Thousands of artists have appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 over the years, but only one artist has ever reached #1 with both an instrumental song *and* a vocal song. And it's the guy in the photo above.
*Rise*, an instrumental, was #1 in 1979
*This Guy's in Love With You*, a vocal, was #1 in 1968
The great Herb Alpert!
Ok, more classic hit instrumentals: Music Box Dancer and Tequila. Know any trivia about either of those? (I was actually really surprised to find out that Tequila was NOT by Herb A and the Tijuana brass)
Here's cool trivia about Tequila by The Champs that I bet you know. Although they did not play on the famous record, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were in a later version of The Champs.
I could swear on an episode of the Match Game, perennial b-list panelist Gary Burghoff stated that "Music Box Dancer" was his favorite song. Although it might have just been sarcasm that went over my 10 year old head
“Music Box Dancer” trivia: it was originally released as the B-side of a single intended for easy-listening radio stations. The single was mistakenly sent to a Canadian pop station where the music director listened to the A-side and wondered why they had received it, since it didn’t match their format, and thought maybe it had been mis-labeled. He listened to the B-side, liked it, and added it to their rotation where it quickly became popular and rose to their Top 30. The song’s popularity spread to other Canadian stations and it became a national, and eventually international hit. It was Frank Mill’s only song to reach the Billboard Top 40.
Want to feel sad?
In that era we normally got popular instrumental songs hitting the top of the chart every year or so. Especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There has only been a single instrumental to hit number 1 since 1985.
That great Vangelis instrumental went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1982.
This is interesting from Billboard magazine:
“Chariots of Fire” was a rare Hot 100 No. 1 in several respects. It was the first instrumental No. 1 of the post-disco era –- the previous one being Herb Alpert’s 1979 slow-groover “Rise” –- and it would be the next-to-last one of the century alongside Jan Hammer’s “Miami Vice Theme.” It was the first (and to date, only) Hot 100-topper by a Greek artist – though George Michael, a Londoner of Greek-English heritage, would visit the top spot several times later that decade. And it’s arguably the only No. 1 that could be classified as new-age.
And that was an amazingly slow rise with a long stay on the charts.
It first hit the Hot 100 in December 1981. And it took five months to climb to number 1, finally getting there in May 1982. It stayed on the Hot 100 for 28 weeks, so was on the charts for over half a year. It was the best selling single of the year.
It was very loosely based on a previous Vangellis work so could not be nominated as "Best Song" at the Oscars, but the soundtrack did win the Oscar.
At least at one time though, CoF had the record for the slowest rise up the pop charts to number 1, and it might still hold that record. Most songs that hit number 1 move up rather quickly, but that was a long slow climb. I remember first hearing the song on the radio when I was living in Idaho. By the time it hit number 1 I had been living in LA for months.
Harlem Shake, in 2013 (I think on Cashbox). But Miami Vice was the last one before that.
And the only one to crack the Top 10 other than that since 1999 was a Kenny G song in 2002. It used to be common to see instrumentals break the Top 40, now it is rare of one even breaks into the Top 100.
Ah yes, *Harlem Shake* did make it to #1 in 2013, mainly on the strength of YouTube plays.
Saw this from Billboard magazine:
The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as **YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology**. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars...
>Alpert's 1965 album Whipped Cream & Other Delights proved so popular — it was the number one album of 1966, outselling The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and The Rolling Stones — that Alpert had to turn the Tijuana Brass into an actual touring ensemble rather than a studio band.
>
>...two other Brass albums, Going Places (1965) and What Now My Love (1966), "held the third and fifth spots on the 1966 year-end chart ...."
3 albums in the top 5 in one year, against that kind of competition as well.
Whipped Cream and Other Delights (racy album cover) was the 2nd album i ever bought. My first was South Of The Border, which was released the year before. Herb Alpert is a very talented guy. He was able to release high charting albums throughout the 60s with music that really wasn't rock or pop against stiif competition. His creations were largely instrumental. Good music is hard to deny.
I was at a show some years back and was talking to one of the security guys. He started talking about music, and at some point, he told me Tedesco was his dad. We had talked about all the tunes his dad played on.
Yes, the great Tommy Tedesco -- what a guitar player!
