Herb Alpert to receive UCLA Arts Award

Herb Alpert, music legend and philanthropist, will receive the first UCLA Arts Award in recognition of his accomplishments in music and his contributions to the arts and music at UCLA. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts) and will be presented at the school’s commencement ceremony on June 16.



As a legendary trumpet player and songwriter, Alpert’s extraordinary musicianship has earned him five #1 hits, eight Grammy awards, 15 gold albums and 14 platinum albums; selling more than 72 million records. His name is synonymous with a distinctly relaxed instrument style and an immediately recognizable group sound. “The Lonely Bull,” “A Taste of Honey,” “This Guy’s in Love with You,” and “Rise” are just a few of the memorable songs recorded by Herb Alpert during his more than 50 years in the industry.


Alpert also thrived in the music industry. He and his partner, Jerry Moss, founded A&M Records in 1962, which worked with an extraordinarily varied roster of artists including Janet Jackson, Cat Stevens, Supertramp, The Carpenters, Carole King and The Police. In 2006, Alpert and Moss were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their accomplishments.


The same passion drives Alpert’s work as a visual artist, which for 40 years has paralleled his life in music. His color-saturated, abstract expressionist paintings and bold, fluid 18-foot black totem sculptures have been shown in museums and galleries around the world.



Herb Alpert continues to perform with his wife, the Grammy Award-winning singer Lani Hall, and oversees the Vibrato Grill, a restaurant and jazz club in Bel Air. The Alperts’ ongoing philanthropy has garnered a host of awards, and for over two decades, The Herb Alpert Foundation has underwritten funding in the areas of the arts and arts education.



The UCLA Arts Award is given to members of the community who have made significant contributions in the field of the arts and play an active role in supporting the arts at UCLA. The current award, an original acrylic sculpture, is the first of a series designed by renowned artist and esteemed UCLA Design Media Arts Professor Vasa Mihich. His works are included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg, Germany and numerous others throughout the world.