Hidden Stories Capture How Insane The Groovy Era Was
CULTURE | May 20, 2023
How The 'Whipped Cream' Girl Sold 6 Million Herb Alpert Records
To sell six million copies of an album in 1965 was no small feat. It took great tunes, determination, radio play, and a smoking hot cover photo. With Whipped Cream & Other Delights, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass combined sexy salsa influenced tunes with an erotic cover that changed the way mid-century music lovers thought about this sweet treat.
The cover features model Dolores Erickson slathered in whipped cream, and licking her finger while holding a rose. It's a classic album cover that definitely sent America's blood pressure through the roof. However, things aren't what they seem with this album cover.
Photographed by Peter Whorf, Erickson isn't actually covered in mounds of whipped cream - most of what you're seeing is a fluffy white blanket. To get the perfect shot, Erickson posed in a strapless bikini while wrapped in the blanket. Because real whipped cream melts under lights, Whorf sprayed cans and cans of shaving cream on her body, and just a little whipped cream was put on her head and finger. Erickson later said that she had a "lovely time" working with Whorf, although she was shocked when she saw the final photo. She claims that she actually the prints from her husband, but with six million units moved of this LP he probably saw the photo at some point.
