One of the most successful instrumental performers in pop history, trumpeter Herb Alpert is also one of the entertainment industry’s shrewdest businessmen: A&M, the label he co-founded with partner Jerry Moss, ranks among the most prosperous artist-owned companies ever established. With Lou Adler, Alpert co-wrote a number of Sam Cooke’s most enduring hits, including “Wonderful World” and “Only Sixteen.” Under the name Dante & the Evergreens, he and Adler also recorded a cover of the Hollywood Argyles’ “Alley Oop.” Additionally, Alpert produced tracks for the surf duo Jan & Dean. In 1962, he teamed with Moss to found A&M Records, scoring a Top Ten hit with the single “The Lonely Bull.” In 1987, Alpert enjoyed another renaissance with the album Keep Your Eye On Me; the lead single “Diamonds” hit the Top Five and featured a guest vocal from Janet Jackson, one of A&M’s towering successes of the late ’80s. Alpert continued recording throughout the 1990s, producing work like 1991’s North on South Street, 1992’s Midnight Sun, and 1997’s Passion Dance. After selling A&M to PolyGram in 1990 for a sum in excess of 500 million, he and Moss founded a new label, Almo Sounds, in 1994; among the imprint’s hit artists was the group Garbage. His own albums, including 1997’s Passion Dance and 1999’s Colors, were also released on the label. Alpert was inducted, alongside Moss, into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2006. Alpert continues to perform around the world.
