ENGELB
HUMPERDINCK SHARES SOME LOVIN’
by tony reverditto
ngelbert Humperdinck (“The King of Romance”) is best known for his number one hits “Release Me,” “The Last Waltz,” “After the Lovin’” and “A Man without Love.” His heavenly voice has made him a legend in the in-
ternational music industry for the last 40 plus years, with over 150 million records sold including four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe for “Entertainer of the Year” in 1988, with 63 gold and 24 platinum records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Engelbert Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey, one of ten siblings
and was born in Madras, India. His father served in the British military and his mother taught violin and herself had an operatic voice. They all moved to Leices- ter, England and as a young lad he developed strong and enduring family values imparted by his parents. At the age of 11, Arnold began to study saxophone; at 17 he began playing at a local pub that was sponsoring a singing contest. Goaded by his friends to enter, he put down his sax and sang, at the same time revealing an- other vocal talent: impersonations. Arnold Dorsey gave a hilarious impersonation of Jerry Lewis, (Jerry Lewis still thinks so) and he was quickly dubbed Gerry Dorsey by his fans. It became his professional stage name and he never picked up the sax again! Shortly after his shift to singing, he released his first single, “I’ll Never Fall in Love
Again,” in 1958. After struggling with tuberculosis in the mid-’60s, he reemerged and his manager suggested that he adopt the stage name “Engelbert Hump- erdinck,” after the Austrian 19th-century composer of operas including Hansel & Gretel. Returning to the United Kingdom, he released a string of romantic hit singles that were successful both domestically and in the United States. Hi Engelbert, I can’t believe that I am actually talking with you today; I grew up listening to your music on our hi-fi. My mother, Pauline, had all of your albums and played them over and over and over, she saw you in Vegas at least ten times. She is now 87 and said to say hello! Since I already included your background in this article, I am going to start things off in
1964, when you married Patricia Healey, an equestrian showjumper at the time. You are still together, congratulations! Since that incredible union your family has grown to four children and nine grandchildren; how has it changed you as a performer? Eight Grandchildren, unless you know something I don’t! Actually, I didn’t know
how wonderful it is to have children because when mine were growing up, I was so busy trying to make a living for myself and a good life for them, that I spent very little time in their growing up years and I regret it. So I am sort of making it up for it with the grandchildren and every time they come over I make a fuss over them. Few people probably know that Jimi Hendrix and The Carpenters were an opening act for you
20 RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2012
at one time. When you were starting out, did you ever open for a famous headliner? I actually did open for many big U.K. artists such as the Walker Brothers when I
was starting out under the name Gerry Dorsey. I was hoping you could set the record straight once and for all; wasn’t it you and not Elvis who made sideburns and flamboyant leather jumpsuits popular? Not the leather jumpsuits, but the sideburns, dark hair and the whole style of
the hair I created in 1965 and Elvis didn’t take it on until 1971. The jumpsuits were sketched in the early ‘70s by someone who really wanted to do costumes for Elvis because he was set to do a major tour. So this person followed him around and was sketching him. On a TV show, she showed him the sketch and it was with the white suit and the sideburns and he looked at it and said; “Hey, that’s not me, that’s Engelbert Humperdinck.
“I guess the one that started me and is also my signature tune, ‘Release Me.’ Every time I sing it, it raises memories that are so unbelievable and the arrangement is so good and it is as fresh to me as it was 45 years ago.”
I read that you were friends with Elvis until his untimely death, is there a special memory that you could share with readers? I want to tell you, for me, Elvis was the greatest performer ever created and
the most affectionate guy I have ever met. When I first met him, he didn’t shake my hand; he put his arms around me and gave me a hug as if to say, “you’re one of us.” We became good friends and every time I was in Vegas, I went to see him and I learned a lot from watching him because he had humility and he was very charismatic. “Release Me” topped the British charts in 1967, keeping The Beatles’ “Penny Lane” and ‘’Straw- berry Fields Forever” at No. 2. What was going through your mind when that happened? Elation, I would say. I was so excited that this young lad from Leicester stopped
the almighty Beatles from going to number one. Their 13th number one and “Re- lease Me” was entered in to the Guinness Book of World Records and was number one around the world and gave my career approval immediately, It was just an unbelievable situation, everything is timing. It was just the right time, the right song, the right name and the right look—it was a combination of ideas that came into play.
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