NEWS

By Richard Duckett

Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Apr 12, 2018 at 8:00 PM

WORCESTER — What’s in a name?

We talked about Engelbert Humperdinck with Engelbert Humperdinck.

“The name is 51 years old now,” said the iconic English pop singer/balladeer who spectacularly rose to fame in 1967 with the hit single “Release Me.” “It’s kept me in good standing all these years.”

Closing in on his 82nd birthday May 2, Humperdinck is still going strong, and he’ll be at the The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts for a show at 7:30 p.m. April 17. His latest album, “The Man I Want to Be,” was released late last year.

The man who would be Engelbert Humperdinck was born with the name Arnold George Dorsey. He lived for a while as a child with his parents in India before they returned to England and settled in the city of Leicester. Dorsey performed as Gerry Dorsey but his singing career was sidelined for a while by illness. His manager/agent suggested a change of name and, implicit in that, image. Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921) was a German composer best known for the opera “Hansel and Gretel.”

The new name was audacious. “Nevertheless it did prove itself,” Humperdinck said during a recent telephone interview. There’s no shame in the name. “It’s a good name ... It was fun. It turned a stage name into a romantic image.”

With a smooth singing voice and good looks and appearance, he’s kept the image going. “I have a great following wherever I go,” he said. Of all ages? “Very much so,” he said. “They definitely stimulate me in such a way it makes you want to work hard for them.”

Humperdinck is still celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Release Me.” Last year Decca, his old label, released “The Complete Decca Studio Albums,” an 11-CD box set. Then in November Humperdinck put out “The Man I Want to Be.”

“I’ve got a lot of new things to offer,” he said. “A lot of new songs that I’m very proud of. It’s a great performance by me, I think.”

And yet it is very bittersweet as well.

His wife, Patricia — whom he met at a dance hall when she was 17 and has been married to for 53 years - has Alzheimer’s disease.

“The album is dedicated to my wife, Patricia. It’s a love letter to my wife. There are songs that are specifically written for her,” Humperdinck said.

They include “I’m Glad I Danced With You,” which he sings in a duet with his 9-year-old granddaughter, Olivia. Also very touching is “Just Like the First Time.”

Humperdinck said his producer bought the songs to him. “He really made a great arrangement that really touches people’s hearts, including mine.”

Elsewhere the album has other new material such as the title song and the country-sounding “Absolute Beginners,” and covers that include “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran and “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.

Humperdinck said he’d like to record a TV special later this year, preferably in Hawaii. He noted that Elvis Presley did his last show in Hawaii and said that the two were great friends. Asked if he was influenced by Presley, Humperdinck said, “Oh yes, by a long way. He never took himself too seriously. I think that was wonderful. He had a lot of humility. He was a very down-to-earth person.”

Humperdinck wasn’t keeping company with such big names when the single “Release Me” was released. “That was the one that started my life,” he said of the ballad-style plea for release from a failing relationship with a full chorus joining in on the final verse. The song hit No. 1 on the British charts, blocking the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane” from Top of the Pops - the first time in four years that a Fab Four single hadn’t made No. 1. “I hope they didn’t hate me,” Humperdinck said. “I was an unknown person who came from nowhere.” That was changing. By the end of the year Humperdinck had had two more big hits, “The Last Waltz” and “After the Lovin’ ”

“I came over (stateside) and did the Ed Sullivan Show and that was it,” Humperinck said. “He (Sullivan) was a very, very good man for people who were new in the business. He had an amazing way of making people stars.”

Other hits that followed included “A Man Without Love,” “Les Bicyclettes de Belsize” and “Am I That Easy to Forget.”

These days, Humperdinck divides his time between homes in California and England, and performs about 80 to 90 live shows a year.

He said he doesn’t have a fitness regime. “I wish I did. I used to have a great fitness regime. I do try to keep myself as fit as possible.”

Humperdinck will be bringing a band to The Hanover Theatre. “I always have a band. I travel with my band everywhere I go.”

Of course he’ll be singing the hits. “I can’t come without doing that,” he said. And there will be the new songs as well.

“My show is very moving and uplifting,” Humperdinck said. “At times it has its sad moments, but it’s very entertaining.”

http://www.telegram.com/entertainmentlife/20180412/engelbert-humperdinck-to-perform-in-concert-at-hanover-theatre

 

By Susan McDonald / Special to The Journal, Providence Journal
Posted Apr 5, 2018 at 9:00 PM

The crooner will perform at Cranston’s Park Theatre.

After more than 50 years of crooning sexy ballads and love songs that filled almost 100 albums, Engelbert Humperdinck says he still isn’t quite the man he wants to be.

