NEWS

Watch Engelbert’s interview on Words and Music with Lauretta Alabons here.

On August 20th, Engelbert will be interviewed on Words & Music with Lauretta Alabons. Link will be here posted once it's available.

Engelbert Humperdinck is now on Cameo! Get a personalized message from Enge sent to your favorite fan here.

“You need to keep in contact with your public,” says the entertainer, “and this is the one way of doing it.”

Published on July 22, 2020

By Paul Sexton UDiscoverMusic.com

Engelbert Humperdinck is preparing for his first-ever live stream, at noon PST tomorrow (July 23), in the knowledge that the at-home broadcast provides a lifeline to his audience. With much of his concert schedule inevitably postponed until 2021 amid pandemic concerns, “you need to keep in contact with your public,” he says, “and this is the one way of doing it.”

The veteran entertainer, now 84, has been singing for well over 65 years and, by this stage of the year, would normally be scores of concerts into his energetic and global performing schedule. But while that’s not possible, he will be taking to a small studio in his Los Angeles home, singing live to track as an engineer sits at a safe distance, relaying him to the world via his YouTube channel.

In a new conversation with uDiscover Music, Humperdinck has been talking about the Engelbert Live stream, life at home and his plans to get back into the road and the recording studio. In one perhaps unexpected development, he reveals, he’s been able to catch up on his do-it-yourself skills.

Global star, home decorator

“It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever spent so much time at home,” he says. “It’s a financial disaster [for everyone], but what can you do? I’ll be honest with you, it’s given me a chance to do some things at home. I did some decorating of different rooms in the house.”

Even before the coronavirus outbreak, much of the singer’s time was spent caring for his wife Patricia, who has had Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade. The couple celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in April. With no touring commitments, he says, “I’m able to drive my wife to the clinic three times a week, instead of the carers doing it. I’ve got to spend time with her and she seems to be doing well, [with] the fact that I’m around.”

Engelbert will be in his virtual chatroom to “meet” with his loyal, worldwide fan base both before and after the hour-long show. “I’ve been in preparation for it, I’ve done a couple of tests so far and it’s been amazing,” he says. “The last test, a few days ago, a thousand people or more casually dropped in. They asked questions and I answered them, and it’s quite fun [with] all the various countries that drop in, from all over the world.”

An unexpected positive of lockdown, he says, has been the chance to take stock. “It’s given me a chance to really do some thinking about my show. Prior to that, everything had been quick, trying to put things together. But I’ve had time to ponder it and I think it’ll be a lot better now, with the preparation I’m doing.”

“I’ve chosen different material”

The Engelbert Live audience can still expect to hear his trademark songs, but punctuated by some more unusual selections. “I’ve chosen different material that’s going to be much more interesting to my audience, besides doing all the stuff that I’ve been fortunate enough to have hits with,” he says. “If you make it interesting for yourself, they will find it interesting.”

Like many seasoned vocalists, he knows that he must keep his voice supple. “At home,” he notes, “all I do is I put my Bluetooth speaker up with music in it and practice with [the songs], keeping the voice going. It’s a muscle, you’ve got to keep it moving.”

Humperdinck has also been “keeping up with the times,” as he puts it. “I try to watch the new talent programmes like The Voice and things like that, because the young people that sing are usually singing current songs, or good material in order to get voted on. So I watch these shows and see what’s happening. Quite interesting.”

Born in Madras in then-British India, he was raised in Leicester in the English midlands, and is painfully aware that the city has lately been in an enforced local lockdown, with coronavirus infections running well beyond the national average. “It’s been hit hard,” he says.

“It’s so upsetting that I can’t do concerts”

“When this all first happened, I was very fastidious in the way I conducted myself, but people are not paying attention to it, and that’s one of the reasons it’s building, instead of going back down. I certainly miss coming home. It’s so upsetting that I can’t come over and visit my home in England and my family, and I can’t do concerts.”

After the streaming show, he will resume development of his next album project, and is continuing to find material for it. “I’m in the process of doing a song that’s very current, lyrically,” he reveals. “I think it’s going to be a good one. It was written many years ago, but it seems to have come to the foreground with the conditions now.”

“When are you coming back to Tahiti?”

For now, while the streaming experience is new to him, it’s an exciting opportunity to connect with audiences, albeit from a distance. “When I’m reading the comments on the test run, people say ‘When are you coming back to Tahiti, or South Africa, or Australia, New Zealand, Germany?’ All these places,” he enthuses. “It’s so wonderful to know that people still want you to come to their particular part of the world.

