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/

Vegas Insider Daily  Published on Tuesday, 22 November 2022 16:56

 Written by Bobbie Katz

If you were to ask Engelbert Humperdinck how he has not only survived but keeps thriving after 55 years of navigating the ups and downs, pitfalls, and slippery slopes on the road to long-lasting success in the fast-paced ever-changing world of show business, you might be surprised at the legendary international superstar’s answer:

“I’m a regular guy,” the much-younger-then-his-years handsome singer, who had a hugely succesful engagement at the Orleans November 25 and 26, responds with a smile.

Despite his disarming lack of conceit, one would be hard-pressed to find an everyday human who has climbed to the heights to sell more than 140 million records, including 64 gold and 35 platinum; received four Grammy nominations and a Golden Globe; had the most played song on radio in 1977 (“After the Loving”); has stars on the Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Leicester Walks of Fame; has toured the world numerous times, and performed for the Queen of England four times as well as for several presidents and other heads of state. And the groundbreaking stream of accolades and honors doesn’t stop there, testimony to the fact that this very down-to-earth purveyor of romantic ballads has never nor will ever let any grass grow under his feet.

“I love challenges,” the British icon, long known to the world as the King of Romance, explains, noting that he has always been a go-getter and a bit of a dreamer. “I have a good mindset. I can’t wait until tomorrow – I live in the NOW and try to do everything to perfection now. I have a great following and I’m going to carry on. So many people want to see me perform. The only time I am really happy is when I walk on stage. Singing is a release for me. It puts my mind in a different direction. And the love from the audience helps.”

From the start, audiences have gravitated to Engelbert in a mega way. It was his 1967 first-ever single, “Release Me,” which jumpstarted Engelbert’s worldwide career, selling 86,000 records a day and eventually hitting 127,000 sales a day, ending up in the Guinness Book of Records for its incredible 56 weeks on the charts. The song went to number one in 11 countries. Other platinum hits soon followed, one of them being 1968’s “A Man Without Love,” which after 54 years has been prominently featured in the 2022 Oscar Issac-starring Marvel TV series “Moon Knight” and which sailed to number one on the Billboard Top TV Songs Chart. Moreover, it has garnered 57 million hits on Spotify thus far.

Also this year, Engelbert recorded a fun Hollywood version of the song “Forever Blowing Bubbles” for the movie “Bullet Train” starring Brad Pitt (viewers can’t miss the bright red onscreen banner with Engelbert’s name on it as the song is played in the film). In addition, his song “Quando Quando Quando” is in the Netflix series “Umbrella Academy.” All this has served to give him and his renowned beautiful and powerful voice a new audience.

Continuing to tour the globe and produce new music, Engelbert is currently finishing up a country album recorded in Nashville. (“It will be finished when it’s done,” he quips.) Having become a much-watched presence on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and his own YouTube channel boasting more than 100,000 subscribers), he has released his new single and video from the CD, a country line-dance version of Barry White’s 1974 hit “My First, My Last, My Everything,” which has already gotten over two million views. He has also just released another new single, his interpretation of the Bee Gees classic, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”

The latter is perhaps a rhetorical question for the artist himself. The past couple of years have been a mixture of high highs and low lows for him in the personal sense. Besides the pandemic, which sidelined his travels and performing and forced him into isolation, in February 2021 he lost his beloved wife, Patricia, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. He has also lost close friends and his sister, Bubbles. (he is the second youngest of 10 children, originally seven sisters and two brothers.). That has made the here and now quite difficult to handle at times.

“I don’t know where my ability to get through it comes from,” Engelbert admits. “I guess Patricia is helping me from up above. I talk to her every day and she is at every show. I thought she was going to get better where her Alzheimer’s was concerned. Then came bloody COVID and we both got it. We both got over it but she had complications.”

It was a few months after her death that Engelbert received one of the greatest honors among the multitude of his career, the Honor of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honors List 2021. It was presented to him at the palace by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, who took the time to chat with the singer and others receiving honors.

