Herb Alpert speaks about his music career, love of touring with wife Lani Hall

With a career spanning over six decades and a marriage with talented singer Lani Hall lasting over 50 of those, Herb Alpert has proven to be one of the most resilient and enduring American musicians of his lifetime.

Born in Los Angeles, Alpert grew up in a family of musicians, learning to play the trumpet at 8 years old. He went on to play in the University of Southern California Marching Band and, while serving in the Army during the Korean War, played in the 6th Army Band.

After co-founding the music label, A&M Records, Alpert later formed his group Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass after he revamped a song into the classic “The Lonely Bull,” inspired by his trip to a bullfight and hearing mariachi music. While his first hit was just Alpert overdubbing himself playing trumpet, he later put together a backing band for his group.

This hit, which brought Alpert to the spotlight, was the start of a career of accolades, including nine Grammy awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a National Medal of Art for his body of work.

Alpert, now 88, has not slowed down over the last decade, releasing nine albums, including his 49th studio album, "Wish Upon a Star," last year, which features classic songs from Elvis, The Beatles, and other talented artists. His wife Hall is an accomplished musical artist in her own right, having started her career singing with Sergio Mendes and Brazil ‘66. She has appeared to be featured on more than 25 albums and released her first new solo album in over two decades in 2022 with “Seasons of Love” featuring Alpert.

Currently on a multicity tour, which will start its Texas leg on March 24 in San Antonio and culminate with a March 28 show in Amarillo, Alpert says he is an enthusiastic fan of Texas.

“I am overwhelmed by the response that I get from the crowds we play for,” Alpert said. “Traveling with my wife for the last 15 years or so, doing about 50 concerts a year, has been so enjoyable to me. I have been incredibly lucky in my professional career, selling a lot of records with so many people who like to listen to my music. It gives me pleasure to be able to play, and I have a lot of fun doing it.”

Alpert said that working and touring with his wife is a beautiful experience, especially since they have been involved in so much music together with him producing her first record with Sergio Mendes.

“It is amazingly comfortable working with my wife, because even though she claims she is an introvert, I am a card-carrying introvert; we are very compatible,” he added.

Alpert spoke about who inspired him as a musician growing up. He cited Harry James, Randy Brooks, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis as the musicians he looked up to as he started his career.

“Listening to Louis Armstrong perform with his way of communicating right through his instrument was a beautiful moment for me,” Alpert said. “Especially when I met and played with him one night on a TV show. I realized that the sound he was making was exactly like his personality, and that always struck me as the perfect blend. Many artists that I played with, their personalities did not mesh with their expression on their instrument.”

Speaking about his new album, Alpert said that this was a collection of songs that he really likes to play.

“There is no big meaning about what songs I choose, with such a large catalog of songs that I have in my head,” he said. “If I play a song that people are familiar with, I try to play a song in a way that it hasn't been done before because nobody wants to hear the same thing done exactly how they remember it.”

Emphasizing this point with one of his biggest hits from his Tijuana Brass days, Alpert spoke about how he sat down one day and created different interpolations of “A Taste of Honey,” which all were very interesting to him. Alpert says that he can usually pick up a song within a couple of listens, and he loves to reinterpret music that touches him.

Among the most unique renditions on his new album is Alpert's take on “East Bound and Down,” by Jerry Reed from the 1976 movie "Smokey and the Bandit," which reached No. 2 on the country charts. Alpert played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in August of last year.

“I never got that song out of my mind from the time I saw it in the movie, and I wanted to play the melody in my style,” Alpert added.

Alpert said that one of the voices in the country that he was always an enthusiastic fan of was Waylon Jennings. Originally signed to Alpert on A&M Records was Jennings' first recording session as an artist in 1964. Alpert envisioned Jennings as more of a pop artist, but Jennings' love for country led to him being let out of his contract with A&M Records.

“He just had such a unique voice that transcended any genre of music; I knew he was going to be a huge artist with one of those voices that seem to come out of a small town in Texas,” he said. “I knew he was going to be a huge star with that voice, but we let him out of his contract to sign with RCA.”

When asked which songs he likes to perform best, Alpert said it is about how he feels when that time arrives. He has a strong feeling about the one song he turned down. Alpert said that he was originally offered “Louie Louie,” which was made popular by the Kingsman.

“I was brought the song, and I did not like it,” he said. “I just did not like the song's arrangement or length. It went on to become a huge hit, but, still, I'm not too fond of the song to this day. That is how it goes sometimes.”

Alpert says that he still loves performing, and doing concerts with his wife makes it even more special. He has also become an accomplished painter and sculptor when he is not making music and touring. He also recently had a record that he now holds shared with Taylor Swift, having four albums in the Billboard Album Chart in the top 10 simultaneously. Alpert humbly shared that he still held the record for most in the top 20 with five albums.

Looking forward to his date in Amarillo, Alpert said the audience can expect to hear many of his classic songs with the Tijuana Brass, plus unique renditions of music that he just loves to play.

“I just love to play, and I am so blessed that people still come out to see me perform after all of these years,” Alpert said.

Herb Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall, will be playing on March 28 at 7:30 p.m. the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. For more information or tickets, go to panhandletickets.com .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Herb Alpert talks about music, career, touring with wife Lani Hall