“I always feel discontent, like there’s somewhere else to go, somewhere else to be. I’m a very ambitious person,” Humperdinck said recently in a phone call from his California home.

The 81-year-old balladeer known for such hits as “After the Lovin’ ” and “Release Me” has spent five decades on an often grueling touring and recording schedule.

“If I’m off the road, I get itchy feet,” he said with a laugh. “It’s my work, my job. I don’t know the word ‘retirement.’ As long as I can make albums, I will.”

Humperdinck says he loves that “certain magic that happens” every time he steps on stage.

“The adoration I get from fans is amazing. It’s been a wonderful journey,” he says.

Born Arnold George Dorsey, Humperdinck grew up in India, where his father was stationed during World War II. The family later moved to Leicester, England, where he studied music and played the saxophone. A former manager suggested his stage name, after the 19th-century German composer of the same name.

On his current tour, Humperdinck is promoting his new album, “The Man I Want to Be,” which was released in November.

“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever recorded,” he said.

The album includes new material and covers “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran and “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. The two covers reflect Humperdinck’s desire to stay current. He said watching such TV singing competitions as “The Voice” helps with this.

“The contestants are usually singing what’s up to date,” he said.

Humperdinck said he remembers seeing Mars as a 5-year-old performing at a party in Hawaii.

“He was in a little Elvis suit and I told him, ‘Young man, you’re going to be a massive star,’ ” he said. “It’s the same feeling I have about my 9-year-old granddaughter, Olivia, who sings a duet with me on this album. I think she’s a female Bruno Mars. She’s just amazing.”

In his typical style, though, Humperdinck makes the songs by Sheeran and Mars his own. With Olivia, he sings “I’m Glad I Danced with You,” which he calls a love letter to his wife, Patricia, who has Alzheimer’s disease. They met at a dance hall when she was just 17, and have been married for 53 years.

Every one of Humperdinck’s shows — he still performs about 80 a year, a decrease from the 300 or more he did at one point — manages to pack a punch as Humperdinck mixes hits like “The Last Waltz,” “A Man Without Love” and “I’m a Better Man (For Having Loved You)” with his newer material, some of which was written by Richard Marx, Steve Mac and the crooner’s daughter Louise Dorsey.

“I never wanted to be a movie star because it takes up too much of your time. I prefer the style of touring and making new music,” Humperdinck said.

— Susan McDonald is a regular contributor to The Providence Journal. She can be reached at Sewsoo1@verizon.net.

If you go ...

Who: Engelbert Humperdinck

When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 13

Where: Park Theatre, 848 Park Ave., Cranston

Tickets: $55-$75

Information: (401) 467-7275, parktheatreri.com

http://www.providencejournal.com/entertainmentlife/20180405/engelbert-humperdinck-coming-to-ri-during-his-50th-anniversary-tour

 

 

Engelbert talks about coping with his wife’s Alzheimer's, his new album, singing with his granddaughter, how he got started in show business, his friendship with Elvis and Dean Martin and why he doesn’t talk to Tom Jones anymore.

 

Bugle Newspapers, By Mark Gregory

For many people, their job is just what they do to pay the bills as they count down the days to retirement.

For Engelbert Humperdinck it is much more.

The 81-year-old s “Release Me” and “The Last Waltz” singer celebrated his 50th anniversary of his first international chart success last year by releasing a new album.

Humperdinck will bring songs from that album and his other mega hits to Joliet’s Rialto Square Theater on Saturday, April 21.

“I love what I do,” Humperdinck said. “This year is a continuation of my 50th year in the business and we are celebrating. Last year we did a box set of 11 CDs that was the first seven years of my career and this year we released a brand new album called “’The Man I Want To Be” because I still don’t know who I want to be and I have been in the business 50 years.

“It is an amazing album and has some fantastic new songs which I am thrilled about. This album is a love letter to my wife.”

The new album features new material as well as covers of songs like Photograph” by Ed Sheeran, and “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.

Mars is an artist that Humperdinck knew of long before the rest of the world.

“He performed for me in Hawaii when the fan club had a party for me and he was only five years old and I told him then he was going to be a big star – but now he is a mega star and now I am recording one of his songs,” Humperdinck said. “It is amazing how our paths have crossed again. I just hope he likes my rendition. I got a great note from Richard Marx thanking me for recording one of his songs.”

The covers, however, are not the songs that help make the album personal to the 81-year-old father of four.

He performs a duet on the album with his granddaughter Oliva.

“There is a song called “I’m Glad I Danced With You,” it is the only duet on the album and it is sung by my granddaughter who is nine years old,” Humperdinck said. “She is wonderful. She is family, but I wouldn’t have put her on the album if she wasn’t wonderful.”

