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Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘All My Love’ is filled with 1970s soul songs and his documentary ‘The Legend Continues’ takes us to three continents.

• Warren Kurtz Goldmine Magazine June 19, 2023

Engelbert Humperdinck returns to Goldmine with what has become almost an annual tradition since 2017, discussing his latest recordings and projects. For African American Music Appreciation Month (aka Black Music Month), Humperdinck discusses the half dozen 1970s soul songs from his new OK! Good Records release All My Love and more, plus he shares a glimpse into his new Cleopatra Entertainment documentary The Legend Continues.

GOLDMINE: Welcome to back again to Goldmine for our seventh time in seven years. You continue to release wonderful music and entertain us fans onstage.

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: Thank you. I am headed to Chile next, and I am in the process of brushing up on my Spanish because I will be singing about five songs in Spanish plus my standards. I took language lessons a long time ago, so now I am taking a refresher course.

GM: The new album ends with a pair of songs in Spanish. I enjoy the video of you and Lupita Infante smoothly performing “Bésame Mucho.” 

EH: Thank you very much. I do sing a little bit of Spanish in there. Not too bad, am I? Ha-ha.

GM: Then there is a bit of Spanish on a new version of a hit of yours that I grew up on, “A Man Without Love.”

EH: That is with Angélica María who is the sweetheart of Mexico and the numbers of viewers of that video is incredible, over two million. She beautifully handles the Spanish lines in the duet.

GM: Almost half of the 13 songs on the new album are soul songs from the 1970s. Let’s begin with Lou Rawls. “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” was a big hit in 1976 when my wife Donna and I began dating and I was in my first semester in college where the single was on our jukebox. When I listened to the original flip side “Let’s Fall in Love All Over Again,” I heard such a similarity in Lou’s voice and yours on the opening line.

EH: That song has a jazz feeling to it, and you aren’t far wrong comparing Lou and me. When Lou Rawls’ “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” played on the radio, many people thought it was me singing the song, so I put it in my show and when I would begin to sing it, wild applause exploded because many audience members thought it was my recording. It became a natural choice for the new album. Just like at your college, I had a jukebox in my home with all these songs on it at the time, and I still have that jukebox.

“When Lou Rawls’ ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’ played on the radio, many people thought it was me singing the song, so I put it in my show and when I would begin to sing it, wild applause exploded because many audience members thought it was my recording. It became a natural choice for the new album.” 

– Engelbert Humperdinck

GM: The album opens with Barry White’s “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything.” The approach you took is so fun and up-tempo.

EH: I thought I would keep it in its original mood but give it another style, making it right for line dancing and it turned out great. All the tracks I recorded for the album were done in Nashville, produced by Jurgen Korduletsch with a country feel, therefore it all fell into place. The video shows couples dancing to it in a honky tonk.

GM: Speaking of Nashville, Nashville’s female background singing team of L.C. Powell, Desiree Gillespie, Eyvonne Williams and Clydene Jackson are great and come through wonderfully on Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” along with Charlie McCoy on harmonica.

EH: They did such a good job and as a matter of fact regarding that particular song, I have already introduced it into my show, and it gets a tremendous reaction with audience participation on the chorus. People love to sing. They love a familiar sound but want to know how I will interpret the numbers.

GM: Regarding interpretation, you deleted Gerald Alston’s verbal introduction on The Manhattans’ “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” which I think is a good idea since we already know the initial narration. Gerald told me when I interviewed him in 2019, “The song went platinum because of the story and the feelings projected when singing it.”

EH: You know, I love spoken introductions but there were only people like Barry White and Gerald who could do that sort of thing in the 1970s well (jokingly sharing a brief Barry White ‘oh baby’ imitation). They were good at it, and I am not. I’m a singer, ha-ha.

GM: I am pleased that the electric sitar sound of Mel and Tim’s “Starting All Over Again” was recaptured on your new recording.

EH: I listened to all the original versions of these songs, and it is hard to put your own stamp on music that is already well known but I certainly tried to offer that to the audience.

GM: The Three Degrees’ “When Will I See You Again” is not only fun but you also added a little bit of Maurice Williams’ “Stay” to it.

EH: Yes, I did. Over fifty years ago, I had a long stint in Las Vegas and the backing group were The Three Degrees. I am grateful that I helped give them exposure on stage in a professional place.

GM: I knew most of the songs on the album except two, “Walk Away” and “Take Me Back Again.”

EH: “Take Me Back Again” was written by Rudy Perez from Miami, south of you in Florida. He is a very good songwriter and arranger in the Latin music world. I recorded a version of it in 2010 and I thought I would record it again for this album. “Walk Away” was a mid-1960s hit for Matt Monro. I like the song. It has good content in it which will be good to add on stage when I decide to put it in.

GM: Speaking about the stage, your Cleopatra Entertainment documentary Engelbert Humperdinck: The Legend Continues is coming out. I love in the trailer how your daughter Louise so excitedly says, “Dad, we’re here at The Palace!”

EH: Yes, and I seem shocked about it. I have been there many times. I am a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, which is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organization based in London. The last time I went was the 125th anniversary of the Water Rats. The queen gave a speech and spoke to me, and I had to bend down a long way to talk with her. She was a little lady and very charming. She was a wonderful person and is very dearly missed. 

GM: In the trailer Gene Simmons said about you, “If the magic connects with the audience, then you’ve got a superstar.”

EH: Isn’t that nice. Gene is a wonderful guy. When I worked with him on my duets album, he made me feel so comfortable. I had never been in the company of people of that rock star magnitude, singing with them before. Then Elton came in afterward and he was also the same. We spent a lot of time just talking and remembering old times. Gene told me, “Just think of us having a party.” As a matter of fact, we look a little bit alike. I know you have spent time with Gene and me both backstage and I look forward to seeing you again on the road as more tour dates get added to my website. Thank you and God bless you.

Following a summer and fall 2023 international film festival run and a Hollywood theatrical premier, Engelbert Humperdinck: The Legend Continues, which takes the viewer to three continents, will be released in time for the holidays on digital platforms worldwide and as a special Blu-ray and DVD package through Cleopatra’s home entertainment film distribution partner, MVD Entertainment.

https://www.goldminemag.com/columns/engelbert-humperdinck-on-new-album-documentary-and-lou-rawls-flip-side