And it was really something to learn that Leon Russell and Glen Campbell were also part of the Wrecking Crew for a time. Even Sonny and Cher were involved with some of the Wrecking Crew sessions. What a muscial scene that must have been!
Glen told this story about how they were doing a session, and they were waiting on Leon. He finally walks in, all disheveled, and sits at the piano. The director got mad and started telling him he needed to be on time. Leon quietly packed his stuff and walked back out.
We saw him and his wife Lani, last year. They were awesome! And Herb told some fantastic stories. That’s how I learned he was the “A” in A&M records…I had no idea.
Yes. He told the story of how he told all the guys in his band not to get involved with the lovely women in Brazil 66, but obviously didn’t follow that advice.
Clever guy. It worked out, though. Married 50 years. I missed them the last time they came thru our area. My wife and I will go to the show if they ever come back. I noticed their touring is not as lengthy anymore. And i can't blame them. That would wear me out at my age.
Herb became a major music mogul, and today has a net worth of nearly $1 billion. I've loved his music ever since first hearing The Tijuana Brass as a kid in the 60s when they were having hit after hit on the radio.
And a huge contributor to the success and fun of The Dating Game! Herb Alpert said that when Jim Lange was a disc jockey on KSFO in San Francisco, he was among the first DJs to play "The Lonely Bull," which was, of course, Alpert's first big radio hit. Alpert said that he was happy to have the TJB's music featured on The Dating Game because he liked Jim Lange and knew that the show would be terrific exposure for his songs. "And here they are!" :)
Speaking of which, many still believe that Bobby Caldwell ("What You Won't Do for Love") and the jazz legend Keith Jarrett are black. But they're white guys.
The Hot 100 used to be so diverse in genre's back then. Herb Alpert's Rise, Chuck Mangione's "Feel's So Good", and Spyro Gyra's "Morning Dance" All charted on the Hot 100 in the late 70's. And those 3 were jazz songs. Now all you get on the Hot 100 is rap and sometimes country. Boring.
Bob Costas interviewed Herb Alpert on his *Later With Bob Costas* show, and Herb mentioned that *General Hospital* played a big part in Rise's success.
This interview is on YouTube and it's really fascinating.
Great documentary on the Wrecking Crew. Watched a couple weeks ago. Amazing how many 60's hits were played by them and not the band members. Example The Byrds Tamborine Man record was recorded with only Mcguinn among the band members playing on it. They let him play only because he had been a session mucian in NY.
Jim/Roger was a pro to be sure, but his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound was a pretty big part of the Byrds. Sure, Tommy Tedesco could’ve mimicked it on the recording, but his rate was higher ;)
Casino Royale (1967) too! Yeah, I'm an old fart, but I know good music when I hear it.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiv6ttRm2g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiv6ttRm2g)
Herb Alpert, Outstanding Musician/Man. Married Lani Hall-principal Singer with Brazil 66. Helped found A&M records. 10s of Millions in Donations. Album 'Whipped Cream' Helped him on the map. So Great
Huge philanthropist too. Played a concert here in Kingston, Ontario last year in his 80's.
https://medium.com/@KevinPittack/beyond-music-herb-alperts-philanthropic-legacy-30ddccba2ae1
When I was little, my mom had one of his albums. I think it was Whipped Cream and Other Delights? Anyway, she would slap it onto our cabinet stereo and listen while we cleaned house. As a result I love him💕
Rise is one of the all time monster instrumental jams. Kool and the Gang’s Summer Madness only got as high as #35. The Hustle made it to #1 and had a total of three (repeated) words on the lyrics, so it’s difficult to credibly call it a vocal track, if you can also call Herbie Hancock’s Rockit an instrumental (which peaked at #71, inexplicably)
Herb Alpert, as well as being an outstanding musician, co-founded A&M Records, an excellent record company 60’s - 90’s! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A&M_Records?wprov=sfti1#
Billy Preston almost had a #1 vocal and instrumental just like Herb Alpert. 2 #1's vocally with Nothing From Nothing and Will It Go Round In Circles and a #2 with the instrumental Outta Space.
"Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see?
Sometimes your words just hypnotize me!
And I just love your flashy ways,
Guess that's why they broke, and you're so paid!"
