Herb Alpert, born March 31, 1935, in Los Angeles, California, formed Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the early 1960s after being inspired by mariachi music heard during trips to Tijuana, Mexico. In 1962, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss in a Hollywood garage, releasing the debut single 'The Lonely Bull,' which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band's style blended jazz trumpet with Latin influences, producing hits like the albums S.R.O. (1966), Sounds Like (1967), and Herb Alpert’s Ninth (1967), with five albums topping the Billboard 200. Alpert achieved 28 Billboard 200 albums, 14 platinum and 15 gold certifications, and eight Grammy Awards, including one for 'Rise' (1979), his sole instrumental No. 1 hit; he is the only artist to top the Hot 100 as both vocalist ('This Guy's in Love with You,' 1968) and instrumentalist. Known for energetic live performances that captured the vibrancy of bullfights, Alpert continues to perform, as seen in later works like the 2014 album Steppin’ Out.