Herb Alpert

Herbert "Herb" Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician most associated with the Tijuana Brass, a now-defunct brass band of which he was the leader. He is also famous for being a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records (a recording label he and then partner Jerry Moss founded and eventually sold).

Alpert's musical accomplishments include five number one hits, twenty-eight albums on the Billboard charts, eight Grammy Awards, fourteen Platinum albums and fifteen Gold albums. As of 1996, Alpert had sold 72 million albums worldwide.

Alpert began trumpet lessons at about the age of eight and played at dances as a teenager. After graduating from Fairfax High School in 1952, he joined the U.S. Army and frequently performed at military ceremonies, settling on a career in music once he got out. He was a member of the USC Trojan Marching Band for two years as a student. He graduated with a BM in 1954.

In 1957, he teamed up with Lou Adler, and co-wrote songs over the following two years that became top twenty hits, including "Baby Talk" by Jan and Dean, "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke, and "Alley-Oop" by Dante and The Evergreens. He set up a small recording studio in his garage and was overdubbing a tune called "Twinkle Star" when, during a visit to Tijuana, Mexico, he happened to hear a mariachi band while attending a bullfight.

Following the experience, Alpert recalled that he was "inspired to find a way to musically express what [he] felt while watching the wild responses of the crowd, and hearing the brass musicians introducing each new event with rousing fanfare." He adapted the trumpet style to the tune, mixed in crowd cheers and other noises to create ambiance, and renamed the song, "The Lonely Bull." He paid out of his own pocket to press the record as a single, and it spread through radio DJs until it caught on and became a Top Ten hit in 1963. He followed up quickly with an album of "The Lonely Bull" and other titles became known as The Lonely Bull by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass. The Tijuana Brass were actually studio musicians. The title cut reached #6 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart. This was also A&M's first album but was recorded at Conway Records.

By the end of 1964, due to a growing demand for live appearances by the Tijuana Brass, Alpert auditioned and hired a team of crack session men. No one in Alpert's band was actually Hispanic. The band's style was adopted by American bands as well, most notably Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire. In 1967, the TJB did the title cut to the first movie version of "Casino Royale." Alpert's only number one single during this period (and the first #1 hit for his A&M label) was a solo effort "This Guy's in Love with You" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David), featuring a rare vocal. Alpert disbanded the Tijuana Brass in 1969, but released another album by the group in 1971.

In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, Alpert enjoyed a successful solo career. He had his biggest instrumental hit, "Rise" (from the album of the same name), which went number one in October of 1979 and won a Grammy. It also made Alpert the only solo artist ever to hit #1 on the Billboard charts with both vocal and instrumental pieces. From 1962 through 1992 Alpert signed artists to A&M Records and produced records.

For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alpert and Moss were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006 as non-performer lifetime achievers for their work at A&M. Alpert continues to play his trumpet and devotes time to his second career as an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor with shows around the U S, and as a Broadway theatre producer. His production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America won a Tony award. And it all started in his garage. Find out more at: http://www.herbalpert.com/

