A trumpeter, singer, composer, arranger and producer, A&M Records founder Herb
Alpert distinguished himself with his Tijuana Brass orchestra, with Latin
versions of pop and jazz hits in the 1960s. Born in Los Angeles on March 31,
1935 into a family of musicians who had emigrated from Eastern Europe, he
learned the violin and then the trumpet at the age of eight. After starting out
in a college marching band, he was hired by Keen Records as a composer, penning
the hits "Baby Talk" for Jan & Dean and "Wonderful World" for Sam Cooke. He
embarked on a singing career under the name Do...