Sixty years ago, television audiences were swept away by the sun soaked sounds of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. When the group made their Ed Sullivan Show debut on November 7, 1965, they didn’t just bring a new band to American living rooms, they introduced a new sound, and a new kind of cool. At a time when British rock and Motown harmonies ruled the charts, Herb Alpert’s bright trumpet and the Tijuana Brass’s rhythms offered something refreshingly different. Something instantly catchy with an international flair. It was the sound of California bottled up in a three minute tune and America couldn’t get enough. 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Herb Alpert had already built a reputation as a gifted trumpeter and producer before stepping into the spotlight. After a fateful trip to a bullfight in Tijuana inspired him to blend Mexican mariachi with jazz and American pop, The Tijuana Brass was born. By 1965, their second album Whipped Cream & Other Delights had taken over the airwaves, and its unforgettable cover was as famous as the music inside. This album went on to become the number one album in 1966, outselling The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones. 

This success would continue when Alpert walked onto Ed Sullivan’s stage, trumpet in hand, letting America into something new; an instrumental group that could command attention as effortlessly as any pop band. The style of The Tijuana Brass was the kind of act that made viewers sit up a little straighter and say, “Who are these guys?” Ed Sullivna himself remarked, “This group, they’re as hot as pistols” and continued, “Anytime you’re ever in our area, I’m going to turn it over to you.” Proof that the band filled Studio 50 that night with a sound that would remain one of the most memorable debuts on The Ed Sullivan Show’s stage. Within weeks after this debut, A Taste of Honey, would become a chart topper and win Record of the Year at the 8th Annual Grammys. However, in that moment, on November 7th 1965, on live television, it was, pure discovery. Millions of viewers were hearing the future of music and they were hearing it courtesy of Ed Sullivan himself. 

What made Herb Alpert’s sound so timeless was its mood. It was feel-good music, the soundtrack to backyard barbecues, what the California lifestyle should feel like, and optimism in an era marked by rapid cultural change and trying times. Six decades after that first trumpet note rang out on The Ed Sullivan Show, Herb Alpert remains one of the most successful instrumental artists of all time, a nine time Grammy winner, co-founder of A&M Records, and dedicated philanthropist who in his 90s is still performing as this is written. Yet for many fans that first Sullivan appearance remains the moment they fell in love with his sound.  Sixty years on, we celebrate Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass not only for their music, but for making the world feel a little sunnier.