Mister Boomer’s mother really liked Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. She asked her kids to buy the albums for her, playing them on the stereo that she called “the Victrola” her entire life. That is an indicator of the popularity of Herb Alpert’s band and music that spanned the generations, as well as a good indication of the mix of genres that was played on AM radio in the early 1960s. His instrumental, “feel good” horns became a staple of mid-60s TV and movies.
Alpert, with a writing partner, had a couple of minor hits as a songwriter in 1960, but a chance trip to Tijuana, Mexico inspired him to change the arrangement of an instrumental song he had been working on, called Twinkle Star, by Sol Lake. Alpert added the sounds of a bullfight and mariachi band, and renamed the tune, The Lonely Bull. He recorded the album and single with studio musicians — most notable, members of the Wrecking Crew. Herb Alpert partnered with Jerry Moss to form A & M Records to release the song in 1962. It reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Top 10, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was on its way.
Alpert released additional songs with the same Mexican flair and by 1964, calls for live appearances caused him to create a touring band. The group released two albums in 1965, Whipped Cream & Other Delights and Going Places. Mister B’s mom had both albums. The Whipped Cream album was known for two reasons: first, Alpert’s version of A Taste of Honey won him the first of his six Grammy awards; and second, the album cover pictured a woman presumably covered in nothing but whipped cream. It made for fascinating imagery for a young Mister Boomer, who instantly became a fan of album art. Going Places spawned four hit singles, including Tijuana Taxi, a favorite of Mister B’s mom that she listened to more than her Andy Williams albums.
The group was everywhere — on tour, on TV specials and on the radio. In 1966, the band had five albums in the Top 20 — four in the Top 10, a feat that remains unmatched. That year, the band sold 15 million records, outselling the Beatles.
In 1968, Alpert appeared on a CBS TV special and sang a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Not possessing the strongest voice, his forte had always been instrumentals, but he wanted to sing a song to his wife. It caught on with audiences and This Guy’s In Love became Alpert’s only No. 1 single, and the first No. 1 hit on his A & M label.
A & M became a musical force in its own right, releasing music by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, Stan Getz, Carole King, The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Quincy Jones, The Police, Supertramp, Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow and a host of others. The duo sold A & M to Polygram in 1987 for a reported $500 million, and managed the company until 1993. Alpert and Moss were recognized for their accomplishments and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1966. They have also been inducted into the Grammy Museum’s “Icons of the Music Industry” series.
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass did it all in less than a decade — including movie music like the theme for the original Casino Royale to their music being used in several TV game shows, most notably, The Dating Game.
Did your mom like Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass? Did you buy the band’s singles and albums, boomers?