NEWS

Gary Haber , ghaber@ydr.com 10:03 a.m. ET March 29, 2017

The balladeer brings his 50th anniversary tour to American Music Theatre on Sunday

Engelbert Humperdinck has long been one of music's biggest entertainers, a mega-watt star so famous he barely needs to use a last name.

He's got four Grammy nominations, 64 gold records and a string of enduring hits to his credit like "After the Lovin'," "Spanish Eyes" and "Release Me," the 1967 classic that spent more than a year atop the pop music charts. That won Humperdinck a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

But Humperdinck's not a singer who rests on his past successes.

He likes to keep things fresh, whether it's cutting a country music album or the 2014 album of duets Humperdinck did with fellow music icons, including Elton John, Smokey Robinson and Willie Nelson.

Humperdinck is currently assembling material for an album of all-new songs he hopes to release this summer.

"I'm testing them out with my audiences now, and I'm getting great results," he said during a recent phone interview from his home in California.

Humperdinck is looking to fill the album with the kinds of songs to which he's always been partial. He calls them "songs with value," songs with lyrics to which the average listener can relate.

"My kind of material is story lines that people have lived before, so the can say 'That's my life," Humperdinck said.

Humperdinck will bring his musical virtuosity with him to Lancaster on Sunday, April 2, when he performs, backed by an eight-piece band, at American Music Theatre. It's part of Humperdinck's 50th anniversary tour, dubbed "The Legend Continues."

It's a far cry from the years Humperdinck spent honing his craft playing pubs in his native England where he learned how to win over an audience.

"That served as an apprenticeship for me," said Humperdinck, who was born Arnold George Dorsey.

"When I got a hit record, I had already paid my dues."

He'd already been performing for years under the name Gerry Dorsey before his manager suggested a catchier stage name: Engelbert Humperdinck, which was the name of a 19th-century German opera composer.

When he's not on tour, Humperdinck keeps on top of the latest music trends.

He's a regular watcher of TV's "The Voice."

As for his own half-century entertainment career, Humperdinck said he's pleased with how it all turned out.

He originally thought he'd make his mark as a saxophone player, but it was his voice that turned out to be his instrument of fame.

"I'm just happy to keep doing what I'm doing," he said.

If You Go

What: Engelbert Humperdinck in concert: "The 50th Anniversary Concert...The Legend Continues."

Where: American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: All seats $69

To order: By phone: 717-397-7700. Online at www.amtshows.com

http://www.ydr.com/story/things-to-do/2017/03/29/music-legend-engelbert-humperdinck-coming-lancaster/99734192/