Malibu resident and music legend Herb Alpert received the UCLA Arts Award for recognition of his accomplishments in music and art at the school’s commencement ceremony on June 16. As a trumpet player and songwriter, Alpert’s musicianship has earned him five number one hits, eight Grammy awards, 15 gold albums and 14 platinum albums, selling more than 72 million records. He has worked with a variety of artists including Janet Jackson, Cat Stevens and The Police. Alpert also has a career as a visual artist, having his abstract expressionist paintings and 18-foot black totem sculptures shown in museums and galleries around the world.
Alpert continues to perform with his wife, the Grammy Award-winning singer Lani Hall and together the two founded The Herb Alpert Foundation, which has underwritten funding in the areas of the arts and arts education.