HERB ALPERT & JERRY MOSS
Jerry Moss describes the story of A&M Records, which he co-founded with Herb Alpert, as "an American fable."
The pair, who will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2006 from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, turned an initial $200 investment in 1962 into a 28-year legacy built on the belief that artistic integrity and creative freedom were the keys to success in the music business.
"A&M was a combined effort with Herb to create an atmosphere where artists and staff felt free to function and to apply their talents unhindered," Moss says. "There was quite a feeling of independence, because it was all ours. We had no investors. We were able to fight the big labels and stay successful."
Alpert recalls: "I recorded for a major company prior to A&M, and I was treated like a number. We wanted to be fair to artists and make A&M an artist's company. We just tried to make records that we liked and were proud of."
The company's first album release, Alpert's own "The Lonely Bull" with his band Tijuana Brass, peaked at No. 10 on The Billboard 200. He continued his roles as recording artist, songwriter, producer, composer and arranger through the years he helped run A&M with Moss.
By 1969, A&M had signed such acts as Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Burt Bacharach, Phil Ochs, Joe Cocker, the Carpenters, Quincy Jones and Humble Pie.
That year marked the company's best ever on the charts. By the end of 1969, A&M had a record 18 singles and 39 albums that had entered the Billboard charts.
Throughout the 1970s, A&M continued to rack up such hit albums as Carole King's "Tapestry" and Peter Frampton's live album "Frampton Comes Alive!"
In 1981, A&M had its best year at the Grammy Awards, winning seven statuettes, including four for Jones and two for the Police.
Two years later, A&M had a record number of singles -- 31 -- on The Billboard Hot 100 and eight singles in the top 10. Bryan Adams and Jeffrey Osborne each had four charting singles that year, and the 24 other singles were each from different artists.
Prior to its sale to PolyGram in 1990, A&M's last No. 1 album was Janet Jackson's "Control" in 1986. That year also featured the company's last No. 1 single, "Human" by the Human League.
Through the years, Moss and Alpert hired many employees who took A&M's mantras with them when they left the label.
Jim Guerinot, the founder of management company Rebel Waltz who previously worked at A&M in marketing, says that "Jerry and Herb had a vision of their company that was reflective of what they liked. It really was their company. They indulged in their vision, and it wasn't about selling more records. I scratched my head then, but now I want to be true in what I believe in my own company."
- Jill Kipnis
