Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician most associated with the Tijuana Brass, a now-defunct brass band of which he was leader. He is also famous as a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records. Early life He began trumpet lessons at about the age of 8 and played at dances as a teenager. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army and frequently performed at military ceremonies. While attending the University of Southern California in the 1950s, he was a member of the USC Trojan Marching Band for 2 years.
Career accomplishments Starting in the 1960s, his groundbreaking musical flavor catapulted Latino-style pop into the public eye. With the Tijuana Brass, he won six Grammy awards, and of their albums fifteen have gone gold and fourteen platinum. At one point his music outsold that of the Beatles by two to one. In 1966, he was recognized (with the Brass) in the Guinness Book of World Records for having five albums in the Top 20 of the Billboard album charts simultaneously, an unprecedented feat. In April of that year, four of those albums were in the Top 10 simultaneously. He had two number one hits on the Billboard charts. "This Guy's in Love With You", in June 1968, which topped the charts for four weeks, and "Rise", which went number one in October of 1979. Alpert also won one Grammy as a solo artist, and along with A&M Records partner Jerry Moss received a Grammy Trustees Award in 1997 for their lifetime achievements in the recording industry as executives. For his contribution to the recording industry, Herb Alpert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6929 Hollywood Blvd.
Today Currently, his creative energies are focused on abstract expressionist painting, and Broadway theater. His production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America won a Tony award. He also funds the Herb Alpert Foundation for artistic training, and has provided funding for the culture jamming activists known as the Yesmen.
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