Herbert Alpert, more popularly known as Herb Alpert, is an American musician and songwriter. He also co-founded the recording label A&M, which was the famous recording studio where the iconic song “We Are the World” was produced. He is probably best known for his musical triumphs with the group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. He is also the only artist to achieve the #1 spot on the Billboard 100 as both a vocalist as well as an instrumentalist.
He is also a famous philanthropist. He and his wife do a lot of charity work through their foundation, the Herb Alpert Foundation. This foundation supports many causes dedicated to education and the arts. The Alpert Art Awards are very important scholarships in the musical field which provide financial support to talented aspiring musicians. The foundation was responsible for creating the UCLA Alpert School of Music and the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts.
The foundation has also donated vast amounts of money to the Harlem School of the Arts. All this was done because Herb believes in helping promising young musicians with their careers and ensuring that they have a chance to achieve their dreams and goals.
Herb Alpert’s Parents – Louis Alpert, Tillie
Herb Alpert was born in East Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1935. He comes from a Jewish family which was extremely gifted musically. His father, Louis Alpert, was very good at playing the mandolin, although, his real profession was tailoring. His mother, Tillie (née Goldberg), was extremely passionate about playing the violin and taught others and his brother, David, was a gifted drummer. Herb started playing the trumpet at a young age and used to play at school dances.
Herb Alpert’s Siblings – David Alpert
Herb had an older brother, David Alpert. He was very good at playing the drums. However, Herb showed no interest in learning to play them as well. At the age of eight, he picked up a trumpet and decided that that was ‘his instrument’. He received jazz training as a kid from a former New York Philharmonic trumpet player.
When Herb and his associate bought the old Charlie Chaplin Studios and decided to renovate them and turn them into the A&M recording studios, Herb asked David to oversee the project. Herb Alpert also has a sister, Mimi Alpert.
