NEWS
PECHANGA: Engelbert Humperdinck is a thespian of song
Engelbert Humperdinck brings his catalog to Pechanga Resort and Casino on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13.
BY JIM DAIL / CONTRIBUTING WRITER, The Press Enterprise
Published: Feb. 10, 2016 1:16 p.m.
At the age of 79, Engelbert Humperdinck continues to be a top-drawing performer, and there’s more to his success than just singing.
“Entertaining has been an evolving skill,” he wrote in an email interview. “It started in the working man’s clubs in England. If you stood still for too long, you'd get beer thrown at you on a rowdy night, no matter how good your singing chops were or how smartly you were dressed.”
The crowds wanted their money’s worth.
“Even when I fell on my posterior, I'd slide forward on my knees like it was part of the act,” he said. “As time went by, I couldn't help but be a sort of thespian of song. The lyrics were so strong that they just brought the emotion and movement to the delivery.”
His performing prowess has made him a big name around the world, with more than 150 million records sold. Humperdinck heads to Pechanga Resort and Casino for a pair of shows Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13.
For Humperdinck, the song still a vital cog and his new record, “Runaway Country,” features such classics as “Behind Closed Doors,” “I Can See Clearly,” “Desperado” and “We’ve Got Tonight.”
“Runaway Country takes those songs that hit so many of our lives’ sound tracks and adds a little of the roots of my early music,” he said. “‘Release Me,’ ‘There Goes My Everything,’ many of the hits were rich in Southern influence. It just seemed natural to hop back on that track all these miles down the road.”
Born Arnold George Dorsey, he learned saxophone when he was 11, leaving it behind to sing in a contest at a pub in England. After contracting tuberculosis, he decided to change his image as a master impressionist and take the name of Engelbert Humperdinck from the 19th-century operatic composer. Among the artists who opened for him include The Carpenters and Jimi Hendrix.
“I had several influences, but I listened to Nat King Cole and those golden, rounded tones,” he said. “I soaked up the best of the best. My vocal landscape was wide open when I first started. I just worked hard at being the best version of myself but originally stole nuggets from those far away vocal sounds that floated in over the airwaves.
And there were a number of good songwriters and songs from which to choose.
“In the early days, it was easy to find a killer song because the writing teams were so spot on with how they wrote for an artist,” he said.
“Sometimes, it wasn't finding a song but holding on to it that proved to be tricky.”With an ability to sing just about anything, Humperdinck said his shows include a wide collection of styles.
“People can expect a fresh mix of what got me to where I am today with some unexpected surprises along the way,” he said. “New material still gives me a good mix of nervous butterflies and eager excitement.”
http://www.pe.com/articles/humperdinck-794014-song-best.html