You know who gave me my break? Herb Albert, did you know that? I met Herb Albert - I was in the mailroom and I had a water bottle on my shoulder. If you see him you can - he knows. He always - we - I think I spoke with him probably the last time about four years ago. He called me; something about Lani, Lani Hall his wife, you know who she is? She used to sing with Sergio Mendez. I was carrying a water bottle on my shoulder and I was running into his office - I didn’t even know it was his office - and I almost killed the guy. Literally, like, with this huge water bottle on my shoulder, because the mailroom guys were the ones that had to take water all over the lot.

Then years later we developed a really nice relationship and I was in New York and a few other cities with him when he did his Tijuana Brass Reunion Tour, The Lonely Bull. I traveled quite a bit with his wife Lonnie, because I was doing the marketing and the promotion for the lot and the division out of A&M.

So I started A&M records and I always say I was so fortunate, because I didn’t know those places exist today. It was like the Montessauri School of music where if you had a little bit on the ball, you know, you delivered the mail, and you went through all these different departments. And you could sort of forge these relationships with different people and just spend time chatting with them while you're doing your mailroom and your mail run. You start to familiarize yourself with what each department does and what their functions were and all that. That was really my schooling.

Then one day I was taking the mail into the international department over at A&M on the main lot and I walked in there and a secretary came up to me. She said, “I got to talk to you.” She takes me to the side. I didn’t know what she was going to say to me that was so secretive. So she shows me a letter that was going to Gil Friesen, who was the president of A&M records then. It was recommending me for an important job.

I didn’t sleep that night. That somebody even took notice of me. I was going to school that night. I was going to Cal State Northridge. That somebody was even thinking of me. I guess delivering the mail paid off, because I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for A&M records and Herb Albert.

[End of Audio]