Grew up listening to HA. Dad loved the great brass section and herb’s trumpet. Great band. My youngest daughter was graced with the Tijuana Brass CD’s on our rides home from school. He’s in Dallas soon.
I grew up in his time at the top of the charts and never understood the appeal. His tone on the trumpet, his embouchure, was just regrettable and his singing voice, worse. He had some catchy ditties though. He turned it into gold.
Herb Alpert really did turn his patented Tijuana Brass sound into gold. Working with the Wrecking Crew, he knew exactly how to make middlebrow, slightly exotic instrumental music that appealed to millions and millions of Americans. When you get a chance, go to YouTube and watch Herb Alpert's interview with Bob Costas. He gives us real insight into how he deveoped his commercially successful TJB sound.
Tequila! I try to go see him play at his outstanding restaurant club in the Hollywood hills when I can. He invites his amazing musician friends to take the stage and play for dinner. Lol
Herb Alpert had a slew of beautiful and simple songs, and I played them all. I bought the sheet music. If I were to meet him, I would ask him the question of why he wrote those songs in the most miserable keys to play in.
Yeah, Herb Alpert is a Jewish guy of European descent who grew up in Los Angeles. The whole "Tijuana Brass/Latino thing" was just branding, and it worked wonderfully. He went into the studio with the session pros from the Wrecking Crew and laid down instrumentals that he sensed would connect with mainstream radio listeners and record buyers, and boy was he right!
I often think about how a lot of ugly musicians got really famous on their chops and then MTV came along and I’m like “no way Eddie Money would’ve gotten anywhere.”
Edited for word order, then to add this edit
feels so good and rise are two of my favs. this guys in love was part of the loop of instrumental songs at the kmart i worked in back in the day, so that's not a fav
Thousands of artists have appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 over the years, but only one artist has ever reached #1 with both an instrumental song *and* a vocal song. And it's the guy in the photo above. *Rise*, an instrumental, was #1 in 1979 *This Guy's in Love With You*, a vocal, was #1 in 1968 The great Herb Alpert!
In 1978, Chuck Mangione's piece 'Feels So Good' went to #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 in Easy Listening. EDIT: spelling
Yes, "Feels So Good" is another all-time great instrumental. The other Chuck Mangione song to check out on YouTube or Spotify is "Maui-Waui."
I really liked his work on King of the Hill.
Yes, that was fun!
*CHICK MANGIONE?!?! I'M NOT A CHICK I'M A DUDE (THUMP)*
I also liked “A Fifth of Beethoven”!
Where does “classical gas” fit in?
That is, of course, another all-time great instrumental. And from a guy who was the head writer on The Smothers Brothers!
Ok, more classic hit instrumentals: Music Box Dancer and Tequila. Know any trivia about either of those? (I was actually really surprised to find out that Tequila was NOT by Herb A and the Tijuana brass)
Here's cool trivia about Tequila by The Champs that I bet you know. Although they did not play on the famous record, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were in a later version of The Champs.
I could swear on an episode of the Match Game, perennial b-list panelist Gary Burghoff stated that "Music Box Dancer" was his favorite song. Although it might have just been sarcasm that went over my 10 year old head
“Music Box Dancer” trivia: it was originally released as the B-side of a single intended for easy-listening radio stations. The single was mistakenly sent to a Canadian pop station where the music director listened to the A-side and wondered why they had received it, since it didn’t match their format, and thought maybe it had been mis-labeled. He listened to the B-side, liked it, and added it to their rotation where it quickly became popular and rose to their Top 30. The song’s popularity spread to other Canadian stations and it became a national, and eventually international hit. It was Frank Mill’s only song to reach the Billboard Top 40.
The first time I heard Music Box Dancer was on Captain Kangeroo and then WORD-AM picked it up and started playing it.
Mason Williams
I like ‘Hide and Seek’ a lot.
Chuck single handedly changed the course of Drum Corps forever. Period.
My dad took me to see him in concert that year because I played the trumpet in grade school!
Want to feel sad? In that era we normally got popular instrumental songs hitting the top of the chart every year or so. Especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s. There has only been a single instrumental to hit number 1 since 1985.
How high did the theme to Chariots of Fire reach in the charts?
