Starting in the 1960s, his groundbreaking musical flavor catapulted Latino-style pop into the public eye. He has won eight Grammy awards, fifteen gold albums and fourteen platinum, and at one point his music outsold that of the Beatles by two to one.

Currently, his creative energies are focused on abstract expressionist painting, and on Broadway theatre - his production of Tony Kurshner's "Angels in America" won a Tony award. He also funds the Herb Alpert Foundation for artistic training.