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	Herb Alpert
	Patti Austin
	John Sykes

On commencement eve, at the Berklee Performance Center -- widely considered to be one of the East Coast's finest medium-sized concert halls – Berklee students will present a unique, once-in-a-lifetime concert tribute to the three honorees, performing selections associated with their award-winning careers.

Herb Alpert
An extraordinary musician, Alpert's trumpet playing has earned him seven Grammy Awards, fifteen gold albums, fourteen platinum albums and five #1 hits. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass propelled Latino music into the pop music limelight, at one point outselling the Beatles two to one. His most recent record, "Herb Alpert and Colors," co-produced with Will Calhoun '86 and Doug Wimbish, received a 1999 Grammy nomination.

Through their commitment to artists with personal vision, Alpert and his partner Jerry Moss guided A&M Records from a humble Hollywood garage operation into the largest independently owned record company in the world. Great performers such as Carole King, Cat Stevens, Styx, Supertramp, The Carpenters, Sting and Janet Jackson were evidence of the consistent quality and diversity of the A&M records roster.

Herb Alpert has utilized his gifts and drive to explore other artistic avenues. During the last two decades, Alpert has emerged as a critically acclaimed abstract expressionist painter and sculptor, exhibiting internationally. He has also chosen to involve himself in the world of Broadway theatre. His producing credits include the Tony Award/Pulitzer Prize winning production of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America." He has also co-produced "Jelly's Last Jam," Arthur Miller's "Broken Glass," and August Wilson's "Seven Guitars."

Alpert's most serious contribution may yet be his most important. The Herb Alpert Foundation assists educational and arts programs dedicated to the training of young people, helping them to discover their own potential and unique energy. An example of the Foundation's work is the 1998 bequest rededicating Berklee's Stan Getz Media Center and Library to the memory of master saxophonist Getz. Alpert joined the college's Board of Overseers in 1999.

Patti Austin
A gifted vocalist from her earliest years, Patti Austin has delivered remarkable music since the popular singer was a child. Her father was a jazz trombonist, and their home was constantly filled with music and musicians. Before she was ten years old, Patti was performing with greats like Sammy Davis Jr., her godfather, Quincy Jones '51, and her godmother, Dinah Washington. Upon graduation from high school, Patti began touring with Harry Belafonte.

Her career's high notes include the evergreen duets with James Ingram, including their number one record, "Baby Come to Me;" the big R&B hit "The Heat of Heat" produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; and her two decades of collaborations with Quincy Jones, including the CDs "Juke Joint," and "The Dude." Another Austin/Ingram duet, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing," from the film Best Friends, was nominated for an Oscar.

Her commercial and jingle singing is legendary, and includes many memorable, stick-in-your-head performances. During the 70s and 80s she became one of the most in-demand session singers in New York. That work includes credits with Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Frankie Valli, Joe Cocker, George Benson, Roberta Flack, the Marshall Tucker Band, Steely Dan, and the Blues Brothers. Her most recent release is her 1999 collection of American standards, "Street of Dreams" on Platinum Music. Austin visited the college this past November to share her experiences with Berklee students and faculty.

John Sykes is president of VH1, one of the fastest-growing networks in cable television, now reaching 70 million US television homes. He joined the network in 1994, and since his arrival has dedicated VH1 to "Music First," telling the stories of both new and established artists in such programs as "Legends," "Storytellers," "Before They Were Rock Stars," and "Behind the Music," which have featured numerous Berklee alumni and faculty.

Under Sykes, VH1 is also helping to raise public awareness about the critical importance of music participation for American youth. The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which Sykes began in 1997, works to help restore music education in the nation's public schools. By the end of this year, Save The Music will have restored more than 500 school music programs in 40 American cities, enriching the lives of more than 200,000 children. Sykes' tireless efforts to reintroduce the nation's leaders, famous musicians, and educators to one another, toward the common goal of reviving music education in America, are beginning to pay off.

Sykes is a music industry veteran, beginning his career at CBS Records in 1977. He joined Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment to be part of the pioneering team that launched MTV: Music Television, and then moved to the Creative Artists Agency. His next stop was as President of Champion Entertainment, where he guided the careers of such artists as John Mellencamp, Mariah Carey, and Carly Simon.

From there, he became president of Chrysalis Records, leading the company to its best sales year ever. Immediately prior to joining VH1, Sykes was executive vice president of Talent Acquisition and Marketing at EMI Music Publishing Worldwide, where he signed and developed such artists as Stone Temple Pilots and Counting Crows.

Alpert, Austin and Sykes will join such illustrious Berklee honorary doctorate recipients as Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Sting, James Taylor, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, and alumnus Quincy Jones.

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For further information, or to apply for press credentials, please contact:

Office of Public Information, Rob Hayes at 617/747-2566,
Sarah Godcher at 617/747-2658,
Toni Ballard at 617/747-2247, Emily Singer at 617/747-2567, or
Tim Lyons at 617/747-2750.

Digital photo files of Herb Alpert, Patti Austin, and
John Sykes are available at www.berklee.edu/opi/

Learn more about Berklee at www.berklee.edu