 2013, his album Steppin' Out won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. He has released many more albums since then, including 50, which he says is his 50th studio album.
In late 2024, Herb Alpert formed a new Tijuana Brass group. They started a tour in 2025 called "Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass & Other Delights" to celebrate the famous Whipped Cream & Other Delights album.
A&M Records
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss built A&M Records into a very successful company. In 1989, the company was sold to PolyGram for $500 million.
Art and Sculpture
Besides music, Herb Alpert is also a talented abstract painter and sculptor. His art has been shown in exhibitions across the United States and Europe. His sculptures, like the "Black Totems" series, have received a lot of attention.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Herb Alpert has received many honors for his work:
- In 1977, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- In 1997, he won the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Latin music.
- In 2006, he and Jerry Moss were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their work with A&M Records.
- In 2009, he received the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award.
- In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts at the White House.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Herb Alpert is also known for his generous donations to support education and the arts.
- In the 1980s, he created the Herb Alpert Foundation, which helps young people and supports arts education.
- In 2007, he and his wife donated $30 million to the University of California, Los Angeles to create the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
- He also gave $24 million to CalArts for their music programs.
- In 2012, his foundation gave over $5 million to the Harlem School of the Arts, helping them pay off debt and create scholarships. The school's building was renamed the Herb Alpert Center in 2013.
- In 2016, he made the largest gift ever to a community college in Southern California, donating $10.1 million to Los Angeles City College to provide free tuition for music students.
- He also founded the Louis and Tillie Alpert Music Center in Jerusalem, which brings together Arab and Jewish students.
Other Ventures
In 2004, Herb Alpert opened Vibrato, a jazz club and restaurant in Los Angeles, with his daughter Eden. As of 2025, Herb Alpert's net worth is estimated at $850 million, mostly from his music career and the sale of A&M Records.
Documentaries
Two documentaries have been made about Herb Alpert's life and career:
- Legends: Herb Alpert – Tijuana Brass and Other Delights (2010)
- Herb Alpert Is... (2020)
Personal Life
Herb Alpert married Sharon Mae Lubin in 1956, and they had two children, Dore and Eden. They divorced in 1971. In 1974, he married Lani Hall, who was the lead singer of the group Brasil '66. They have a daughter named Aria. Herb and Lani still perform together as of 2025.
Selected Albums
Herb Alpert has released many successful albums throughout his career. Some of his most famous albums include:
- The Lonely Bull (1962)
- Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965)
- Going Places (1965)
- What Now My Love (1966)
- The Beat of the Brass (1968)
- Rise (1979)
- Steppin' Out (2013)
- 50 (2024)
See also
In Spanish: Herb Alpert para niños