The new material and an all new show is something fans can expect April 21 when Humperdinck arrives in downtown Joliet.

“I always give them something different,” he said. “I try and keep my show fresh when I play a place I have visited before. I never take a break, I am on stage one hour and 45 minutes and I try and keep fans interested.”

https://buglenewspapers.com/engelbert-humperdinck-to-play-rialto-april-21

 

 

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8099731/valentines-day-playlist-normani-khalid-paris-hilton

The hunky crooner is still in love with you. (And one of the most down-to-earth guys we know)

By Liza Lentini Wonderlusttravel.com

Don’t let that velvety voice fool you. Engelbert (real name, Arnold George Dorsey) is still breaking hearts at nearly 82 years old — but only with his music. Born one of ten children in 1936 in Madras, British India (now Chennai, India), he’s been married to wife Patricia Healey since 1964.

In the ‘70s and ‘80s he was one of the biggest recording stars and heartthrobs in the world. This father of four is still one of the hottest tickets out there, and very much still on tour (check for dates for his 50th Anniversary tour at engelbert.com).

Here, he shares some of his favorite travel tips, including his secret Scrabble strategy and that one time in prison. Oh, you didn’t know about that?

1  Some fans might not know that you’re British. What makes you long for home?

My transatlantic accent used to be a lot more rounded when I first came to this country. I never sang with an English accent and my first few hits were grown with country roots, so I let the sounds around me slightly influence my speaking tones, thinking it would help me be understood and accepted.

But I’m British to the bone and speak the Queen’s English, except when I’m playing darts or cards. I use both British and American English words when playing Scrabble. I really should tell my opponents that up front, but I’m very competitive.

You cannot take the longing away for certain foods. The UK can’t be topped for Sunday lunch…especially Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, gravy and apple crumble and custard.

Bangers and Mash are such a favorite that I named two pugs I purchased from a chap outside Harrods on Christmas Eve after that dish. This was forty years ago. I think we have stayed away from dogs named after dishes ever since.

And fish and chips and a good ruby (Ruby Murray/curry, in Cockney rhyming slang).

2  You performed hundreds of concerts a year throughout the 1980s. Any favorite stories of places far and wide?

So many stories and adventures…but my mind flashes back to a heart-pounding adventure in Caracas, Venezuela upon arrival for a concert. I was due to be there four days but ended up staying just 19 hours, six in prison on charges that were later dropped when the truth was believed and proven.

When you are traveling abroad, you have to be prepared for anything, especially when you make your living singing. I was carrying my “just in case” prescriptions. I guess that somewhere between the dark large sunglasses and the leather pants and the long hair and that transatlantic accent, it was assumed that I was guilty of something. I was guilty of being a bit of a pessimist and a perfectionist. I wanted to make sure that IF something went wrong with my voice that I would be Johnny-on-the-spot with a cure to carry me through a show.

The limo drive back to the airport was like a scene out of a Bond or Jason Bourne movie. Paparazzi in high-speed pursuit, hanging out of the windows of their cars. Our limo was doing 90 and spinning out constantly on the dusty roads. It’s a wonder we are here to tell the tale. Years later I went back for a concert and my reputation and innocence proceeded me…so the show went on without incident, and the audience and their applause erased all that had come before.

3  Do you remember the locations you visited on the Love Boat and Fantasy Island?

I was thrilled to travel on the Love Boat. We boarded in San Pedro or Long Beach and sailed to Escondido for the action and cut cruise.  I made friends with the doctor on the show, Bernie Kopell, and became tennis mates. I wish that when I landed on Fantasy Island that I could have been granted the theme song to The Love Boat… Jack Jones’ ship came in again with that gig.  Who doesn’t know that song, and Jacks voice is so clear in my head whenever I hear a line from it.

Will it spoil the fantasy, that we had to travel all the way over the canyon to Burbank to find that the Island of Fantasy was really on a lot in the valley? I was gobsmacked at the way the illusion was created. One thing that was not an illusion was the splendid leading character and the man who played “The Boss”, Ricardo Montalban. What a gentleman and Old-world legend. They don’t make them like him anymore. We became friends upon arrival. I certainly miss that man.

4  Any particular talismans you travel with? Any travel phobias?

I always take my cross and have a traveling mini altar that is set up in my dressing room. I say my prayers every night and a few before the show. I still feel the blessings all these years down the road.

5  What are your top travel essentials, and how have they changed over the years? What absolutely must go in your suitcase?

