NEWS

Engelbert Humperdinck: ‘I’m still bloody nervous when I walk onstage’

By Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun

Tue, Mar 15, 2016 (2 a.m.)

Arnold George Dorsey started out as a sax player, but he won a pub contest by singing — and closed his act with a dead-on impression of entertainment legend and Las Vegas resident Jerry Lewis.

His name immediately became Gerry Dorsey. It was to be short-lived as National Service called for military duty, followed by a serious battle with tuberculosis that KO’d his return to show business for six months.

He was part of the Gordon Mills management stable of pop stars, including non-rival Tom Jones and the eccentric Gilbert O’Sullivan. Gordon suggested the unusual and unique Engelbert Humperdinck moniker of the “Hansel & Gretel” Austrian composer. Notice all names of historical characters!

The still-handsome British singer, 79, is celebrating a stunning, nearly 50-year musical career with million-selling hits “Release Me,” “Spanish Eyes,” “The Last Waltz” and “After the Lovin.’ ”

He’s one of a few singers who has achieved two 1 million-selling hits in the same chart year. All told, he’s sold nearly 200 million records worldwide, with “Release Me” selling at one point more than 100,000 copies a day.

Engelbert returns to Reynolds Hall in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Symphony Park on Saturday, the day after Cirque du Soleil’s “One Night for One Drop” benefit production.

I chatted with him at length at his Beverly Hills, Calif., home, once owned by legendary actress Jayne Mansfield, before I left for Cabo San Lucas.

So you’re coming back to Las Vegas.

Yes, I am. I’m coming back, my third time at the Smith Center. I love that building. The acoustics are probably the best over there because they made it so that the audience and the artists have great sound. I think it’s great.

It may seem a funny question, but I’m serious. From a singer’s viewpoint, what does music add to romance? What does romance add to music?

I think music adds to romance because it creates the emotions. It creates feelings, which create romance. That’s what lyrics and good music are all about. That’s what I’ve been involved with all my life, and that’s one of the reasons why they deemed me “The King of Romance,” which was not my naming, but the press called me that.

It’s all to do with what music does to people. Music does stimulate them and lets them understand their emotions and creates different feelings you trust — like emotions of sadness and happiness.

You know you dance to music; therefore, it creates that emotion. You fall in love through music, you dance and get closeness. Everything happens through music.

Has that manifested itself in your performances? Have you ever seen anybody propose during a performance of yours? Have you ever seen anybody get down on one knee?

Yes. As recently as last year in one of my shows, somebody proposed during my show. People tend to do things with my music. For instance, “After the Lovin’ ” has been responsible for a lot of weddings and engagements.

Music is responsible for a lot of happenings as far as romance. It makes me feel good because it happens to be my music that’s caused it. I feel great about that.

Do you enjoy being “inside the box” of romance?

Yes, I do. I think it was a well-chosen path to take. When I first started, Robin, in the business, I was a rock-and-roll singer. I had to make a choice in the type of music I wanted to sing, and the choice was romantic music.

I was in a stable at the time with Gilbert O’Sullivan and Tom Jones, and we all had choices to make. Tom went the rock-and-roll way, I went the romantic way, and Gilbert had this funky type of method of singing. We made up that stable, and I guess that’s what made us successful.

What was that very first love song that persuaded you to stay in that area?

The first one, of course, was “Release Me,” and, ironically, it’s not even a love song because it’s very negative: “Please release me, let me go.” But it seemed to cause a lot of people to get together for some reason. It had a certain effect on people’s romantic ways.

That goes back to the emotional question that I asked about what music triggers.

I can’t believe it because it has a negative way of saying, “Let me go. I found somebody new.” It was so popular, it stopped The Beatles from having their 30th No. 1 in the Guinness Book of Records.

It was the largest number of records I’ve ever sold in my life. It was something like 80,000 a day, and it reached actually 127,000 records a day, which was completely unheard of in the industry.

That must have amazed you.

Yes, because I used to call every day and ask how many did we do? How many did we do today? You could do that in that era, but today you can’t.

How many miles are you still trekking a year?

Until about five years ago, I was doing about 140 concerts a year, and now I’m down to about 80 or 90. I think that’s about it. This time I’m doing a lot of work around the world.

I rather like it actually because I get to spend time in places that I’ve gone in and out very quickly. I’ve gotten to see the countries and go around it and experience their culture and things a little bit more.

