If you imagine the world’s richest musicians, you’ll likely immediately think of Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney, or power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z.
One name that likely doesn’t come to mind is Herb Alpert, but the jazz artist comes above the likes of Bono, Selena Gomez, and Queen Bey herself on the list of the top 10 richest musicians.
According to Esquire, the 90-year-old star has a net worth of $1.25billion (£939,000,000), just shy of Madonna, who sits at $1.26b (£947,000,000).
The Californian trumpeter, singer, songwriter, and record producer is well known in the world of jazz, having released 28 albums that appeared on the US Billboard 200, five of which hit number one.
Alpert is the only musician to have ever hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist and an instrumentalist, and has been awarded 14 platinum and 15 gold albums.
The conductor has sold a whopping 72million records worldwide and has several accolades, including eight Grammys, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and six years later, was honoured with the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama.
He led the Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s, co-founding A&M Records with Jerry Moss in 1962.
It grew to be one of the largest record labels in North America, signing the likes of Janet Jackson, Sting, The Carpenters, Liza Minelli, and many more.
He sold A&M Records in 1989 for $500m (£375,826,000) to PolyGram, a subsidiary of Philips.
Alpert and Moss later received an additional $200m (£150,330,000) after PolyGram breached the terms of the deal.
Outside of music, he has various philanthropic ventures, including creating the Herb Alpert Foundation and the Alpert Awards in the Arts in the 1980s, which help support youth and arts education and environmental issues.
He and his second wife, singer Lani Hall, have also donated millions to the University of California to aid the teaching of the arts.
The musician has three children – Dore, 64, and Eden, 58, with his first wife Sharon Mae Lubin, and Aria, 48, with Hall.
Alpert is set to go on tour to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his hit album Whipped Cream & Other Delights, which features singles such as The Lonely Bull, Casino Royale, This Guy’s In Love With You, and Spanish Flea.
Esquire’s top 10 richest musicians
- Jay-Z – $3.71 billion
- Rihanna – $2.08 billion
- Sir Paul McCartney – $1.93 billion
- Taylor Swift – $1.63 billion
- Bruce Springsteen – $1.60 billion
- Madonna – $1.26 billion
- Herb Alpert – $1.27 billion
- Selena Gomez – $1.19 billion
- Beyoncé – $1.13 billion
- Bono – $1.04 billion
Speaking to Billboard last year, Alpert explained how he told his sister Mimi, 98, he would be hitting the road once more.
‘I have to explain to her that it gives me energy to do it,’ he said in an interview celebrating the release of his 50th album, aptly titled 50.
‘I’m not on a victory tour here. It’s not about that. It’s that I love doing it. I love to play the horn. I love to play the horn. I love playing with great musicians. I love doing it.
‘I’m a right-brain guy; I play, I’ve been painting for over 50 years, sculpting for over 40. It just gives me reason to be.’
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