Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)

Engelbert Humperdinck, born May 2 1936 in what was then known as Madras, India as Arnold George Dorsey, is a well-known pop singer. He was raised in Leicester, England and adopted the stage name Engelbert Humperdinck, after the German opera composer of the same name. Humperdinck has sold about 150 million records and has established himself as one of the world's premiere live performers in a number of sold-out tours.

Early Career

Dorsey quickly absorbed American culture and began his singing career around the time he arrived. While the singer was still unknown, the record manager for Decca Records in the United States decided to pick out a new name for Dorsey that would catch on better with the public. Eventually, in the late 1950s, the name "Engelbert Humperdinck" was adopted and he had several hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, his career declined for a while, partly due to the British invasion of the early 1960s, not reaching its height until 1967.

Related Topics:
Decca Records - 1967

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In that year, Humperdinck cut a single, "Release Me", and the result was an almost instant success for the singer. The song quickly hit the number-one slot on the British music charts, beating The Beatles song, Strawberry Fields Forever, and this success was reflected on the U.S. music charts as well. At its peak, the "Release Me" single sold an unprecedented 85,000 copies daily, but moreover, the slow, powerful ballad became Humperdinck's signature tune, and a staple among adult vocals fans.

Related Topics:
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

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Almost immediately, Humperdinck began to amass legions of devoted fans, many of them female. On these grounds, coupled with the fact that most of Humperdinck's recordings are love songs, some critics immediately dismissed the singer as a mere "crooner." While Humperdinck cannot be said to have made significant musical innovations, the freshness, energy, and range of his delivery set him apart from other show business Romeos. As Humperdinck told the Hollywood Reporter's Rick Sherwood, "if you are not a crooner it's something you don't want to be called. No crooner has the range I have-I can hit notes a bank couldn't cash. What I am is a contemporary singer, a stylized performer."

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