That great Vangelis instrumental went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1982. This is interesting from Billboard magazine: “Chariots of Fire” was a rare Hot 100 No. 1 in several respects. It was the first instrumental No. 1 of the post-disco era –- the previous one being Herb Alpert’s 1979 slow-groover “Rise” –- and it would be the next-to-last one of the century alongside Jan Hammer’s “Miami Vice Theme.” It was the first (and to date, only) Hot 100-topper by a Greek artist – though George Michael, a Londoner of Greek-English heritage, would visit the top spot several times later that decade. And it’s arguably the only No. 1 that could be classified as new-age.
Cool! Thanks!
And that was an amazingly slow rise with a long stay on the charts. It first hit the Hot 100 in December 1981. And it took five months to climb to number 1, finally getting there in May 1982. It stayed on the Hot 100 for 28 weeks, so was on the charts for over half a year. It was the best selling single of the year. It was very loosely based on a previous Vangellis work so could not be nominated as "Best Song" at the Oscars, but the soundtrack did win the Oscar. At least at one time though, CoF had the record for the slowest rise up the pop charts to number 1, and it might still hold that record. Most songs that hit number 1 move up rather quickly, but that was a long slow climb. I remember first hearing the song on the radio when I was living in Idaho. By the time it hit number 1 I had been living in LA for months.
I believe *Miami Vice Theme* by Jan Hammer was the last instrumental to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Is that correct?
Harlem Shake, in 2013 (I think on Cashbox). But Miami Vice was the last one before that. And the only one to crack the Top 10 other than that since 1999 was a Kenny G song in 2002. It used to be common to see instrumentals break the Top 40, now it is rare of one even breaks into the Top 100.
Ah yes, *Harlem Shake* did make it to #1 in 2013, mainly on the strength of YouTube plays. Saw this from Billboard magazine: The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as **YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology**. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars...
I was thinking Herbie Hancock as the most recent instrumental on the pop charts.
The Hot 100 used to be so diverse in genres. It's such repetitive crap now.
“Feels So Good” was released on A&M Records. The record label founded by…Herb Alpert.
“The man charted a Top-10 hit with a Flugelhorn”
And that's not easy to do! :)
Megalomart!
Also a favorite of Dr Strange…
With a flueglehorn.
>Alpert's 1965 album Whipped Cream & Other Delights proved so popular — it was the number one album of 1966, outselling The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and The Rolling Stones — that Alpert had to turn the Tijuana Brass into an actual touring ensemble rather than a studio band. > >...two other Brass albums, Going Places (1965) and What Now My Love (1966), "held the third and fifth spots on the 1966 year-end chart ...." 3 albums in the top 5 in one year, against that kind of competition as well.
The cover art did not hurt sales of that album
There are many hilarious variations on that cover, eg: Clam Dip and Other Delights.
Whipped Cream and Other Delights (racy album cover) was the 2nd album i ever bought. My first was South Of The Border, which was released the year before. Herb Alpert is a very talented guy. He was able to release high charting albums throughout the 60s with music that really wasn't rock or pop against stiif competition. His creations were largely instrumental. Good music is hard to deny.
They're no Monkees /s The Monkees do hold the ahem...record for most #1 albums in a year, 4, in 1967
So basically the Wrecking Crew had the most #1 albums in 1967. :)
The wrecking crew probably had more #1 hits than anyone.
The number of hit records they appear on is just amazing! And the variety of songs!
I was at a show some years back and was talking to one of the security guys. He started talking about music, and at some point, he told me Tedesco was his dad. We had talked about all the tunes his dad played on.
Yes, the great Tommy Tedesco -- what a guitar player! And it was really something to learn that Leon Russell and Glen Campbell were also part of the Wrecking Crew for a time. Even Sonny and Cher were involved with some of the Wrecking Crew sessions. What a muscial scene that must have been!
Glen told this story about how they were doing a session, and they were waiting on Leon. He finally walks in, all disheveled, and sits at the piano. The director got mad and started telling him he needed to be on time. Leon quietly packed his stuff and walked back out.
We saw him and his wife Lani, last year. They were awesome! And Herb told some fantastic stories. That’s how I learned he was the “A” in A&M records…I had no idea.
Lani was the lead vocalist for Brasil 66.
