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Herb Alpert is a very talented man...and smart, too. At 88 years old in 2023, he has done it all in the music business for a very long time.
Herb started as a session musician in the '50s, then producer, then owner of A & M Records ( "A" for Alpert and " M" for Jerry Moss), then bandleader and maker of Great Songs for decades.
Starting with multiple hits with the Tijuana Brass in the '60s, then as a solo act in the '70s (We highlighted his 1979 #1 hit "Rise" way back on 2/28/20), Herb had an uncanny knack for finding chart success. Yes, he owned the label, but his MUSIC was always GREAT!
Trivia #1: He is still the only man in chart history to reach #1 on the Hot 100 with a vocal recording ("This Guy's in Love" in 1968, and as an instrumentalist (the aforementioned "Rise.")
Which brings us to 1987...and his next great song: "Diamonds."
Herb was 52 that year, but staying musically relevant was still in his wheelhouse.
With "Diamonds," he tapped Janet Jackson and session singer Lisa Keith to do the vocals. He also had the architects of Minneapolis Funk, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, produce the track.
The end result was a worldwide hit and a Triple Chart single in the US, topping Billboard's Dance Club and Hip-Hop Charts, and reaching #5 on the Hot 100.
Herb Alpert had done it again!
The long form video pokes fun at Herb's perceived lack of relevance at the time--but but he quickly proves everyone wrong!
Trivia #2: Janet does not appear in the video. They used a body double and some special effects to "simulate" Ms. Jackson. :-)
"Diamonds" by Herb Alpert, Janet Jackson & Lisa Keith:
a Great Song of 1987!
Tomorrow: They had no idea whose song they were covering.
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