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Isaac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes (born August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee) is an American soul singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger, and actor. Hayes is best known as one of the creative forces behinds Stax Records, where he was both an in-house songwriter/producer and a recording artist. In addition to his work in popular music, Hayes has also written scores for several motion pictures as well. His best known film score, for the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft, earned Hayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first Academy Award received by an African-American in a non-acting category) and two Grammy Awards. Hayes reveived a third Grammy for his 1971 album Black Moses. In 1992, Hayes was crowned an honorary king of Ghana's Ada district thanks to his humanitarian deeds. From 1997 to 2006, he voiced the character "Chef", a singing ladies' man and elementary school cook, on the animated sitcom South Park. He was the second-born child of Isaac Sr. and Eula Hayes, but after their deaths was raised by his grandparents. He grew up picking cotton in Covington, Tennessee. He dropped out of high school but earned his diploma at the age of 21. He began singing at the age of five at his local church. Soon after, he taught himself how to play the piano, electronic organ, flute, and saxophone. He began his recording career in the early 1960s, as a session player for various acts of the Memphis-based Stax Records and later writing a string of hit songs with songwriting partner David Porter, including "You Don't Know Like I Know", "Soul Man", "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby", and "Hold On I'm Comin" for Sam and Dave. His own singing career took off with the album Hot Buttered Soul (1969). This album is noted for his image (shaven skulled, gold jewelry, sun glasses, etc) and his distinct sound (extended orchestral songs, heavy on organs, horns, and guitars, deep bass vocals, etc). Only four songs long, he re-interpreted "Walk On By" into a twelve-minute epic, "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" with an eight-minute long monologue before breaking into song, and the lone original number, the funky nearly ten minute tune "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquidalimystic", a significant break from the standard three minute soul/pop song format and singles-based albums. In early 1971 Hayes composed music for the soundtrack of the film Shaft (he also enjoyed a cameo as the bar tender of No Name Bar in the film). The title theme with its wah-wah guitar and multi-layered symphonic arrangement would become a worldwide hit single and spent two weeks at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year. Hayes won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture for the "Theme from Shaft" and was nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score for Shaft. He was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Isaac Hayes is the father of 12 children. He is also an outspoken Scientologist, frequently identified by Scientology as a success story. He has called Scientology the "gateway to eternity" and "the path to happiness and total spiritual freedom." On March 13, 2006, a statement was issued in Hayes' name, indicating that he was asking to be released from his contract with Comedy Central, citing recent episodes which satirized religious beliefs as being intolerant. I think his classic album is Hot Buttered Soul. Listen to it and see if you don't agree. Find out more about this musical icon at: http://www.isaachayes.com/

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Carole King

While the landmark album Tapestry earned her superstar status, singer/songwriter Carole King had already firmly established herself as one of pop music's most gifted and successful composers, with work recorded by everyone from the Beatles to Aretha Franklin. Born Carole Klein on February 9, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, she began playing piano at the age of four, and formed her first band, the vocal quartet the Co-Sines, while in high school. A devotee of the composing team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (the duo behind numerous hits for Elvis Presley, the Coasters, and Ben E. King), she became a fixture at influential DJ Alan Freed's local Rock 'n' Roll shows; while attending Queens College, she forged a writing partnership with Gerry Goffin. In 1959, Neil Sedaka scored a hit with "Oh! Carol," written in her honor. She and Goffin, who eventually married, began writing under publishers Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in the famed pop songwriting house the Brill Buiding. In 1961, Goffin and King scored their first hit with the Shirelles' chart-topping "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"; their next effort, Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby," also hit number one, as did "The Locomotion," recorded by their baby-sitter, Little Eva. Together, the couple wrote over 100 chart hits in a vast range of styles, including the Chiffons' "One Fine Day," the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday," the Drifters' "Up on the Roof," the Cookies' "Chains" (later covered by the Beatles), Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman". She became friends with James Taylor who encouraged her to pursue a solo career, and in 1971, she released Tapestry, which stayed on the charts for over six years and was the best-selling album of the era. A quiet, reflective work which proved seminal in the development of the singer/songwriter genre, Tapestry also scored a pair of hit singles, "So Far Away" and the chart-topping "It's Too Late," whose flip side, "I Feel the Earth Move," garnered major airplay as well. In 1975, King and Goffin reunited to write tunes to the album Thoroughbred, which also featured contributions from James Taylor, David Crosby, and Graham Nash. After 1977's Simple Things, she mounted a tour with the backing group Navarro and married her frequent songwriting partner Rick Evers, who died a year later after a heroin overdose. 1980's Pearls, a collection of performances of songs written during her partnership with Goffin, was her last significant hit, and King soon moved to a tiny mountain village in Idaho, where she became active in the environmental movement. In 2001, she returned with Love Makes the World, a self-released disc on her own Rockingale label. Four years passed before her next record, The Living Room Tour, a double disc set documenting her intimate 2004-05 tour that found her revisting songs from throughout her career with only her piano and acoustic guitars as accompaniment. In 1990, King was inducted, along with Goffin, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category for her songwriting achievements. She will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame thisyear. Tapestry is one of those albums I'd want to take with me to a desert island. It is a classic piece of 20th century American music. Find out more by visiting her website at: http://www.caroleking.com/