“There’s lots and lots of countries I haven’t been to,” he concludes. “In May, I was supposed to go to a lot of places and we’ve had to rebook for the new year. I’m ready, I’m chomping at the bit. I can’t wait to get back on stage. It’s my lifeblood.”

Engelbert Live starts at noon PST on July 23 on the artist’s YouTube channel. 

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/engelbert-humperdinck-live-stream-interview/

BRETT CALLWOOD JULY 22, 2020, LA Weekly

Now 84, English balladeer Engelbert Humperdinck has been enjoying a bit of a renaissance of late, or at least he was pre-COVID. But the man best known for soaring ballads like “Release Me” and “The Last Waltz” isn’t going to let a pandemic stop him. His Engelbert Live livestream will see him engage in a 15 minute Q&A, then perform nine songs, then another Q&A. There’s no stopping him.

“My music and my fans are my lifeblood, and I miss performing and that special connection more than you can imagine,” he told us. “I think it’s apparent in my musing on FB (#Tuesdaymuseday} and my flashbacks on YouTube on Fridays, so I’m reaching out to LA Weekly readers and fans around the world to invite them to a musical ‘Moment In Time’ and see where it takes us.

Every night on the road I’d stroll down memory lane with songs that have touched my heart and found a spot in my life story. I hear so often of how many of these beautifully-crafted songs relate to others’ lives and take on their own meaning, but when you can sing them every night for over 53 years and they still tug at and comfort this old heart, I feel I need to keep sharing. So I want to celebrate the gift of music together and share our stories of where words and melody fit into your tapestry of life.

A good example for me would be how my song “The Last Waltz” seemed as though someone was recording the every move of my first meeting with my wife Patricia at a dance hall. We didn’t want that last dance to be over and saying goodbye until our first date was a memory I shall never forget.  I’ve heard others relate as if they had walked in my spit-shined shoes on that evening at the Palais De Dans.

Tell a friend, invite people you know from faraway places, as the distance is the same for all who attend! Join me and let’s reminisce and as the song says…. ‘The last waltz should last forever’.”

Tune in at noon PT on Thursday, July 23 via Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAwIpUrAzc

https://www.laweekly.com/music-pick-livestreaming-engelbert-humperdinck/

ByTom Mack 03 May 2020 Leicestershire Live

Singing superstar Engelbert Humperdinck has described how seeing his poems printed in the Leicester Mercury was a great start to his birthday.

The Leicestershire legend turned 84 yesterday and his picture appeared on the front page of the Mercury with his poems about coronavirus and the current uncertainty in the world printed inside.

His big day also began with another pleasing surprise – two yolks in his egg.

After reading the article he posted on his Facebook page: “What a lovely way to start the day!

“Thank you to The Leicester Mercury for a wonderful birthday surprise.

“I read it as I ate my brekkie - a double-yoked egg with toast - third time this week that has happened. I’ll take it as good luck.”

Engelbert, who lives between his mansion near Great Glen and his home in California is due to be touring and was due at the London Palladium on Monday night.

But due to the virus, he is currently isolating in Los Angeles where he has been inspired to pen some religious verse to share with his fans.

This is the first poem, called As The Prayer Goes, that was printed in the Mercury yesterday:

The Lord is my shepherd He watches over me. He helps me to accept the things I cannot change, or to know what the future is to be.

The path of life is so undefined to never know its shape, form or length of time.

A breeze can change and bring forth fear. A moment of discomfort makes one shed a tear.

Strength can be found when your belief is strong to give you the wisdom to know right from wrong.

In the quiet of mind, we live day by day, remember to talk to the one, who can show you the way.

This is the second poem he wrote, which is called Troubled World:

The world is at unrest and closed all its doors; nations are baffled with this transparent war.

We turn to our creator and in silence we pray to reveal a solution to this evil display.

Sins of the world is what it must be

So let us confess and set us all free.

A promise of purity is what we must preach to remove the ammunition that lies in the breech

And when the sounds of the hustle and bustle are back on the streets; only then we shall know the world is back on its feet.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/double-birthday-surprise-superstar-engelbert-4100918

Author: Adam Coxon , Date Published: 23/02/2020, PennyBlackMusic.co.uk

Engelbert Humperdinck has one of the most iconic and distinctive voices of all time.

In a career spanning almost 60 years, Engelbert has sold over 140 million records and has received 64 Gold albums and 23 Platinum albums. As well as having a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame for his now legendary sold out Las Vegas residencies, he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  

Pennyblackmusic went to meet the man himself to hear the secret of his huge and enduring success through the years.  

