American band leader Herp Alpert, was born on March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California. He had several big instrumental hits in 1960s with his band, the Tijuana Brass. First big hit was "The Lonely Bull" in 1963. He and the Brass followed that with other big hits like "Tijuana Taxi", "Spanish Flea" (familiar to some as "the Dating Game song"), "A Taste of Honey", and "Zorba the Greek".
It wasn't until he decided to try a vocal that he finally hit #1 on the Billboard charts with "This Guy's in Love With You" in 1968. After several mediocre attempts after that, Alpert laid low and then resurfaced in 1987 with a more modern jazz/funk sound with "Keep Your Eye on Me".
Alpert disbanded the Tijuana Brass in 1969, then released another album by the group in 1971. In 1973, with some of the original Tijuana Brass members and some new members, he formed a group called the TJB. This new version of the Brass released two albums in 1974 and 1975 and toured. Alpert reconvened a third version of the Brass in 1984 after being invited to perform for the Plympic Games athletes at the Los Angeles Summer Games. The invitation led to the "Bullish" album and tour.
In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Alpert enjoyed a successful solo career. He had his biggest instrumental hit, "Rise" (from the album of the same name), which went number one in October 1979 and won a Grammy Award, and was later sampled in the 1997 rap song "Hypnotize" by the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. "Rise" made Alpert the only artist ever to hit #1 on the Billvboard pop singles charts with both a vocal piece and an instrumental piece. The song "Route 101" off the Fandango album peaked at number 37 in Billboard in August 1982. In 1987, Alpert branched out successfully to the R&B world with hit album "Keep Your Eye on Me" , teaming up with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on "Diamonds" and "Making Love In the Rain" featuring vocals by Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith.
Alpert performed the Star-Spangled Banner prior to Super Bowl XXII in San Diego in January 1988. It was the last non-vocal rendition of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
From 1962 through 1992 Alpert signed artists to A&M Records and produced records. He discovered the West Coast band We Five. Among the notable artists he worked with personally are Chris Montez, The Carpenters, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, Bill Medley, Lani Hall (Alpert's second and current wife), Liza Minnelli and Janet Jackson (featured vocalist on his 1987 hit single "Diamonds"). These working relationships allowed Alpert to become one of only a handful of artists to place singles in the Top 10 in at least three different decades (1960s, 1970s, and 1980s).
Alpert and A&M Records partner Jerry Moss both agreed in 1987 to sell A&M to PolyGram Records for a reported $500 million. Both would continue to manage the label until 1993, when they left due to frustrations with PolyGram's constant pressure to force the label to fit into its corporate culture. Alpert and Moss then expanded their Almo Sounds music publishing company to produce records as well, primarily as a vehicle for Alpert's music. Almo Sounds imitates the former company culture embraced by Alpert and Moss when they first started A&M.
Alpert and Moss received a Grammy Trustees Award in 1997 for their lifetime achievements in the recording industry as executives and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
For his contribution to the recording industry, Herb Alpert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6929 Hollywood Boulevard. Moss also has a star on the Walk of Fame. Alpert and Moss were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006 as non-performer lifetime achievers for their work at A&M.
Herb Alpert was referenced in the second show of the third season of Get Smart where one of the code signals between Maxwell Smart and his contact was "Herb Alpert takes trumpet lessons from Guy Lombardo."
Alpert and his wife (Lani Hall) released a new album in the summer of 2009. CD "Anything Goes" is Alpert's first release of new material since 1999's "Herb Alpert and Colors".
Alpert continues to play his trumpet, and also devotes time to his second career as an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor with shows around the United States. On Sergio Mendes' 2008 album "Encanto", Alpert performed trumpet solos backing lead vocals by his wife on the song "Dreamer". It marked the first time Alpert, Mendes and Hall had all performed together on the same song.
Herp plays "Rise" in very good company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYIVYWQPhTA
Reference - Wikipédia
No comments:
Post a Comment