NEWS

April 7, 2015 La Presse Canadienne by ALAIN DE REPENTIGNY

This article originally appeared in French: http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/musique/201504/06/01-4858582-engelbert-humperdinck-le-secret-de-la-longevite.php

Engelbert Humperdinck will be 79 years next month. Not only does it still gives almost a hundred concerts a year, including three in Quebec these days, but already preparing three more albums. Conversation with an artist that lasts.

The newest album Engelbert Humperdinck includes two CDs twenty songs he interprets duet with guests, some contemporaries as Cliff Richard, Neil Sedaka, Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson and the venerable Charles Aznavour.

"And the great Gene Simmons of Kiss! Group," immediately adds the phone one who prefers to describe it as a romantic singer and not as a crooner because a crooner, he says, has not a record three and a half octaves.

Duets albums are very popular for years, but it is by chance qu'Engelbert Humperdinck decided to make one. He watched a concert by Elton John reminding that when he was a songwriter penniless, he dreamed that Engelbert Humperdinck sings one of his compositions.

"I had not known at the time, but I did recently to ask him if he would do me the favor to sing on my album of duets, tells Humperdinck. He agreed and, from the time when Elton was on board, everyone boarded. That's why I titled my album Engelbert Calling. "

There are no virtual duet with a singer Engelbert Calling gone on, but there may well be some on his next album, which will be called Engelbert Redialed: "When I started in the business, Nat King Cole was my favorite singer and, of course, I became a good friend of Elvis. I would love to sing with him because I've never had the chance. "

Missed appointment with Gorillaz

There are a few years, Damon Albarn and Gorillaz have informed the agent Humperdinck they would like the gentleman singing on their album. When the main person knew that his agent had refused this proposal, it immediately turned the officer in question and entrusted his career to his son Scott.

"My agent had no idea who it was, Humperdinck said, laughing. I was absolutely furious he refused. My son Scott is more in tune with what is happening today. It was he who established contact with all these legendary artists on my album. He did a very good job and it'll do even better for the next record. I am convinced that it will communicate with them [Gorillaz]. "

To stay current, Humperdinck is not content to listen to records, it also looks at shows like The Voice ". When I hear a song I like, I steals and adds it to my show"

In one he will give the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Saturday, it may well be that he takes to the country so I'm On Fire Bruce Springsteen: "I bathe in the long country universe. Release Me was a country song like Am I That Easy To Forget and There Goes My Everything, "recalls one born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras and returned to England with his parents shortly before the independence of India .

His current directory also has at least a newer song, Thinking Out Loud, his young compatriot Ed Sheeran, he boasts the talent and admire success. "But I sing my way, inimitable," he adds.

With Cat and Jimi

On his album of duets, he also takes with his other son Bradley a song all indicated: Father and Son by Cat Stevens. "I worked with Cat when he was not well known and already singing Father and Son says Humperdinck. We shared the bill with the Walker Brothers and Jimi Hendrix. It was incredible! "

Scott Walker reincarnated from an artist a little left field, ultimate proof that anything can happen as long as we last. Humperdinck nods. "I was under the spotlight for quite some time and I always do something unusual for it to remain interesting."

Unusual as its interpretation quite serious song Lesbian Seagull for the soundtrack of Beavis & Butt - Head Do America, irreverent animated film of 1996. "I have the sense of humor and the audience that comes see appreciates says Humperdinck. I never took my picture seriously. I realized it when I saw my friend Elvis on stage. He was very humble. "
If he willingly mocks his image, Engelbert Humperdinck never neglected so far, who dyes his hair since the age of 20 years.

"I grisonnais already and I do not want people to think I'm older than I was. I'm not ashamed to say that I dye my hair. I do not want us to see in me a person, not just yet, anyway, "he laughs.

His famous favorites are not a blip. When he borrowed his stage name to the German opera composer Engelbert Humperdinck in the mid-60s, he makes hair grow and favorites to distinguish themselves from other singers: "Thereafter, Elvis and the Beatles all had favorites and everyone, including Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers, followed. I launched the fashion. "

At the Maurice-en O'Bready Sherbrooke April 10, at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal on April 11 and the Capitole de Québec April 12

Please support this wonderful cause.