Still, knowing that his live performing would be a bit of a panacea for his grief, Engelbert was anxious to get back to his audiences. After the pandemic restrictions were lifted, he got back on the road, which included a tour of Malaysia and Thailand earlier this year.

“I am singing better now than when I first started back after two years,” he enthuses. “It took a while to get back into the swing of things. My mindset is to go on stage and do the very best I can. I did a few live video concerts and holiday specials during the pandemic to keep in touch with my audiences but there were problems for me mentally and physically because they couldn’t see how I felt. I’m an artist – a thespian of song – who feels the lyrics I am singing and transmits that emotion to the audience. I have always said that the honesty of a performance is in the performer’s eyes. I only want to be the best, not mediocre, I don’t rest on my laurels.”

Engelbert credits his work ethic and his down-to-earth attitude to his parents, whom he says did a fantastic job of raising him. He also says that his success is due to his being strong-minded and determined along with his love of music, his adoring fans, and the fact that he always strives to put himself in the best light. From the beginning, he never feared rejection, and even today, he says that he is not afraid of doing things that others are afraid to do. But when choosing the songs that he records and/or performs live, he does the ones that are tried and tested. He believes that there is a time for everything so if he doesn’t feel a song, he doesn’t do it.

“I’m smart,” he laughs. “I keep what people like. I have a good record company, OK! Good Records, and producer. I’m always looking for new material that relates to people’s life experiences as well as to my own. For example, I do a song called ‘Don’t Let The Old Man In,’ which was written by Toby Keith for the movie “The Mule” starring Clint Eastwood. I live by those lyrics. I talked to Toby Keith and told him that. I said to him, ‘You don’t see a gray hair on my head. I've been dyeing it since I was 30.’”

The entertainer, who still has a full head of dark brown hair, a great sense of humor, and looks 20 years younger than his actual 86 years, has gone through quite a few image manifestations from when he first entered the scene, including dark hair, curly hair, blonde hair, straight long hair, a mustache, and a beard, One thing that hasn’t changed is his IT factor, the uncanny magnetism he possesses that has enthusiastic audiences of all ages rushing the stage for the last songs of his show.

“You have to go through changes to find yourself,” the clean-shaven nicely coiffed Engelbert admits. “You have to be yourself. I’ve done it all via my own thinking. Early on, I had grown very long sideburns to establish recognition and Gordon Mills, who was my manager at the time, asked me to shave them off because he thought they made me look ridiculous, I refused and a year later, he grew them and so did the Beatles, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, and Elvis, among others. Sometimes, being ridiculous can be a success formula.”

Although he has always had management, the fact that he has basically controlled his own career moves and determined his own path has also contributed to Engelbert’s success. Above all, he has always stayed true to himself and his romantic art through more than five decades of changing musical trends. Now all he wants is to keep going and to be the best he can for as long as he can and he has a full touring schedule to prove it.

“I believe in living life,” he sums up, “I have love in my heart. Whenever a problem arises, I ask, how love would handle it and I proceed from there.”

Love will continue to make his world go round — his way.

Engelbert will be appearing at Ruth Eckerd in Clearwater, FL on December 12; Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown, OH on December 14;  Wind Creek Auditorium in Bethlehim, PA on December 16, and at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT on December 17.

https://www.vegasinsiderdaily.com/index.php/celebrity-insider/326-engelbert-regularly-remarkable?fbclid=IwAR3ZDOHAHnXuzc3Vg30uhyE9FvZ1DOha4SFM_B369C-CEZ_j1QhIRZqk3Ek

NOVEMBER 29, 2022 (New York, NY) -- The Bee Gees’ first US #1 and one of the greatest love songs of its era, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” gets a marvelous new interpretation from the King of Romance, ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK, which is out now. Recorded in Nashville, Engelbert put his personal stamp on the timeless classic and applied a heartfelt country/blues spin. It will be included on his upcoming mini-LP/EP ALL ABOUT LOVE that is set for release on December 2, 2022 via OK! Good Records.