PB: Firstly, I must say that it's an honour to speak to one of the greatest singers of all time! 

EH: Thank you very much! 

PB: On the train here today, I was watching some recent concert footage from Hawaii on YouTube and your voice is still as incredible as ever and, as I can see, you're in great shape! What's the secret? How do you look after your voice? 

EH: Well, I'll tell you what happened. When I was going to record the video in Hawaii, the only reason I wanted to do it in Hawaii was because of Elvis. Elvis did his in Hawaii and I said that I've got to do one in Hawaii. Elvis was a good friend of mine. I wanted to look like I looked many years ago. So, I went on a serious diet and I worked out every day. I put on Facebook what I was doing. I dropped 30lbs in two months. Nearly two and a half stone! When I got to Hawaii, I decided to go shopping because I had to buy clothes that suited the Hawaiian mood. So, I bought some white pants and things like that. I was wondering what size I would take and I had a lady with me that dresses me for the sessions. I said that we should go to visit Bloomingdale's and she asked me what size I took. I said that I used to be a 43 but I've been working out. It was only the 34 that fitted now! I took off nine inches in my waistline. When I did the filming, it was quite flattering for me to know that I looked like I used to look.  

PB: Your voice hasn't changed much at all over the years. If anything it seems to have become more rich. 

EH: It's become more contemporary. Once you age, your vibrato gets slower but mine has become more contemporary in its sound. I'm very thrilled with the way that's happened. It was a blessing in fact. I'm happy the way I sound today.  

PB: You're here today largely to promote your two UK concerts this year at the London Palladium and the Southport Theatre. It's nice to see that there's a show fairly central to the UK as well as London. What does it mean to you to be going back to the Palladium?  

EH: It's the only place that really started my life. Therefore going back to it is always a thrill. It's a thrill going back to the place where I spent four months of sold-out performances doing a pantomine there. It broke all box office records. It was sensational. In 1967, my songs were in the first, second and third positions in the charts.  

PB: What is it that keeps you on the road in 2020? Your tours are quite extensive! 

EH: Well they are now, yes. When I come to The Palladium, I actually start off in Killarney and I'm touring in Europe after that. 

PB: Your voice is so distinctive. I always think that the mark of a great artist is to be able to take a well known song and completely make it your own. You've done that with so many songs. Your version of 'Just The Way You Are' by Bruno Mars is incredible. You've totally transformed the song. How do you do it? 

EH: I don't know! Well, the arranger did it. When he sent me the arrangement, I was thrilled with it. It was so different from Bruno's version. I went into the studio, recorded it and to this day it's still in my show.  

PB: How do you source the material for your albums? What first attracts you to a song?  

EH: I don't always choose my own material. I do have the record producers and my managers who help to help me find the right material. Trying to find a good song is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Therefore, you do need help and I do. I do have a big say in what I record.  

Quite recently, I've recorded a song that I've stolen from Toby Keith. It's a song called 'Don't Let the Old Man In'. I heard that on the movie, 'The Mule'. I live by those sentiments! When I first started out in showbusiness, I had premature grey hair and I thought you can't go into showbusiness with that. So, I dyed my hair and I've been dying it ever since! I try to keep myself as youthful as possible. I don't want to let the old man in! That's a major hit in the show!

I've always been a big fan of Clint Eastwood, who stars in and directed that film, and I'd heard of Toby Keith but I'd never heard his music until I heard this song. He did a fantastic job. Clint and Toby were playing golf together. Clint said to Toby, "You know Toby, I'm going to be 88 years old." Toby said that he couldn't believe it because Clint plays golf, jogs, makes movies, acts in movies, directs movies. Toby said to Clint, "How do you do it?" Clint replied, "I don't let the old man in." Keith took the title, wrote the song and Clint put it in 'The Mule'. 

I'm not into songwriting myself. I'd sooner write poetry than songs. I wrote one hit many years ago. I'd rather let someone else do the writing. It's like being an actor who grabs a script written by someone else. He doesn't re-write it. He reads it and he does what they put down on that script. 

PB: Recently we sadly lost the great Les Reed. Can you share a nice memory of Les and what it was like to work with him? 

EH: Yes, I can. Les and I became friends in the 1950s. He used to work for the John Barry 7. I went to Les and I told him that I needed four arrangements, but that I couldn't pay him until I'd been paid from the gig. So, he wrote the arrangements, gave them to me, gave them to John Barry and he wouldn't play them! He wouldn't play them! Then Les took me under his wing, started writing songs for me like 'The Last Waltz' which established me around the world. Then songs like 'Love is All' and 'Marry Me', and, of course, he did things for Tom Jones like 'Delilah'. He wrote my 'Miracles' album. and 'Les Bicyclettes de Belsize'. Les Reed and Barry Mason. They were such a great team and it was a real shame that they split up in the end. But Les, one of the best pianists I've ever heard in my life and as an arranger he was also outstanding. I'm struggling at the moment to find an arranger. All of these good guys are gone. It's tough to put your hands on a great arranger that has the calibre of a Les Reed. 

