A&M Records was started in 1962 by partners Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, hence the A&M (Alpert & Moss). Their first release (following two singles released under the label name Carnival Records (4)) was "The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, which sold around 700,000 copies. Sixteen of the first 25 albums were certified gold by the RIAA and helped A&M become a major label and ultimately the world's largest independent record company. via Discogs →