Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass were one of instrumental music's most popular groups. Alpert was already a key figure in the Los Angeles pop scene. He and Lou Adler produced Jan and Dean and co-wrote "Wonderful World" with Sam Cooke. "A Taste Of Honey", "The Lonely Bull", "Zorba The Greek", and "Spanish Flea" are just a few of the many now classic material this group put out. There was even a sound-alike group called The Baja Marimba Band!
Floyd Cramer played piano on all of Elvis Presley's early RCA recordings. His hits included "Last Date", a no. 2 smash in 1960, "On The Rebound"(no. 4 , 1961), and "San Antonio Rose"(no. 8, also in 1961).
Ferrante and Teicher(Arthur Ferrante and Louis Teicher), of the full, two-piano sound, took "Theme From The Apartment" to no. 10 in 1960. "Exodus" was a no. 2 smash in Dec. 1960-early 1961. "Tonight" went to no. 8 in '61, while "Midnight Cowboy" returned the duo to the top ten (at no. 10!) in 1969. German orchestra leader/composer
Bert Kaempfert produced the 1st Beatles recording! His "Wonderland By Night" was a no. 1 smash in 1960. "Tenderly" was a top 40 hit in 1961(no. 31), and "Red Roses For A Blue Lady" went to no. 11 in 1965.
The Ramsey Lewis Trio were one of the best instrumental jazz groups of the decade. "The In Crowd" was a no. 5 smash in 1965. ( This was an instrumental version of the vocal hit by Dobie Gray.) "Hang On Sloopy" went to no. 11, also from '65. "Wade In The Water" was a top 20 hit from 1966 (no. 19).
Henry Mancini( with orchestra and chorus) holds the record as the all-time Grammy winner-20 awards to date. His biggest hits were "Moon River" (no. 11, 1961, from the film "Breakfast At Tiffany's" and "Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet", a no. 1 in 1969. But he's known for so many others, such as "Days Of Wine And Roses", "The Pink Panther Theme", "Charade", and "Mr. Lucky".
Johnny and The Hurricanes (Johnny Paris, leader) did instrumental versions of old standards. "Red River Rock" was a version of "Red River Valley", which was a no. 5 smash in 1959. The no. 15 hit , "Beatnik Fly"(1960), was an adaptation of "Blue Tail Fly.". Other hits for the group included "Down Yonder" , "Revival", and "You Are My Sunshine". "Out Of Limits" was a no. 3 smash in late 1963
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