Engelbert Humperdinck - www.ENGELBERT.com
His name comes from the 19th century Austrian composer who wrote "Hansel & Gretel." His voice comes from heaven, and he has been a legend in the international music industry for the last forty plus years, with over 150 million records sold.
Engelbert Humperdinck has recorded everything from the most romantic ballads to the platinum-selling theme song "Lesbian Seagull" for the latest Beavis and Butthead movie. His remarkable voice and extraordinary talent has endeared him to millions of fans around the globe with the MTV generation having just "discovered" what a magnificent musician the rest of the world has celebrated for decades.
Few people realize that several of the major forces in the world of rock n' roll, including Jimi Hendrix and The Carpenters, started out as opening acts for Humperdinck in the late'60's, 70’s and '80's. Lets not forget Humperdinck taking #1 away form the Beatles, as well .
In 1999 “Humper” recorded The Dance Album as his first album in the dance genre. Released by the red-hot dance label Interhit Records, the album featured newly recorded dance versions of six of Engelbert's greatest hits, along with five original songs. Favorites such as "Quando, Quando, Quando" and "Release Me" are set to an infectious dance beat by dance producer/ remixers Chris Cox and Barry Harris, known collectively as Thunderpuss 2000. The album has enjoyed tremendous success, with "Release Me" hitting Top Ten in the Billboard Dance charts. Says Billboard magazine of The Dance Album: "...brilliantly cool...one of the most fun pop/dance albums of the decade."
When he was seventeen, Engelbert found himself playing at a pub that sponsored a singing contest. Goaded by his friends to enter, he put down his sax and for the first time revealed another vocal talent: impersonations. Arnold George Dorsey gave the worlds finest impersonation of Jerry Lewis- Jerry Lewis still thinks so-and was quickly dubbed Gerry Dorsey by his fans. It became his professional stage name. Furthermore, he never picked up the sax again.
Gerry Dorsey was very popular on the UK music circuit until he contracted tuberculosis, which silenced him for six months and nearly snuffed out his rising star. Many people assumed his career was finished. Upon regaining his health, Gerry Dorsey knew he had to bury his old, somewhat tainted image to make a comeback as a strong, dynamic performer, still tall, dark handsome and somewhat mysterious. His manager suggested the new name Engelbert Humperdinck. It was just outrageous enough to be memorable. It would take a man with a secure self-image and sense of humor to pull it off. And thus was born the soon-to-be legend, Engelbert Humperdinck. |
Few people realize that it was Humperdinck, not Elvis, who made famous the sideburns
and flamboyant leather jumpsuits. Engelbert often jokingly asserts that Elvis "stole" the
image from him. Nevertheless, the two legends often performed one another's songs,
and enjoyed a lasting friendship until Elvis' death. Humperdinck has always enjoyed a
healthy rivalry with Tom Jones, and the two actually partnered for ten years and shared
a manager for many, many more.
Engelbert has just started recording a brand new CD with Grammy award winning
producer Martin Terefe (Train, Jason Mraz, James Morrison, Beverly Knight) with “a lot of
fantastic young, hip and surprising collaborations”.
Engelbert is managed by his son Scott Dorsey/Dorsey Productions.
Engelbert is happily married to his wife of 45 years Patricia. The couple have 4 children
and 9 grandchildren.