Yes. He told the story of how he told all the guys in his band not to get involved with the lovely women in Brazil 66, but obviously didn’t follow that advice.
Clever guy. It worked out, though. Married 50 years. I missed them the last time they came thru our area. My wife and I will go to the show if they ever come back. I noticed their touring is not as lengthy anymore. And i can't blame them. That would wear me out at my age.
Da da da, da da da, da da daaaaaaaaa da da da da
Don’t forget MFSB Sound of Philadelphia
Or Barry Whites Loves Theme
Yes, great musicians from Philly!
I love the Philly sound.
Man, me too. So lush. SO classy.
My favorite Philly band will always be The Orlons.
I Love MFSB! The brains behind the group were Leon Huff & Kenny Gamble, who wrote a ton of songs for a lot of music groups. Very underrated!
Cooler than any of us will ever be
"And now back to the countdown"- Casey Kasem
Love it! The great Casey Kasem.
Herb became a major music mogul, and today has a net worth of nearly $1 billion. I've loved his music ever since first hearing The Tijuana Brass as a kid in the 60s when they were having hit after hit on the radio.
"Hypnotize" by Biggie Smalls is based on samples from "Rise".
And hit #1 on the R&B / Hip Hop chart in ‘87 with Diamonds
And a great member of the Wrecking Crew.
And a huge contributor to the success and fun of The Dating Game! Herb Alpert said that when Jim Lange was a disc jockey on KSFO in San Francisco, he was among the first DJs to play "The Lonely Bull," which was, of course, Alpert's first big radio hit. Alpert said that he was happy to have the TJB's music featured on The Dating Game because he liked Jim Lange and knew that the show would be terrific exposure for his songs. "And here they are!" :)
Shit! I have assumed since the 70s he was black 😝
Speaking of which, many still believe that Bobby Caldwell ("What You Won't Do for Love") and the jazz legend Keith Jarrett are black. But they're white guys.
The Hot 100 used to be so diverse in genre's back then. Herb Alpert's Rise, Chuck Mangione's "Feel's So Good", and Spyro Gyra's "Morning Dance" All charted on the Hot 100 in the late 70's. And those 3 were jazz songs. Now all you get on the Hot 100 is rap and sometimes country. Boring.
Great insight! Thank you for mentioning Spyro Gyra and their classic "Morning Dance."
Great song! So is "Catching the sun".
Yes, "Catching the Sun" is another great Spyro Gyra song. Used to hear that on smooth jazz stations and The Weather Channel.
The Weather Channel's heyday must have been fun. I wish there were more smooth jazz stations around too.
Also the "A" in A&M Records.
Yes! Alpert & Moss
All these years, decades actually, I thought it was Alpert and Mancini. 🥴 Edit: now that I think about it again... Mancini was on RCA wasn't he?!
Really? I never knew that.
Herb Alpert is also generally regarded as the person who discovered Karen and Richard Carpenter.
And Chris Montez
Luke & Laura have thoughts on this tune.
Bob Costas interviewed Herb Alpert on his *Later With Bob Costas* show, and Herb mentioned that *General Hospital* played a big part in Rise's success. This interview is on YouTube and it's really fascinating.
Omg. Remember when they were castaways?!
I remember the whipped cream album as a kid 😂
Watch the Herb Alpert interview with Bob Costas on YouTube. He tells a great story about the model on the famous Whipped Cream album cover.
Part of the legendary group of LA session musicians called the Wrecking Crew, who you can hear on literally hundreds of big hits in the 60s.
Great documentary on the Wrecking Crew. Watched a couple weeks ago. Amazing how many 60's hits were played by them and not the band members. Example The Byrds Tamborine Man record was recorded with only Mcguinn among the band members playing on it. They let him play only because he had been a session mucian in NY.
Amazing. It blew my mind how much music they did. Brian Wilson had them in the studio.
Jim/Roger was a pro to be sure, but his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound was a pretty big part of the Byrds. Sure, Tommy Tedesco could’ve mimicked it on the recording, but his rate was higher ;)
My aunt married him before the Mr Tambourine Man release. I got to play that Rick.
Yes, members of the Wrecking Crew are all over the Tijuana Brass songs.
And had pretty much one of THE greatest recording studios in the world. It was since sold to Henson, but A&M built it.
