Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert started playing trumpet at eight years old in Los Angeles. In the 1960s, he and saxophonist Lou Adler formed The Tijuana Brass, a group whose sound mixed jazz and pop with Latin influences. Their instrumental hits like 'A Taste of Honey' topped charts and won Grammys, though some later criticized the band for cultural appropriation.

After The Tijuana Brass ended, Alpert went solo. In 1968, he recorded 'This Guy's in Love with You,' a ballad written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Other songs like 'Sunny' and 'El Presidente' also became part of his catalog.

Alpert's trumpet playing had a clear, melodic style that felt both polished and accessible. He kept recording and performing into later decades, but those early hits with The Tijuana Brass and his solo work in the late '60s are what most people remember.