Herb Alpert at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute.
Photo credit: Phil Stafford / Shutterstock
The Herb Alpert Foundation is making a $10.1 million dollar donation to two-year academic institution Los Angeles City College (LACC). The hefty donation will cover tuition for all LACC music majors.
The donation comes from world-renowned trumpet player Herb Alpert and his wife, vocalist Lani Hall. The duo started their own philanthropic foundation in the late 80s as a way to give back to the local community. Past organizations and programs they’ve donated to include: 18th Street Arts Center, Actors’ Gang, American Composers Orchestra, and Americans for the Arts.
The foundation’s vision statement reads. “The Herb Alpert Foundation envisions a world where all young people are blessed with opportunities that allow them to reach their potential and lead productive and fulfilling lives.”
In regards to his most recent donation to LACC, Alpert commented, “The biggest motivation was helping kids who don’t have the financial energy to go to a major college. At LACC, they’ve nurtured thousands of dedicated students every year. My brother went there. My ex-partner [record producer] Lou Adler went there. I’ve visited the school. It’s alive. It’s kickin’.”
Robert Schwartz, Executive Director of the LACC Foundation, is grateful for the donation and the life-changing impacts it will have in the lives of students.
“It’s the largest gift to an individual community college in the history of Southern California and it’s the second-largest gift in the history of the state,” Schwartz stated.
As a Grammy award-winning musician, Herb Alpert’s past work includes playing alongside the Tijuana Brass. In 1966, The Tijuana Brass sold $13.5 million records, exceeding the Beatles’ album sales. Two years later, Alpert went solo and scored a No. 1 hit with “This Guy’s in Love with You.”
Alpert also co-founded A&M Records in 1962, which produced works from notable figures including Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, and the Carpenters.