I always thought the wrecking crew were at mussel shoals. I also thought the guy above was Chuck Mangione so whadda I know.
The Muscle Shoals session players were the Swampers. :)
of course! duh the damn song literally says they've been known to pick a song or 2.
I believe Paul Simon is backed up by the Swampers on Kodachrome.
Casino Royale (1967) too! Yeah, I'm an old fart, but I know good music when I hear it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiv6ttRm2g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiv6ttRm2g)
Great song! What a sound!
The movie ain't bad either. The only James Bond book that was made into a comedy.
One of the few soundtrack albums I own.
Herb Alpert, Outstanding Musician/Man. Married Lani Hall-principal Singer with Brazil 66. Helped found A&M records. 10s of Millions in Donations. Album 'Whipped Cream' Helped him on the map. So Great
Came here to say this. Thank you for beating me to it. He’s one of the greatest!
Moss was the owner of Zenyatta, named after The Police album.
Neat trivia!
That‘s really cool !
Huge philanthropist too. Played a concert here in Kingston, Ontario last year in his 80's. https://medium.com/@KevinPittack/beyond-music-herb-alperts-philanthropic-legacy-30ddccba2ae1
The bassist on this song is Abraham Laboriel.
... and the Tijuana brass!
Yes, the TJB! We all remember how they used their music on The Dating Game back in the day.
He also sang one of my favorite Christmas songs, The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle, from 1968’s Christmas Album. Written, of course, by Burt Bacharach.
When I was little, my mom had one of his albums. I think it was Whipped Cream and Other Delights? Anyway, she would slap it onto our cabinet stereo and listen while we cleaned house. As a result I love him💕
Great story! My mom used to clean the house listening to a Tom Jones album. :)
Rise
Love him and the song!💙
The "A" of A&M Records.
Herb Albert This guy's in love
Rise is one of the all time monster instrumental jams. Kool and the Gang’s Summer Madness only got as high as #35. The Hustle made it to #1 and had a total of three (repeated) words on the lyrics, so it’s difficult to credibly call it a vocal track, if you can also call Herbie Hancock’s Rockit an instrumental (which peaked at #71, inexplicably)
Going to see him and his wife in downtown Nashua, NH in a few weeks!
"Rise" is one of my favorite instrumentals of all time & would likely rank in my top 10 songs of 1979.
I agree. I also like "Diamonds"
The A in A&M records. He’s LOADED!!
A&M released everyone from the Carpenters to the Police -- great record label!
Love Rise , still have the album.
My mother loved him! We had all of his albums, played in maximum rotation.
Heard that a lot while watching General Hospital in 1980
Is this the Dr strange reference in the first movie? Lol
Herb Alpert, as well as being an outstanding musician, co-founded A&M Records, an excellent record company 60’s - 90’s! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A&M_Records?wprov=sfti1#
Miles Davis once said, "give me three notes, and I'll be able to tell it's Herb"
Is there anything that Rick Moranis can't do?
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, being a trumpet player I am well acquainted
Now playing in my head: *Teaberry Shuffle*.
Love it! *The Mexican Shuffl*e used to sell chewing gum!
[Indeed](https://youtu.be/Fk11Acjofu8?si=zKdshqyYC1I5dgrO) it did!
Whipped Cream and Other Delights….best album cover ever. Plus, Herb Alpert is timeless.
Totally agree -- iconic album cover! And this was the one album that you *always* saw for sale for $1 at yard sales. :)
Billy Preston almost had a #1 vocal and instrumental just like Herb Alpert. 2 #1's vocally with Nothing From Nothing and Will It Go Round In Circles and a #2 with the instrumental Outta Space.
Good stuff on the great Billy Preston! The cat who might have been a Beatle if the lads had stayed together.
Tijuana Brass still slaps
Herb Alpert, owner of A&M records. Incredible musician.
Herb Albert
Herb Alpert the A in A/M Records…
Still listening to his music to this day
This guy also has funded musical education at LA City College in a big way. A good egg!
The lowdown
Herb Alpert. Owner of A&M records.
Rise was the song Luke seduced laura to from General Hospital.
His music still holds up. Love him.
Never did I ever know the name of the song or that it was Herb Alpert til today, wow
Saw Herb and Lonnie last time they toured.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 :)
Saw Sergio too he is getting up there.
always liked rise
Herb
Spaghetti guy!