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The Temptations

The Temptations are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary. Formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1960 as The Elgins, the Temptations have always featured five male vocalists. The group, known for its recognizable choreography, distinct harmonies, and onstage suits, has been said to be as influential to soul as the Beatles are to rock. Having sold an estimated 22 million albums by 1982, The Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history and were the definitive male vocal group of the 1960s. In addition, they have the second-longest tenure on Motown (behind Stevie Wonder), as they were with the label for a total of 40 years: 16 years from 1961 to 1977, and 24 more from 1980 to 2004 (from 1977 to 1980, they were signed to Atlantic Records). The original group included members of two local Detroit vocal groups: The Distants, which featured second tenor/baritone Otis Williams, first tenor Elbridge "Al" Bryant and bass Melvin Franklin; and first tenor/falsetto Eddie Kendricks and second tenor/baritone Paul Williams (no relation to Otis) from The Primes. Among the most notable future Temptations were lead singers David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards (both of whom became successful Motown solo artists after leaving the group), Richard Street (another former Distant), Damon Harris, Ron Tyson, Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, and G.C. Cameron. Like its sister female group, the Supremes, the Temptations' lineup has changed frequently over the years, releasing four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 14 Billboard R&B number-one singles. Their material has earned them three Grammy Awards, while two more awards were conferred upon the songwriters and producers who crafted their 1972 hit "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". As of 2007, the Temptations continue to perform and record for Universal Records with only one original member, founder Otis Williams, in its lineup. If you're ever had the great luck of hearing their original version of the #1 hit "My Girl" than you have some idea of what a powerful recording group they were. They will forever be one of Motown's greatest gifts to the world. Find out more at: http://classicmotown.com/artist.aspx?ob=ros&src=lb&aid=52

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T. Rex

T. Rex (originally named Tyrannosaurus Rex), a 70s British folk-rock combo, was the primary force in glam rock. Their music was a mixture of the underlying sexuality of early rock & roll, adding dirty grooves to fat distorted guitars, as well as an overarching folky/hippie spirituality that always came through the clearest on ballads. The group's front man was Marc Bolan. In Britain, he became a superstar, sparking a period of "T. Rextacy" among the pop audience with a series of Top Ten hits, including four number one singles. Over in America, the group only had one major hit -- the Top Ten "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" -- before disappearing from the charts in 1973. T. Rex's popularity in the U.K. didn't begin to waver until 1975, yet they retained a devoted following until Marc Bolan's death in 1977. Over the next two decades, Bolan emerged as a cult figure and the music of T. Rex has proven quite influential on hard rock, punk, new wave, and alternative rock. The turning point in Bolan's career came in October of 1970, when he shortened the group's name to T. Rex and released "Ride a White Swan," a fuzz-drenched single driven by a rolling backbeat. "Ride a White Swan" became a major hit in the U.K., climbing all the way to number two. The band's next album, T. Rex, peaked at number 13 and stayed on the charts for six months. Encouraged by the results, Bolan expanded T. Rex to a full band, adding bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend (born Bill Fifield). The new lineup recorded "Hot Love," which spent six weeks at number one in early 1971. That summer, T. Rex released "Get It On" (retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" in the U.S.), which became their second straight U.K. number one; the single would go on to be their biggest international hit, reaching number ten in the U.S. in 1972. Electric Warrior, the first album recorded by the full band, was released in the fall of 1971; it was number one for six weeks in Britain and cracked America's Top 40. The third album under the name T. Rex, The Slider was released in July 1972. It became the band's most successful album in the US, but wasn't as successful as Electric Warrior in the UK, only reaching #4. During spring/summer 1972 Bolan's old label Fly had been 'cashing-in' with the #1 compilation album Bolan Boogie, a collection of A- and B-sides and LP tracks, which had a bad effect on The Slider's sales. However, the two singles released from The Slider, "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru" both flopped in the US, but became #1 hits in the UK. By November 1973 original members of the band began to leave, alienated by Bolan's increasingly egotistical behaviour, which was fed by success, money, cocaine, and brandy. Bolan and his wife/manager June split and he began a relationship with Gloria Jones, a session singer and writer, on the band's second major US tour. Jones had achieved fame in the US for the 1964 recording "Tainted Love," of which the UK group Soft Cell would gain notoriety and worldwide success with their cover in the early 80's. In the late summer of 1977 Bolan hosted his own ITV show, Marc. He was a crusader for punk rock, which led him to invite many punk artists to appear on the show. On the final episode of Marc, recorded on 7 September 1977, a long-awaited performance with his old friend David Bowie was scheduled. When the two begin their duet at the show's finale, Marc tripped and fell off the stage. It would be his final public appearance, for he would die a week later. While driving home from a London club Gloria Jones lost control of her car, smashing into a tree. Marc Bolan, riding in the passenger's seat of the car, was killed instantly.Most remember T. Rex by one song, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". Maybe Marc would want it that way. Find out more at: http://www.borntoboggie.net/

