Top 10 Herb Alpert Songs

Photo: Rob Mieremet (ANEFO), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Herb Alpert was born and raised in an American-Jewish household from 1935 until joining the United States Army in 1952. After his tour of duty with the army, Alpert tried his hand at acting but eventually settled on a music career. Already skilled with the trumpet since childhood, he first joined the University of California’s Trojan Marching Band for a couple of years before making an uncredited appearance in the 1956 film, “The Ten Commandments,” which would serve as the official starting point of a musical career that was about to launch Alpert into stardom.

A&M

From 1957 until 1960, Herb Alpert was a songwriter for Keen Records, co-writing a couple of charted hits, namely Jan & Dean’s 1959 “Baby Talk” and 1960’s “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke. In 1960, with RCA Records, he launched his recording career under the stage name Dore Alpert. In 1961, with Jerry Moss, he co-founded Carnival Records, which later became A&M Records in 1962 after learning that the name Carnival had already been taken.

Tijuana Influence

After a visit to a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico, Alpert found inspiration to include the trumpet in his music recordings after encountering a brass band that would wind up the audience before venturing into the next song during their stage performance. Alpert went to the recording studio and redid his overdubbed version of Sol Lake’s “Twinkle Star,” adding his trumpet performance and the ambiance of a cheering crowd and stadium background noise. Upon completion, this personally funded production was distributed to a series of radio DJs until it finally caught on enough to become a recognized hit in 1962. This was immediately followed by his first studio album, “The Lonely Bull.” This album was not only Alpert’s personal first but also the first officially credited to the A&M Records label.

The popularity of the Tijuana Brass Band’s live performances grew so great by the end of 1964 that Alpert needed to bring in session musicians through an audition process that would ultimately lead to the 1965 debut of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Band. Together, a few albums and television appearances would be released, catapulting their name not just nationwide but worldwide.

Before the end of 1969, Alpert officially disbanded the Tijuana Brass Band and embarked on a solo recording career, during which he would release over three decades’ worth of charted hits. His recordings have been associated with a variety of music genres, including funk, jazz, Latin, pop, and R&B, as well as in a series of James Bond films. There are forty-two albums to Herb Alpert’s credit. The first twelve, all before the Tijuana Band was disbanded, became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1970, his “Greatest Hits” was released, becoming Alpert’s thirteenth Gold-Certified album. After 1979’s “Rise” was recorded and released, it proved to be his most successful album, achieving Platinum Certification from the RIAA and Silver Certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). 1987’s album “Keep Your Eye on Me” also became certified Gold by the RIAA upon its release.

Top 10 Herb Alpert Songs

# 10 – A Banda (Ah Bahn-da)

“A Banda” is Portuguese for “The Band,” originally composed by Chico Buarque and performed in theaters in 1966, before Alpert’s instrumental version was recorded and released in 1967. For Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number thirty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100.

# 9 – What Now My Love

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band recorded and released “What Now My Love” in 1965, which peaked at number two on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, which was then called the US Billboard Easy Listening Chart. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number twenty-four. This instrumental version’s roots lie in the French original, “Et Maintenant,” recorded and released in 1961.

# 8 – Flamingo

“Flamingo” was originally a popular 1940s jazz song performed by Herb Jeffries and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The 1966 version, performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band, fared better on the music charts, placing fifth on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and twenty-eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. Flamingo has been covered by a number of artists aside from Alpert, but it’s Alpert’s version that has appeared on two or more notable music charts. In addition to the two American charts, Flamingo peaked at sixteen in Belgium and at number thirty in Australia’s Kent Report.

# 7 – Spanish Flea

The popular, vocalized version of “Spanish Flea” was written, recorded, and released by Julius and Cissy Wechsler, following Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band’s original recording for the 1965 motion picture “Going Places.” The blend of Alpert’s trumpet performance, the Tijuana Trumpet Band’s Latino influence, and Wechsler’s vocals saw this song reach third on the UK Singles Chart and fourth on the US Adult Contemporary chart. It’s been a worldwide hit and was also used on The Dating Game, which ran from 1965 until 1973, and has continued to air in syndication on select networks, thus maintaining the song’s popularity since its release.

# 6 – Zorba the Greek

For the 1965 album “Going Places,” Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band recorded and released “Zorba the Greek,” a spinoff of the original single “Zorba Dance.” Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis wrote Zorba Dance for the film “Zorba the Greek,” which became a worldwide success. Alpert’s version was recorded for the 1965 film “Going Places,” and it peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, it ranked second.

# 5 – A Taste of Honey

Originally, as an instrumental track for the 1960 Broadway play of the same name, “A Taste of Honey,” it would be recorded and released by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Trumpet Band in 1965. The song earned the group four Grammy Awards in 1966 for Record of the Year, Best Instrumental Performance, Best Instrumental Arrangement, and Best Engineered Recording. “A Taste of Honey” also peaked at number one on the US Adult Contemporary chart and seventh on the US Billboard Hot 100.

# 4 – The Lonely Bull

It is one of the most recognized songs ever recorded by Herb Alpert, released in 1962 after he was inspired by a band performance he witnessed in Tijuana, Mexico. It officially became his first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at number six. The Kent Music Report charted “The Lonely Bull” in Australia at number one. Over the years, this instrumental piece has been covered or sampled by a number of musicians, including R&B artist Monica Arnold. It’s also been featured on episodes for televised productions such as General Hospital and WKRP in Cincinnati.

# 3 – Diamonds (featuring Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith)

Coming from his twenty-seventh studio album, “Diamonds” peaked at number one on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1987. This would be the first time Alpert would earn this achievement in the R&B category. While Alpert performed as a trumpeter, Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith served as lead and backup vocalists. This comeback single for Alpert also charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number five and also served to be a worldwide hit as it peaked as high as third on the Dutch Singles Chart.

# 2 – This Guy’s in Love with You

On five different music charts, the 1968 single “This Guy’s in Love with You” peaked at number one. The US Billboard Hot 100, the US Adult Contemporary, the US Cash Box, Australia’s Kent Report, and Canada’s RPM each witnessed this song reach the top of their respective lists. It also peaked at third on the UK Singles Chart. Along with the Tijuana Trumpet Band’s performance, this song is the first number-one single on the Hot 100 chart, not just for Alpert but also for the A&M Records label. Over the years, several artists have covered this song, including Nancy Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, and Sammy Davis Jr.

# 1 – Rise

“Rise” is not only Herb Alpert’s most commercially successful album he’s ever released, but also its lead track by the same name. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number. This same rank was also repeated on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. This served as Alpert’s achievement of becoming the first and only to reach the top of the Hot 100 with a vocal performance (for This Guy’s in Love with You) as well as the instrumental performance of Rise. As a crowning achievement, this song also earned the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.