Do you still love it?

I do love it. I swear to God until this day I love what I do. Walking onstage is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life, and it still is until this very day. But I’m still bloody nervous when I walk onstage.

No!

I swear! Before I walk onstage, my hands are cold, my feet are cold, and I’m stomping my feet backstage. It’s just so unusual to see somebody who’s been in the business 49 years feel nervous before I walk onstage. My warm-up back stage, nobody can hear it. I keep the microphone away from me because it’s live.

I’m really belting out with the overture, and I’m singing loud notes with it to warm up my vocal chords. I’m really singing loud to make sure I can hit all the notes when I walk onstage. It’s an unusual feeling. What I say to the people is my legs shake so badly I might have to lay down and do the show, and I mean it.

Fifty years on, how does it feel to still be a heartthrob? Does that amaze you?

Yes, it does. I mean have you read some of the write-ups I’ve been in recently? Isn’t it something?

I understand it, but I guess it’s still extraordinary just by the numbers. I remember the last time you were here at the Smith Center, it was dazzling, and I remember the folks rushing the stage like you were Harry Styles from One Direction!

Yeah, it was very good, thank you; thank you. I’m very pleased the way things are going. I still try to keep on top of the business by keeping fresh and always on top changing my show here and there and everywhere. I still keep the standards that people come to hear.

For instance, I notice when I watch major acts like Paul McCartney, when he goes out and tries new songs, it doesn’t go down as big as when he starts singing all the songs that they did in the past.

I think you still have to maintain and let the people hear what made it possible for you to be there in the first place, so I keep that as my main target for my audience.

So what does Engelbert Humperdinck put on the record player at home? Not Engelbert Humperdinck?

I sometimes put it on when I’m looking for material and I think, “What can I do to change my show a little bit?” So I listen to my music. Of course it takes a tremendous amount of listening.

I keep saying I could sing that song better today, and you’re criticizing yourself as you go along, and yet in that era it was great because it sold millions of records.

Yes, but please don’t ever do a hip-hop version of “Release Me.”

No, no, I don’t think I could change that. It’s so stamped in its style, I don’t think I could ever try to make an updated version of it, no. … If it’s not broken, don’t change it.

I agree. Do you have a favorite song out of all of them, or a favorite three?

I think the three are “Release Me,” After the Lovin,’ ” and I have to say I do love “Am I That Easy to Forget?” The ones that really got me around the world are songs like “The Last Waltz” that was played in ever dance hall around the world. I think that established me in a major way around the world, and every karaoke machine in the world still carries that song.

It’s been a remarkable journey since I knew you back in the 1960s, then when we filmed you for “Entertainment Tonight” and “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.”

It has indeed, and I hope it never ends. I’ve got a couple of albums I’ve got to tell you about. The duet album, of course, took two years to bring out, but I got to work with some legendary people, which was just wonderful. Actually, my assistant bumped into Johnny Mathis the other day, and Johnny says, “How is he doing? We should get together sometime.”

Johnny Mathis has been one of my favorite, favorite voices in my life. To sing a duet with him was like a dream come true for me. It would be like singing a duet with Nat King Cole. Of course being on the same album with Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers … and Gene Simmons was a delight in the studio, I want to tell you that.

And the newest album?

“Runaway Country.” Yeah, I did that and did a song called “Runaway” on it to keep it fresh. They’re all country songs, and they’re all great performances. There’s a great song in there called “Love Look What You’ve Done to Me.” It’s a wonderful song, which I perform in the show, and it gets major reaction from the audience.

Where are you before you come to Las Vegas, and where do you go afterward?

I’m in Sacramento just prior to Las Vegas, and afterward we go to Atlantic City, Massachusetts, Toronto. … I’m still roaming.

The summer lies ahead. What else do you have on your plate?

I started a documentary a couple of years ago. It’s not quite finished yet, but, when that comes out, I will let you know. It’s got some footage on it that’s never been seen before, so it will be quite unusual when it’s finished. It’s getting close to the end of it now.

But I’ll go on singing and touring. I can’t and won’t stop!

Engelbert Humperdinck performs Saturday night at 7:30 in Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Symphony Park.

Robin Leach of “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” fame has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past 15 years giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Las Vegas Sun Entertainment + Luxury Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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