Initially premiered during his latest YouTube Live Special on October 27, 2022, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” was met with such a resounding enthusiasm by his fans that a decision was made to officially release a studio version immediately. Just a little more than three weeks out, the live special has so far generated 864,000 views.

Also included on All About Love is his latest hit “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything” which has amassed an astounding 2.4 million views on YouTube since its premiere just two months ago. If the title sounds familiar, it should be. The song was a UK #1 record for soul legend Barry White in 1974. This may sound like an unusual choice for a singer better known for his ballads and waltzes, but you’ll be even more shocked by the novel treatment Engelbert has given this classic tune. Turning the song into a Country Line Dance, he delivers a worthy successor to Billy Ray Cyrus’ "Achy Breaky Heart." Its accompanying music video, one of only a handful in his career, shows him performing the song at the Cowboy Palace Saloon – an authentic Honky Tonk Club in California.

The five-song EP is rounded out by stunning renditions of the Mel & Tim Stax classic “Starting All Over Again,” “Take Me Back Again” which Engelbert had previously recorded and revisited for this EP, and the exhilarating Lou Rawls’ standard “You’ll Never Find Another Live Like Mine.” The new mini album will be released as a Limited Edition CD and also digitally on all platforms this Friday.

Streamed live in Winter 2020, Engelbert treated fans to an online holiday concert in which he performed live traditional festive favorites such as "Winter Wonderland," "O Holy Night," "White Christmas" and his trademark "Blue Christmas." Members of his family joined him on a handful of songs including "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" which featured his granddaughter Olivia and "Silent Night" where he duetted with his son Bradley Dorsey.  A live event, the online performance was not made available until now. 

Watch the special here: https://youtu.be/72Oxa2VUuMQ

The “King of Romance,” as Engelbert is lovingly nicknamed by his legion of fans, recently celebrated over 50 years in show business. With his most recent albums The Man I Want to Be (2017), Warmest Christmas Wishes (2018) and the EPs Reflections (2019) and Sentiments (2020), Engelbert has shown another side of his talent by picking more introspective songs that connect with his life’s experience. His new music has opened a new chapter in the legend’s career as he continues to inspire and connect with fans of all ages.

A full length album is planned for early 2023 and will include a number of timeless love songs which Engelbert re-discovered on a trip down Memory Lane, all in his own inimitable style and more than a touch of country flavor. For now, Engelbert’s version of “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?” is out on all DSPs.

ALL ABOUT LOVE

1. You're The First, The Last, My Everything

2. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

3. Starting All Over Again

4. Take Me Back Again

5. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine

With the holiday season just around the corner, Engelbert's kicking things off with the release of his first-ever Christmas Special on YouTube. Originally aired Live from his home in 2020 via Looped, please join him for a festive set of his favorite holiday songs.

Airing November 23 at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST

Have an Engelbert Humperdinck fan in your life? Make their holiday season truly special with the new “All About Love” Holiday Gift Set, now available to purchase from The OK!Good Records Shop!

Our stylish gift set includes a limited edition Engelbert Humperdinck 2023 wall calendar, an autographed Engelbert Humperdinck Holiday Greeting Card, and Engelbert’s upcoming EP, “All About Love” (out early December). Stuffed with festive krinkle cut gift paper, this gold-shelled box set is full of holiday spirit!

The All About Love Holiday Gift Set includes:

• An Autographed Engelbert Humperdinck Holiday Greeting Card

• A Limited Edition Engelbert Humperdinck 2023 Wall Calendar

• Engelbert Humperdinck’s new EP, “All About Love” on CD

• Gold Box w/ Gold Elastic Ribbon

Click to purchase The Engelbert Humperdinck “All About Love” Holiday Gift Set

For a limited time only, the All About Love Holiday Gift Set is available at a discounted rate of $59.95 (plus shipping and handling), previously $69.95! This timeless gift will only be available for purchase until December 16th for US domestic orders and December 2nd for international orders, or while supplies last. Be sure to order in time for the holidays this year!