PB: I've been listening to your 'Engelbert Calling' album. The line-up of guest stars on the album is unbelievable to say the least. It's exceptionally diverse too. Willie Nelson to Gene Simmons. What was it like to sing with your peers on songs that you'd perhaps admired for some time? 

EH: Gene Simmons is just a wonderful man. He towers above me and I'm 6'1. My daughter always said that he looked like me. We put his face on one side of a picture and my face on the other and you can't really tell the difference. We did that as a gimmick. He was great in the studio. Elton John was great in the studio. The others I had to do by sending them away and doing the parts individually. Willie Nelson was a gentleman. He called me at least three times and said, "Engelbert, if it's not good enough, I'll do it again."

PB: It must be a special record for you with your children Bradley and Louise singing with you on it? 

EH: Yeah, it is!  

PB: You've recently spoken very openly and very movingly about your wife Patricia and her struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. Your courage has been inspiring and touching to say the least. Please send my best to Patricia. 

EH: Thank you. We're doing our best. There's a treatment that she's been taking recently. There's a new discovery about non invasive acupuncture. No chocolate, no alcohol, no dairy. It all helps in the key to living a long life. 

PB: How do you manage emotions you may be feeling on stage when you're singing certain lyrics? 

EH: Sometimes it's difficult. It depends on the moment and what has transpired in your life. Sometimes it kicks a lot harder. For instance, in the last week, I was onstage in Florida and my sister was in the Chapel of Rest. She'd just passed away and I had to sing sensitive lyrics. I was singing a song called 'The Hungry Years' and I broke down and I couldn't finish. I think the audience understood. With social media, everybody knows everything.  

PB: How difficult is it for you to manage being out on the road and being at home with Patricia? 

EH: Well, I try not to be out too long. As a matter of fact, this is probably the longest tour I've ever been on. I don't particularly like doing a tour this long. I do love travelling and I love all of the countries that I'm about to do. Maybe we can do it again in a smaller way.  

PB: There are so many touching moments on the album which I believe was a love letter to your wife, 'The Man I Want to Be', and none more touching than the song, 'Just Like The First Time'. The lyrics, "You don't know me now but in someway somehow maybe there's a moment you are mine." I take it that lyric particularly resonated with you? 

EH: Yes, it did. I can't sing that song in my show. It's okay on the album but I can't sing it in the show because it is a little bit too close to the knuckle.

PB: It's a very personal thing, what you and your wife are going through. What made you go public?  

EH: You want to know the truth? I think public awareness is very important. I think when people hear about somebody they pray for them. I think prayer is a very important medicine for anybody with any disease. It does ring through. It does get together and come back down to that person. It does help a lot. I believe in miracles and I believe through the help of the public it can happen.  

PB: You've had such an incredible career and continue to do so. In the modern world, you're almost taught that if you go on a TV talent show that you're a star overnight. When you were coming up, it wasn't like that. You had to actually rely on talent and hard work! In a career that's lasted as long as yours has and has been as hugely successful as yours has, surely every night that you're onstage must be the biggest celebration for you? 

EH: Experience! You can't beat experience. Experience gets you out of a lot of trouble sometimes. You know how to cut corners and do the right things. People who go on these TV shows, they sing one song and they're a major hit. You've got to be able to entertain for an hour/an hour and a half. One song isn't going to get you anywhere. Once you've sang that song, it's over. What are you going to follow it up with? Yes, it's not easy but there are some young people who are very good entertainers. Social media is such a huge part of the industry these days too. My daughter looks after my Facebook page and someone else takes care of my Instagram page in L.A. I do read all my Facebook comments in my quiet moments and it boosts my morale.  

PB: It's said that true style never goes out of fashion. I think it's exactly that which has kept you so popular over the years. You've been hugely successful contionuously over the years. 

EH: I'm a romantic singer and I think that romance will never go out of vogue because that's what life thrives on. You live by romance. It takes a good lyric and a good melody to keep that feeling of love going. A lot of people have said that they've been married by my music, fallen it love during it. It's a great compliment to know that my music has been part of their happiness.  

PB: Thank you. 

