Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss

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  • Year:
    2006
  • Inducted by:
    Sting (The Police)
  • Category:
    Ahmet Ertegun Award

Introduction

The longest lived independent record label started as two guys in a garage.

Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss went from humble beginnings to music industry magnates by trusting their gut. Whether they were totally obscure or fabulously successful, they always recorded acts that they believed in.

Hall of Fame Essay

2006

Barney Hoskyns

The history of American pop music is filled with great partnerships. Most of them, from Rodgers & Hart to Jam & Lewis, are songwriting teams working under pressure to create hits for the stars of the day. But occasionally fate brings together two highly talented men who create and build a record company with the same love and dedication that goes into the best songs.

 A&M Records, the brainchild of Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, remains one of the greatest labels launched in the 1960s, a decade when thousands of independents were born in America.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 2006
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HerbAlpertJerryMoss_quote
they each invested $100, distributing records from a garage in Hollywood
Sting

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Gallery

Photography: Getty/WireImage