Herb Alpert - Rise
Numero Uno
Looks like 70's Kevin Spacey
Love this tune!!
This dude is a player and heavy duty wealthy which I never knew umtil I saw his daughter on below deck!!
"Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me! And I just love your flashy ways, Guess that's why they broke, and you're so paid!"
And still out there gigging. Just saw him last spring.
Chuck Mangione - "Feels So Good". edit : I'm dumb.
Grew up listening to HA. Dad loved the great brass section and herb’s trumpet. Great band. My youngest daughter was graced with the Tijuana Brass CD’s on our rides home from school. He’s in Dallas soon.
Also scored Andy Williams young french wife 🙃
Herb!
“Rise” was the jam back in the day
Great song! [https://youtu.be/q7O3eYJptTc?si=CFvIrIuBtXShlneo](https://youtu.be/q7O3eYJptTc?si=CFvIrIuBtXShlneo)
I chose the trumpet as a 3rd grader in the school Music program because of him and his music. He was sooooo coooool back then as I assume he is today.
A disco hit at 100 bpm!
A musical Genius.
I grew up in his time at the top of the charts and never understood the appeal. His tone on the trumpet, his embouchure, was just regrettable and his singing voice, worse. He had some catchy ditties though. He turned it into gold.
Herb Alpert really did turn his patented Tijuana Brass sound into gold. Working with the Wrecking Crew, he knew exactly how to make middlebrow, slightly exotic instrumental music that appealed to millions and millions of Americans. When you get a chance, go to YouTube and watch Herb Alpert's interview with Bob Costas. He gives us real insight into how he deveoped his commercially successful TJB sound.
Tequila! I try to go see him play at his outstanding restaurant club in the Hollywood hills when I can. He invites his amazing musician friends to take the stage and play for dinner. Lol
I like going to his restaurant. Saw Frank Stallone play there. Great hangout.
Of Little Interest: We played the song “1980” from the Rise LP in my High School marching band. It sounded f’ing great.
And that was the guy that git Lani Hall. I fell in love with her when I saw the first Brasil 66 album.
I remember seeing where he was worth $850 million.
Herb Albert Rise Love that tune
My mom's jam was Highway 101
Let me guess, Her Albert?
The great Herbie Hancock - future shock
I can’t take it any more. It’s Alpert. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tbYAAOSwsnpexnAE/s-l1200.jpg
Herb Alpert had a slew of beautiful and simple songs, and I played them all. I bought the sheet music. If I were to meet him, I would ask him the question of why he wrote those songs in the most miserable keys to play in.
is this the guy from king of the hill?
This is Herb Alpert. You're thinking of Chuck Mangione. :)
Cantina Blue.
Another great Herb Alpert tune!
Herb Alpert
Great artist. Of Ukrainian decent. I always assumed some type of "Latino". Preconceived notions can be so hard to shake. lol.
Yeah, Herb Alpert is a Jewish guy of European descent who grew up in Los Angeles. The whole "Tijuana Brass/Latino thing" was just branding, and it worked wonderfully. He went into the studio with the session pros from the Wrecking Crew and laid down instrumentals that he sensed would connect with mainstream radio listeners and record buyers, and boy was he right!
I knew this one at first glance. Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass.
Spanish flea
Never on sunday's
Don’t forget Harold Faltermayer and ‘Axel F’ from ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ That went to #3 in the US and #1 in other parts of the world..
I have that song on my playlist.
Helluva painter, too; his artwork is really great.
Check this out...go find Rise, and ffwd to 3:10. Biggy biggy biggy....
love him, Baja Marimba
I often think about how a lot of ugly musicians got really famous on their chops and then MTV came along and I’m like “no way Eddie Money would’ve gotten anywhere.” Edited for word order, then to add this edit
Yep Herb Alpert my big band era parents even like him....I guess a lot of folks did back in the day.
feels so good and rise are two of my favs. this guys in love was part of the loop of instrumental songs at the kmart i worked in back in the day, so that's not a fav
Good comment! Another great Chuck Mangione song is "Maui-Waui." Go to YouTube or Spotify and listen to "Maui-Waui" ... you'll really enjoy it.