Special thanks to Alan Margulies and Sacha Taylor-Cox. 

Engelbert Humperdinck will be at The Palladium in London on May 4th and Southport Theatre and Convention Centre on May 6th.

http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article/9528/Engelbert-Humperdinck-Interview

By John Berger Tribune News Service, Posted Feb 22, 2020 at 6:03 AM, Star News Online

The longtime singer is bringing a concert featuring his many pop hits to Wilmington’s CFCC Wilson Center on March 1.

Americans discovered the British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967 when Parrot Records released “Release Me,” a bittersweet request from the singer to someone he no longer loves to “please release me, let me go.”

The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard singles charts and was the start of a career that continues more than 50 years later. Humperdinck, 83, will be in Wilmington on Sunday, March 1, for a concert at Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center.

He’s a two-time Grammy nominee, for 1976 hit “After the Lovin’” and 2002 album “Always Hear The Harmony: The Gospel Sessions.” The following Q&A is from an interview the singer did in late 2018.

Q: Going back to the beginning, did you expect “Release Me” was going to be a hit?

A: You expect things to happen, but (“Release Me”) sat down for three months on a shelf and it didn’t move. Then all of a sudden my manager got a phone call to say, “Is he available to do (TV show) ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium?’ ” I sang “Release Me,” and the next day -- bingo! Can you believe what that song did for me? It gave me a global career.

Q: How did you meet Elvis Presley?

A: He came to see my show at the Riviera (in Las Vegas) and he came in done up to the nines -- he was wearing his cape and everything. Of course I found out he was in (the room) and I was very nervous. I introduced him, he stood up on the table and opened his cape, and the audience went berserk for 10 minutes. I’m not joking. He stopped the show for 10 minutes! But afterward we became great friends. He taught me stagecraft, humility and not to take yourself too seriously.

What is your show like these days?

I’ll be singing the standards that people expect me to sing and (new) songs. There’s a song written by Bruno Mars, “Just the Way You Are.” I’ve given it a different treatment altogether than he does -- nobody can sing it like he does -- but I’ve given it a different format, it’s more romantic and a little bit slower.

It is true that Bruno performed for you when he was the world’s youngest Elvis?

Yes it is. Many years ago my fan club had a party here for me and the entertainment was a little 5-year-old boy -- Bruno. I said to him then, “Young man, you are going to be a big star.” Well, he’s not a big star, he’s a megastar.

You mentioned learning some stagecraft from Elvis. Are there other entertainers who influenced you?

I learned a lot from watching Ray Charles, and Dean Martin. Dean was one of my favorite entertainers. He was another guy who never took himself too seriously.

What else are you doing these days?

I’m making albums. (Most recently, 2019 EP “Reflections.”) And I try to stay with my wife (Patricia Healey) as much as possible.

Have you ever met any descendants of the other Engelbert Humperdinck -- the 19th -- century German composer?

No, but I was asked the other day if I wrote (the 19th-century Humperdinck opera) “Hansel und Gretel.” I said, “Are you crazy? You’re talking about something that was written in 1893.

https://www.starnewsonline.com/entertainment/20200222/for-engelbert-humperdinck-lovin-never-ends

By RICHARD WEBBER FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 06:10 EST, 10 February 2020

So what is the singer's favourite destination and what is his earliest holiday memory? 

Here he talks about a trip to the Isle of Man, visiting Hawaii, where he plans to head to next and a dramatic Concorde experience.

Earliest holiday memory?

As I was one of ten children, my parents couldn’t afford to take us on holiday. So my earliest memory was, aged 20, when my sister paid for a trip to the Isle of Man, where I attended a song contest. I won — and that led me into showbusiness.

Favourite destination?

Hawaii. I visited first in the Sixties with my wife, Patricia, and children.

Where next?

My wife has Alzheimer’s but is recuperating slowly and starting to talk again, which is wonderful. As soon as she can board a plane, I’m taking her to Barbados.

Ever had a bad flight?

In the Eighties, I flew on Concorde. But when we landed at Seattle, eight tyres burst and we skidded down the runway. Fire engines arrived and sprayed foam all over the aircraft.

Funniest thing that happened?

Because of my sideboards, someone once asked if I was Elvis.

What can't you be without?

My pills. I was arrested at gunpoint in Venezuela in the Seventies for having prescription tablets with me. I was held for four hours.

• Engelbert’s exclusive UK performance at the London Palladium is on Monday, May 4, thelondonpalladium.co.uk. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7981121/Singer-Engelbert-Humperdinck-recalls-travel-adventures-including-scary-landing-Concorde.html