My iPhone has lightened my load a great deal. I no longer lug a dictionary or a camera or a computer but I’m not without pads of paper and crosswords from the English newspaper. I make sure my carry-on will help me carry on anywhere, even if plans change or luggage is lost. I have kind of a John Wayne walk when I have it fully loaded.

6  Any place you’ve never been you’d like to go?

I think I’ve been lucky enough to visit most of this world in my career. It boggles my mind that I really have to think hard to come up with somewhere I haven’t been yet.

OK, I’d like to be in the audience of one of my shows around the world and take notes on what different nationalities connect to and what areas I need to pull my socks up in. I hope that answer doesn’t sound egotistical because I don’t mean it that way. I work very hard and only get to feel and see things from the stage perspective. I’d like to see how my brilliant lighting director (Tim Ison), who has been with me for decades, brings the stage to life with his magic and how the backbone of my show, the band, look without my back turned.

7  If you could time travel back to any moment in your life, where would you go?

I think I’d travel back to the age of 10 when my musical dreams were just forming in full technicolor. It felt as much a part of my life’s blood as my family of 10 and my darling mum and dad felt to me. They were all around and life was like a magnificent play with many musical interludes and songs. I think I was still singing for my parents and their company from under the coffee table or behind the curtain, but, by George I did it!

8  Any travel plans in the near future? For work or play?

Between my home life and my 50th anniversary in showbiz, my plate is full and my cup runneth over. We will be going to places where I’ll want to buy the T-shirt and remember it years from now. In this ever changing landscape, we must seize the opportunity to see what we can of this world. I want to take time to soak it up this time around.  

I’d like to go play and work in Hawaii. I have some wonderful memories of family holidays there.  

9  What are your following favorites?     

Place to fall in love  A dance hall. I met my wife at The Palais in Leicester. There is nothing like the feeling of falling in love in a room full of strangers, all holding onto a partner and the hope that The Last Waltz will last forever.

Hotel  I recently visited The Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok. If ever I felt like a king…it was the day the staff gathered outside to see me off and showered me in rose petals. I think it’s on YouTube somewhere but that was some goodbye! I’ll definitely be back.

Favorite airport  Dubai’s is big, open, great restaurants and many connections. Nashville Airport is small, welcoming and you always see someone you know as you go. You see struggling artists singing for the customers in the cafe… putting their truth into the lyrics of a great country song. Plus…I have family there to meet me. I love hearing all the stars making the announcements on the tannoy system.    

Late night bar  Any smokeless, quiet, cozy, intimate place that is close to my hotel room. It’s where the bartender is from the school of Casablanca and will lend an ear and keep his eye off his watch. It’s a place to watch the world in slow motion and unwind. There is one place that fits the bill to a tee. It’s across the cobbled courtyard from my home in Leicester…she’s called The Duchess of Hamilton and is my very own pub. Only open to family and friends and I hold the key and draw the pints.

Best food  I am definitely exotic when it comes to my palette. Indian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and sometimes just a toasted cheese sandwich dipped in a good cuppa tea…

Weekend getaway  Paris would have to top the list. I spent my honeymoon there before we had anything. We saw everything through the eyes of love and it was more than enough. Now I have dear friends there and love this authentic city and it’s architecture and culture and music. The French love a great melody and romantic lyric…as do I.

Beach  I remember a beach in Waikiki where I sat and chatted with Lana Turner every day and my daughter chatted and flashed her braces at Tom Selleck. My wife was happy to join either conversation and keep her eye on the situation! I’m kidding. The point is, there are some beautiful beaches in this world, but it’s who you chose to bury your toes in the sand with and soak up the sun and conversation with that really makes the location one to remember.

Walking city  I’d have to say Sydney, as the city is just waking up and the fruit shops and cafes are setting up. It’s such a clean city and very welcoming.

Place you never get sick of  Hawaii. From the moment you step off the plane, the aroma fills you and pushes aside the everyday worries. The people and the beauty of the place make me feel tranquil, as does New Zealand.

10  What’s your favorite American city?

I love the city of angels, Los Angeles. I’ve had some spectacular years here. From the days in the Pink Palace on Sunset…formerly owned by Jayne Mansfield, to the quiet cul-de-sac, high atop a mountain where I live today and where no-one complains when I crank up the music outside and learn my songs, and I can pop next door for a good English meal and a bevy with friends of 40 years.