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Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an influential American deep soul singer, best known for his passionate delivery and posthumous hit single, "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay." According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (where he was inducted in 1989) website, his name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America combinating gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying". He was born in the small town of Dawson, Georgia. At the age of 5 he moved with his family to Macon, Georgia. He sang in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church, becoming a local celebrity as a teenager after winning a local Sunday night talent show 15 weeks in a row. In 1960, he began touring the South with Johnny Jenkins and The Pinetoppers. In 1962, he made his first real mark in the music business during a Johnny Jenkins session when he recorded "These Arms of Mine", a ballad that he had written. The song became a minor hit on Volt Records, a subsidiary of renowned Stax, based in Memphis, TN. His manager was fellow Maconite Phil Walden (who later founded Capricorn Records). He continued to release for Stax/Volt, and built his fanbase by extensively touring a legendarily electrifying live show with support from fellow Stax artists Sam & Dave. Further hits between 1964 and 1966 included "Mr. Pitiful", "I Can't Turn You Loose" (to become The Blues Brothers entrance theme music), "Try a Little Tenderness", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (written by the Rolling Stones), and "Respect" (later a smash hit for Aretha Franklin). He wrote many of his own songs, which was unusual for the time, often with Steve Cropper (of Stax house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, who usually served as Otis' backing band in the studio). Soul singer Jerry Butler co-wrote another hit "I've Been Loving You Too Long". One of his few songs with a significant mainstream following was "Tramp" (1967) with Carla Thomas. Later that year, Redding played at the Monterey Pop Festival, which helped him to break into the white pop music scene. He and six others, including four of the six members of his backup band, The Bar-Kays, were killed when the plane on which they were travelling crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin on December 10, 1967. The two remaining members of The Bar-Kays were Ben Cauley and James Alexander. Cauley was the only person aboard Redding's plane to survive the crash; Alexander was on another plane. Cauley said he had been asleep and recalled unbuckling his seat belt just before impact, which was his final recollection before finding himself in the frigid waters of the lake, grasping a seat cushion to keep himself afloat. Redding's body was recovered the next day from the lakebed. The cause of the crash was never precisely determined. He was 26 years old at the time of his death. He was laid to rest in a tomb on his private ranch in Round Oak, Georgia, 23 miles (37 km) north of Macon. "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" was recorded only three days prior to Redding's death. It was released the next month and became his first #1 single and first million-seller. The fact that "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" ultimately became Redding's greatest commercial success was unexpected, not only because its release came after his death, but also because the song is actually a significant stylistic departure from the bulk of his other work. It remains an R&B classic. Find out more at: http://www.otisredding.com/

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