Engelbert Humperdinck Why we couldn’t ‘let him go’

Can you say Humperdinck without missing a beat?

If you can, then you must be an Engelbert Humperdinck “loyalist” who knows that his real name is actually not a tongue-twister — Arnold George Dorsey. The young boy of a family of 10 children originally from England, Humperdinck grew up in Madras, India, where his father was stationed during World War II.

How did he get his professional surname?

At 11, he started studying music and playing the saxophone which he would give up when he was 17 upon the prodding of friends and hone his other talent…impersonation (with Jerry Lewis as his favorite subject). He was known as George Dorsey.

Fast-forward: After his career was derailed by an illness, he came back with another name suggested by his manager. Yes, Engelbert Humperdinck, taken from the Austrian composer who wrote Hansel and Gretel.

Humperdinck will be back again (for the nth time) on July 10 for a concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The STAR has interviewed Humperdinck several times both in person and on the phone. The recent one was last week. He called from England a day after Father’s Day.

Excerpts:

How do you prepare for a world tour?

“My world tour started in January and I’m fully prepared for it. I’ve been to Canada, the USA, Austria and Cairo. I’m very happy to be coming back to the Araneta Coliseum where I had performed before. I have a show which, I think, everyone is going to enjoy. I have chosen some wonderful music for them. Since my last visit to the Philippines, I have recorded two albums, Engelbert Calling (a duet album) and Runaway Country (country music). I will be singing songs from those albums. Besides, I will be doing my standards and my big hits, the ones that people want to hear. I’ve been lucky enough to have recorded 81 albums and I have chosen songs from all these albums.”

By the way, yesterday was Father’s Day. How do you usually celebrate the day?

“We celebrated Father’s Day over here in England. Unfortunately, my children were not around. They are in the US. I just did a concert in Austria which is a small journey to UK so I came over to visit my brothers and sisters.”

How many children do you have? Any of them following in your footsteps?

“I have four children, three boys and a girl. My daughter is a songwriter; she lives in Nashville. My youngest son is trying to break into show business but it’s a hard job as he is finding out. But I hope he makes it because he is very talented.”

Any pieces of advice, any tips, for your son?

“I think he wants to do what I do, and to take over from his father one day.”

When your children were small, did you sing them to sleep?

“Oh gosh! Yes, I think I did sing to them some lullabies but definitely not any of my songs. It was my wife who often sang our children to sleep with lullabies.”

On our last interview, I asked if you sang in the bathroom and you answered yes. Do you still do it?

“Yes, I still do. Actually, before a show I go to the shower and let the steam warm my voice. Steam is very good for the vocal cords. More or less, I warm up when I do my sound check which usually lasts for half an hour. It’s when I take a shower that I do an extra warm-up.”

You also mentioned that you never wanted to be a singer. Otherwise, what would you have been?

“I would have been starving, hahahaha! Honestly, I don’t think I could have done anything else. All my life, I just dreamed of being in the music business. If I were not a singer, I would have been in the industry just the same, maybe a musician of some sort. I just love the music industry.”

And you said that you were very shy as a kid. How did you overcome it?

“I was extremely shy as a child. The funny thing is that all of us in the family are like that. But once I step onstage, I lose that shyness. My theatrical side may take over and my performance comes out.”

From whom did you inherit your love for music?

“My mother’s side of the family had the singing voice, so I must have inherited that from her. My father was a man’s man — strong, athletic, charismatic. And I like to do all kinds of men things. I love sports…golf, tennis, martial arts, soccer, skiing. But at the same time, yes, I do appreciate women.”

Among your numerous achievements, what are you most proud of?

“I would say that my first album was the most memorable. It was No. 1 around the world and it stopped the Beatles from taking the top spot on the charts. It was No. 1 around the world; it made historical news. The Guinness World of Records posted it as the highest-selling album ever at that time. I really don’t know how to describe it. It got me started in show business.”

I think I know what that song is.

“Yes, (Please) Release Me. But I am just proud of my other songs such as Am I That Easy To Forget, There Goes My Heart and The Last Waltz which has been played in dance halls around the world. Those songs are timeless, they have touched people around the world, and I’m just proud that I can still sing those songs today and people love them.”

What would you consider the song of your life?

“Release Me, definitely. It’s my signature song. And I can tell you this: It is also the signature song of everybody else because every karaoke bar I have gone to is playing Release Me.”

(Prices to Engelbert Humperdinck Live in Manila: P5,830; P4,770; P3,710; P3,180; P2,650; and P1,590. Call Ticketnet at 911-5555.)

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