Click to purchase The Engelbert Humperdinck “All About Love” Holiday Gift Set

***PRODUCT NOT SHIPPING TIL NOVEMBER 28th***

http://www.okgoodrecords.com/blog/2022/11/21/engelbert-humperdinck-all-about-love-holiday-gift-set/

Engelbert is releasing a new single out this Thursday - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart": https://engelbert.lnk.to/brokenheart

He absolutely loved performing this US #1 hit from The Bee Gees in his YouTube Live Special, and due to the overwhelming support, decided to officially release a proper studio version as a single. Available this Thursday, November 17th.

November 14, 2022 Maverick Country

Can you tell me about the decision to record ‘Forever Blowing Bubbles’ and its use in the film ‘Bullet Train’? 

When I heard about the request to record a song for Sony Pictures, I was very honoured and when I heard it was staring Brad Pitt, I was in. I was on tour traveling on The Bullet Train in ’73….many stations ago!   

The song has been a family favourite as my sister Bubbles sang it constantly.  We had a great time at Capital Records Studios. 

Your latest single, ’You’re The First, The Last, My Everything’, has a country influence to it, and a number of your past hits have had strong links to genre – what does country music mean to you? 

That country thread has run through so many of the songs and decades of my life. The core of country is the relatability of the stories told. The writers are the true artists as a great country song can be covered by many singers and still touch you and the icons of country can get you from the first “Hello Darlin!”  

We put some Nashville on Barry White’s massive R&B hit and shot a video and it looks like I’m going to have to learn some new moves and pull out my old boots for stage. A good song can have more than one turn on the dance floor.  

The new project has quite a few unexpected song choices that we reached back to. I’m looking forward to putting them in the show.   

https://maverick-country.com/spotlight-engelbert-humperdinck/

Interview with iHeartRadio:

https://www.iheartradio.ca/virginradio/montreal/news/engelbert-humperdinck-continues-to-seek-out-and-conquer-creative-challenges-1.18771827?mode=Article

Join Engelbert Humperdinck on Thursday, October 27th 2pm EST for his third YouTube Live Special! In this intimate studio performance Engelbert will be performing a mix of fan-favorites along with new material from his upcoming album, giving a sneak peek at his upcoming live show set-list.

The live special is available worldwide on Engelbert's YouTube channel. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/IWC-NofB1V8

Engelbert Humperdinck performs at San Jose Civic

 

By JIM HARRINGTON | jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

 

October 25, 2022 at 4:01 p.m. San Jose Mercury News

Expect the evening will be thick with nostalgia as Englebert Humperdinck revisits his classic songbook at the San Jose Civic on Nov. 4.

Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are $45-$125, sanjosetheaters.org.

The 86-year-old British vocalist — known for such ’60s and ’70s hits as s “Release Me,” “There Goes My Everything,” “Am I That Easy to Forget,” “A Man Without Love,” “After the Lovin'” and “The Way It Used to Be” — has reportedly sold more than 140 million records during a career that now impressively spans seven decades.

He’s also notched an amazing 64 gold/platinum albums, while being nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and earning such recognition as his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Humperdinck’s very first album — 1967’s “Release Me” — was a top 10 hit that catapulted the singer into the pop music stratosphere. Much of that had to do with the smash title track, which hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts and stayed there for six weeks. Even the Beatles’ double-A-side single of “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” couldn’t break Humperdinck’s hold on the top spot — and thus became the first Fab Four single since 1963’s “Please Please Me” not to hit No. 1.

 

Although best known for his early offerings, Humperdinck has continued to record and release new music through the years. One of his more recent offerings was the 2018 holiday outing “Warmest Christmas Wishes,” which features such a lovely rendition of “Silent Night.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/10/25/remember-the-way-it-used-to-be-with-englebert-humperdinck-in-concert/