Herb Alpert a vocalist at Dot Records under the name of Dore Alpert. "Tell It to the Birds" was recorded as the first release on the Alpert & Moss label Carnival Records. When Alpert and Moss found that there was prior usage of the Carnival name, they renamed the label A&M Records. Alpert set up a small recording studio in his garage and had been overdubbing a tune called "Twinkle Star", written by Sol Lake, who would eventually write many of the Brass's original tunes. During a visit to Tijuana, Mexico, Alpert happened to hear a mariachi band while attending a bullfight.
Herb Alpert song "Route 101" off the "Fandango" album peaked at No. 37 on the "Billboard" Pop Singles chart in August 1982. In 1987, Alpert branched out successfully to the R&B world with the hit album, "Keep Your Eye on Me", teaming up with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on "Diamonds" and "Making Love in the Rain" featuring vocals by Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith. Alpert performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Super Bowl XXII in San Diego, California in January 1988. It was the last non-vocal rendition of the national anthem at the Super Bowl to date. He has continued