NEWS

Humperdinck to deliver hits, holiday songs to Stambaugh

By JOHN PATRICK GATTA Tribune Chronicle December 8. 2022

 With a legendary career that’s lasted nearly 60 years and fans that span generations, it’s difficult to imagine Engelbert Humperdinck doing anything for the first time. Even so, the end of this year finds the constantly evolving and busy artist marking another creative venture off his list.

Despite putting out six Christmas-themed albums and livestreaming a holiday special that’s now available on YouTube, his current tour, which includes a stop at Stambaugh Auditorium on Wednesday, finally will include selections from those releases along with his classic hits such as “Release Me,” and “After the Lovin'” as well as material from his new EP, “All About Love.”

“It’s a new experience for me and I hope it’ll be a new experience for my audience because it’s so different for me to do this,” Humperdinck said during an interview that happened among what he described as “bedlam” because he was in the process of organizing a move to a new home.

“The only time I’ve done a Christmas show was from my house two years ago, and we did it online. So this will be a combination of my regular show with a few Christmas songs. We’ll be bringing holiday cheer to Youngstown.”

Although he’s been named the King of Romance for his numerous ballads, Humperdinck’s recordings spread over a variety of music genres — movie theme songs, disco, rock, country and gospel — with sales in excess of 140 million records including 64 gold albums and 35 platinum, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas Walk of Fame and the Leicester Walk of Fame (his hometown).

His first single in the charts was “Release Me,” which went into the Guinness Book of Records for achieving 56 consecutive weeks on the charts. It was No. 1 in 11 countries. 

Over the years, his music and select acting gigs added to his loyal fanbase. This year he was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when his song “A Man Without Love” was featured in the Disney+ series “Moon Knight” while “Quando Quando Quando” appeared in the Netflix series, “The Umbrella Academy.” Recently, his recording of “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” is prominently heard in the film “Bullet Train” starring Brad Pitt.

His latest effort, the five-song EP “All About Love,” came out earlier this month.

“I wanted to do something country. So, my record producer brought in these songs, and I thought, ‘Great. Let’s do it.'”

The new release features Humperdinck covering classic material by the Bee Gees (“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”) and Barry White (“You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”).

“Of course, the Bee Gees are so established in their sound, so I have to make it a little different. I did it with this country feel, and, hopefully, people like it.”

With his version of Lou Rawls’ “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” Humperdinck finally records the number that listeners originally thought was by him.

“Lou was a great guy. That particular song, when he released it, and it became a big hit, everybody thought it was me singing. So in those days I put it in my show, and as soon as it started the audience started applauding, thinking it was my song.”

Recorded in Nashville, “All About Love” finds Humperdinck returning to a country sound that was a distinct part of his early career.

“I’m very passionate about country music because my first big hits were all country songs — ‘Release Me,’ ‘There Goes My Everything,’ ‘Am I That Easy to Forget’ — and I figured I’d do something of that nature at this time in my life.”

At 86, there seems to be no slowing down for Humperdinck. With musicians younger than him retiring from the road or touring behind past hits without adding to their catalogue, he remains active as a recording and touring artist.

“It keeps me young. I’ve got a great following, a very, very staunch following, not only on the road but on social media. So, therefore, I just keep going because there’s nothing else I can do, and it makes me happy. And if it makes my audience happy, I’m so happy to be out there.”

If you go …

WHO: Engelbert Humperdinck 

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown 

HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $48 to $78 and are available online at 

experienceyourarts.org and by calling 330-259-0555.

https://www.tribtoday.com/life/ticket/2022/12/king-of-romance/