Life is busy in the valleys and streets below, but they are far enough away that they are just part of the glow of the city. A place where dreams come true and stars land on the sidewalk and are part of a Walk of Fame forever story, told over and over. I am lucky enough to be on the sidewalk outside of the Roosevelt Hotel. Go by and give me a spit shine sometime.

http://wonderlusttravel.com/10-travel-questions-engelbert-humperdinck/

 

In honor of Valentine's Day the King of Romance, Engelbert Humperdinck presents a special live performance of Bruno Mars', "Just the Way You Are," off his new album, 'The Man I Want to Be.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KBWbfH4Vyo

 

Engelbert Humperdinck is set to appear on radio show The Jim Bohannon Show tonight, February 13th at 8:00 PM Pacific Time.

Show host Jim Bohannon will sit down with Engelbert for an hour long discussion, with a potential chance that the broadcast may take some callers.

Engelbert fans who would like to tune in to the live broadcast can do so one of two ways:

1. Listen live on The Jim Bohannon Show when the broadcast goes live at 8:00 PM PST/11:00 PM EST here.

2. Visit The Jim Bohannon Show’s site to view a list of radio stations and find a station near you by clicking here.

For those who would like to try to call in, read how to call in to The Jim Bohannon Show here.

Previously, Engelbert appeared on The Jim Bohannon Show in 2014 to promote the newly released duets album, Engelbert Calling, released September 30th 2014 on OK!Good Records.

 

❤ Get ready for Valentine's Day 2018 with the "King of Romance," Engelbert Humperdinck! ❤

Tune in to OK!Good Records' 24/7 Live Radio Stream of some of Engelbert's classic love songs, featuring tracks off 'Engelbert Calling,' 'Engelbert Humperdinck: 50' and his brand new album, 'The Man I Want to Be'

By Brock Radke

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018 | 2 a.m., Las Vegas Sun

Legendary singer Engelbert Humperdinck is coming to get Las Vegas ready for Valentine’s Day, performing twice this weekend at the Orleans. His Prodigal Son tour brings him back to town from California and on the way to Arizona and Florida, and his current shows are chock-full of favorite tunes from November’s album “The Man I Want To Be.”

“I think it’s one of the best albums I’ve ever made and I’m especially proud of it because I normally do cover songs, and this album has seven brand-new songs,” says the 81-year-old English singer born Arnold Dorsey. “I’ve tested some of the songs on the album on the road and so far they’re all very well-received, especially ‘Just the Way You Are,’ which is Bruno Mars’ song that I’ve given with a new treatment.”

The album was created as a love letter to Humperdinck’s wife of 53 years, Patricia, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease. “All the songs were chosen for her. ‘Just Like the First Time’ was written for her,” he says. “I met my wife when she was 17 in the dance hall, asked her to dance, and we’ve been together ever since, and that’s why we have ‘I’m Glad I Danced With You,’ which my daughter co-wrote and my granddaughter Olivia sings on it, and she’s just 9 years old. I’m very proud of her.”

Here’s the rest of my conversation with Humperdinck:

You’ve been performing in Las Vegas since the late ’60s so you’ve seen a lot of change here over the years. I started in 1968 and it’s been a very eventful place for me, because I was taken there in the beginning. I was shown all the hotels to see which one I wanted to play, and I would up at the Riviera when Dean Martin was there [as an entertainer and with a minority ownership]. He took a big hand in it and I was the only one he did that for. I had a home in Las Vegas for about eight years, starting in 1978. It certainly has changed a lot because I remember a time when it took you five minutes to get across town. I also remember coming over for a month and doing 50 shows, two a night, and frequenting Lake Mead for waterskiing and playing a lot of golf.

You said it was easy to choose songs for this last album but how difficult is it to choose songs for your live set? Indeed it is. There are songs like “After the Lovin’” and “Release Me” and “A Man Without Love” that have been trial-tested around the world and so I keep those. “The Last Waltz,” of course. But that’s because I still get the same effect as when they were first recorded. I put my heart and soul into those songs.

You’ve been spending a little less time on the road so you can be at home with your wife more frequently. How has that affected your performances? I’ve decided to do about 80 concerts this year and I suppose that’s a bit of a different routine than what I normally would have done. There was a time I’d do 300 shows a year. But this takes me to all the parts of the world I need to be and I find it’s enough at this point.

My wife is doing fine. I’ve played the album for her and she recognizes my voice and these songs and looks at me a certain way sometimes and smiles and it’s wonderful to see. It does change how I perform because there are times I get a bit more emotional. Some of the lyrics mean more to me now, and it’s not that I haven’t been an emotional performer before because I do consider myself a thespian of music and try to interpret the songs in the most sincere way I can. But I do feel people understand and feel it in different ways.

Engelbert Humperdinck performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 and 11 at the Orleans Showroom (4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-365-7111) and more info can be found at orleanscasino.com.

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/feb/06/engelbert-humperdinck-interview-orleans-showroom/