Herb Alpert became world famous with his Tijuana Brass in the 1960s, co-created A&M Records, and continues to tour to support his latest album.
Trumpeter Herb Alpert Pioneered a New Sound
In 1962, trumpeter, composer, and singer Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass band had their first Top 10 hit. In 1966, their album outsold the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Frank Sinatra. Alpert also founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss, which became the world’s largest independent record producer.
By 1969, Alpert went through a divorce, suffered severe self-doubt, and found he couldn’t play the trumpet the way he wanted. He disbanded TJB. Four years later, after therapy and training with an innovative teacher, he formed a new group that played jazz and pop.
“In retrospect, those personal crises were a blessing because they made me more self-aware and motivated me to try new approaches to my music,” Alpert, 89, said while on tour in 2025 to promote his 50th album.
He has sold more than 72 million records and earned nine Grammy Awards. A&M was sold in 1989 for $500 million, and the founders were later rewarded with another $200 million.
Focus Early and Go Your Own Way Like Alpert
Alpert was the youngest of three children born in the Boyle Heights section of East Los Angeles to Jewish immigrants from what are now Ukraine and Romania. His father, a tailor, played mandolin; his mother taught violin. One brother played drums, and his sister played piano — so it was no surprise that Herb took up trumpet at age 8.
He had planned a sports career until an appendectomy before a major event shifted his focus to music. At the University of Southern California, he joined the Trojan Marching Band, then played with the Army band during the Korean War.
In 1957, he partnered with another lyricist to write several Top 20 hits, later becoming a vocalist at RCA Records in 1960. Dissatisfied with how he was treated, he launched his own label with Moss.
A trip to Tijuana included witnessing a bullfight. "Something in the excitement of the crowd, the mariachi music, the trumpet call heralding the start of the fight, the yelling, the snorting of the bulls, it all clicked," he told Cabinet magazine. The result was his first hit, "The Lonely Bull," which was released by A&M and followed up with his debut album. Another song became the theme of "The Dating Game" TV show in 1966, while an animated short about the band won an Academy Award the same year.
Be an Innovator in Every Aspect of Your Business
During his four-year performance break, Alpert worked with Moss to create a different kind of record company.
"Many labels prioritized quick hits and short-term gains, but A&M was willing to invest time and resources into developing an artist's career over the long haul," wrote Jose H. Michael in "Biography of Herb Alpert: The Maestro of Brass and Beats." "This meant giving artists the freedom to experiment, grow, and evolve, without the pressure of instant commercial success."
Another innovation was A&M’s approach to distribution. They developed their own retail network, bypassing major distributors. This allowed them to take risks on emerging artists overlooked by larger labels. Alpert later carried this philosophy to his next venture, Herb Alpert Presents.
"A&M's success demonstrated that an artist-driven approach could be commercially viable," wrote Michael. "They played a key role in the evolution of popular music, helping to shape the sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Its roster was incredibly diverse, spanning genres, and included Peter Frampton, Cat Stevens, The Police, Sergio Mendes, Richard and Karen Carpenter, Sting, and Sheryl Crow."
After Setbacks, Learn New Ways to Be Successful
In 1973, Alpert married Lani Hall, lead singer of A&M’s Brasil ’66, who helped reignite his creative spark. “Rise” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, thanks in part to its use on the TV soap opera “General Hospital.” “Diamonds” (with Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith) reached No. 5 in 1987. In 2013, Alpert earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album for “Steppin’ Out.”
He has had five No. 1 albums and 28 entries on the Billboard album chart — 14 platinum (more than 1 million sold) and 15 gold (more than 500,000). He remains the only artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist and instrumentalist. He has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2012.
"The most important thing for an artist is to find your own voice," Alpert said. "There are lots of good musicians who can play all the right notes, but I especially like jazz because it starts with a piece the players know and then they can improvise around it."
Diversify Your Priorities to Maximize Impact
Making music hasn’t been the Alperts’ only priority. They created the Herb Alpert Foundation and the Alpert Awards in the Arts at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to support youth education, environmental causes, Public Broadcasting System programs, and underserved communities.
They’ve donated significant amounts to endow the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, arts education at Los Angeles City College, and the Harlem School of the Arts. They also established the Alpert Music Center in Jerusalem, which brings together Jewish and Arab students.
And as if being a music legend weren’t enough, Alpert has also become a popular painter and sculptor of abstract expressionist pieces.
"Herb Alpert's music is a profound emotional dialogue to be felt, internalized, and shared as an emotional conversation between artist and listener," commented Sara Leila Sherman and Mort Sherman, PhD, authors of “Resonant Minds: The Transformative Power of Music, One Note at a Time.” "His intuitive style, crossing genres and cultures, is a distinct vision of music as a universal, mindful connection. Alpert's trumpet evokes not only melodies but moods, encouraging listeners to become emotionally present, mindful, and attuned within themselves and with others. His blending of jazz, pop, and Latin rhythms exemplified how intentional listening can enrich emotional intelligence, deepen empathy, and bridge communities. His enduring legacy demonstrates that music's transformative power lies in its ability to resonate deeply within us and create vibrant, connected communities."