Bob Alberti

Who is Bob Alberti?

Bob Alberti is an American pianist born in Brooklyn, New York in 1934. He attended P.S. 185 and Fort Hamilton High School, both in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. His paternal family was a long line of musicians beginning with the Alberti Family Orchestra, seven people including his Great-Grandparents and their five offspring, all of whom were accomplished musicians. His father was an orchestra leader in the 1930s so it naturally led him into a life in the music industry.

His mentor was jazz pianist Teddy Wilson, with whom he studied at a young age. He formed his first little combo at age 14 and that group played at restaurants and associations in the New York area. At age 16 he joined Charlie Spivak's orchestra, one of the "name bands" of the day. From there he also played with the bands of Louis Prima, Jerry Gray and Les Brown While still in New York he formed a jazz trio and played in Greenwich Village nightclubs. For a period of about five years he was actively playing with the "society bands" of the New York area, playing weddings, debutante parties and all sorts of various engagements.

In 1960 Alberti decided to try the music scene in the Los Angeles area, which was growing rapidly as the new hub of television production. He served as personal musical director for stars of the era that included Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, Jack Jones, Patti Page, Shari Lewis, Kay Starr and many others. Eventually he spent thirty-four years as a studio musician, playing piano, arranging and conducting for major productions. He was the alternate pianist on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" from 1974 to 1983, and handled the music for the Bob Hope Shows at NBC until he chose to retire from the active music business in Los Angeles and move to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. During that time he also served as musical director on "Name That Tune," a game show, as well as supplying music for numerous situation comedies and variety shows. He was twice nominated for an Emmy award for musical direction.