The online auction closes on April 11.

"I have donated a Meet and Greet package to one of my upcoming concerts in UK in May and look forward to meeting the highest bidder after the concert!"

There is also some other great signed memorabilia from ‪#‎IlDivo‬‪#‎TomJones‬ ‪#‎LesReed‬ ‪#‎Humperdinck‬

Click here for all details (and please dig deep):

https://www.facebook.com/events/1426874980957802/

The highlight of my Strip-trotting expedition was off-Strip — downtown at the Smith Center for my longtime pal Engelbert Humperdinck’s show. Filled with the songs and sounds of love, romance and relationships, the heartthrob excelled with one of his best-ever performances.

He standing ovations every time, but it was at the finale as he closed with his giant hit “Release Me” that a phenomenon began. Well-dressed women young and old rushed the stage. In the three years of being a season ticketholder at the Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall, I’d never seen anything like it.

It was the days of Elvis and The Beatles all over again. Some even tossed aside their canes and walkers to reach the stage and shake his hand. It was an incredible sight, and if I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would have said “unbelievable.” But the 78-year-old singer charmed the crowd as if he was a TV evangelist.

His vocal pipes are as strong as ever, his sly remarks poking fun at himself are humorous, his backup band were bang on target with fabulous arrangements and instrumentals, and his two female singers were adorable. His songs “Spanish Eyes,” “After the Lovin’ ” and “The Last Waltz” still have all the power of yesteryear and proved why they are timeless and still as beautiful as ever.

All I could think of was how Eng, Marilyn and Billy sang pitch perfect with lyrics I could understand and weren’t four-letter-word offensive or derogatory. The joy of hearing performances with music that didn’t wreck my eardrums was delicious.

It was the perfect way to end a Valentine’s Day Weekend and the topping on the cake of my packed catch-up tour of Las Vegas shows.

Robin Leach 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.

http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/feb/17/show-roundup-frank-engelbert-marilyn-mccoo-billy-d/

Engelbert Humperdinck will perform favorites and music from his new release, "Engelbert Calling," at 8 p.m. Friday,  April 17, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South Street, Morristown.

"Engelbert Calling" features duets with some of the world's most recognized names in music, including Sir Elton John, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Gene Simmons, and more.

"He is one of the sweetest and nicest people I have ever worked with," Sir Elton John said about his experience collaborating with Engelbert. "We had a great time singing together and he is so quick, what I call a 'one-take singer,' 76 years old and still sounding as good as ever."

More than 45 years after his massive hit "Release Me" reached number one on the pop charts and created a worldwide frenzy, spending six full weeks at the top spot and an incredible 56 weeks in the Top 50 in a single chart run, Humperdinck's newest album comes as a celebration of his remarkable career, which has spanned nearly five decades.

After selling more than 150 million albums worldwide, including 24 certified with platinum status and 63 with gold, Engelbert has solidified his name as an international pop legend and has established himself as one of the world's most influential artists.

Tickets to the event cost $49 to $89 and can be purchased at www.mayoarts.org or by calling (973) 539-8008.

http://www.newjerseyhills.com/entertainment/engelbert-humperdinck-to-perform-april-at-mayo-center/article_ce7dc5b3-509c-5260-b591-c113fed07fb5.html

MORRISTOWN — Engelbert Humperdinck performs favorites and music from his new release "Engelbert Calling" at Mayo Performing Arts Center, Friday April 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $49 to $89.

Humperdinck's concert is in support of his album "Engelbert Calling." "Engelbert Calling" features duets with some of the world's most recognized names in music, including Elton John, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Gene Simmons, and more.

"He is one of the sweetest and nicest people I have ever worked with," Elton John said about his experience collaborating with Engelbert. "We had a great time singing together and he is so quick, what I call a 'one-take singer,' 76 years old and still sounding as good as ever!"

More than 45 years after his massive hit "Release Me" reached number one on the pop charts, spending six full weeks at number one and 56 weeks in the Top 50 in a single chart run, Engelbert's newest album comes as a celebration of his career which has spanned nearly five decades.

Engelbert has sold more than 150 million albums world-wide, including 24 certified with platinum status and 63 with gold.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center is located at 100 South St. in Morristown. For more information contact the box office at 973-539-8008 or www.mayoarts.org.

Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2015 5:00 am

By Kathleen Luppi / McClatchy Newspapers

Engelbert Humperdinck has a few rituals he performs before his shows.

He’ll do a sound check at the venue and loosen up with the band before eating a meal. After all that, he’ll practice a few songs, but not onstage — rather, in the bathroom.

“I sing in the shower,” he said. “You need the moisture, and the steam helps.”

The “King of Romance” is in the process of wooing his fans once again.

Humperdinck, the 78-year-old British singer who has endeared audiences with his romantic ballads, will sing his beloved list of love songs on March 16 at Carolina Theatre.

“It’s been a wonderful journey,” Humperdinck said of his 40-year musical career.

Born Arnold George Dorsey, the second youngest of 10 children spent the first 11 years of his life in his native India, where his father worked as an engineer. By the time the family moved to England, settling in Leicester, the 11-year-old was showing an interest in music and learning the saxophone. By the early 1950s, he was playing in nightclubs. After serving in the British Army Royal Corps of Signals, he began singing in clubs but struggled to make a living.

To reinvent himself, he followed the advice of his manager, Gordon Mills, who had recently propelled Tom Jones toward his first major hit, “It’s Not Unusual.”

Mills suggested changing Dorsey’s name to Engelbert Humperdinck, after the 19th-century German composer and creator of the opera “Hansel and Gretel.”

The singer didn’t protest.

“I had no choice,” he was once quoted as saying. “I was a starving singer, and someone was giving me a chance to get on in the business.”

The name change may have done the trick. Humperdinck has sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

“I’ve been fortunate to record many songs,” Humperdinck said during a phone interview.

Fans, who call themselves “Humperdinckers,” know by heart that discography with the tenderly named hits: “Spanish Eyes,” with the sentimental lyrics “Say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me,” and “The Last Waltz,” with “The last waltz should last forever,” to name a couple.

But Humperdinck is particularly proud of “Release Me,” a song that stayed at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1967 for six weeks, preventing the Beatles’ “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” from reaching the top. “Release Me” has been described as the highest-selling single of 1967 in the U.K., recording more than

1 million sales, and became a Top 10 song in the U.S.

“I’m a huge fan of the Beatles,” Humperdinck said when he recalled how he felt placing first. “But along came me from Leicester.”

Humperdinck also made the charts with “Am I That Easy to Forget” and “A Man Without Love.” His 1976 pop single “After the Lovin’ ” soared to the top of the Billboard adult contemporary chart. He returned to the same chart in 1979 with “This Moment in Time.”

With four Grammy Award nominations and 63 gold and 24 platinum records, Humperdinck remains a popular act with his signature sideburns. The younger generation watched him appear on “MTV Beach House,” “Chilling with the Weaze” and “Oddville.”

He’s become a fixture on the Las Vegas scene, too.

He and his wife, Patricia, who have been married since 1964 and have four children, divide their time between homes in California and England.

http://www.news-record.com/go_triad/engelbert-humperdinck-still-wooing-audiences-at/article_49049f98-c826-11e4-a6c5-5faacafde51f.html

Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2015 12:35 pm | Updated: 12:36 pm, Thu Mar 12, 2015.

STAFF

http://www.myfoxla.com/story/28154659/engelbert-humperdincks-new-album-duets-with-sir-elton-john-willie-nelson

One of the strongest and most enduring voices in the business, Engelbert Humperdinck, the man who has sold 150 million albums worldwide, will be performing three select dates in the UK in 2015, including London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, as we celebrate 50 Years with Engelbert.

Venues in Birmingham, London and Manchester will delight in hearing renditions of all the Humperdinck classics including Please Release Me, Quando-Quando-Quando, The Last Waltz, Am I That Easy To Forget, There Goes My Everything, Les Bicyclettes De Belsize and A Man Without Love, these celebratory concerts will have something for everyone.

His remarkable voice and extraordinary talent have endeared him to millions of fans around the globe and the MTV generation has just "discovered" this magnificent musician that the rest of the world has celebrated for decades.

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, February 19th.

http://m.ticketline.co.uk/engelbert-humperdinck?platform=mobile#tour