Engelbert Humperdinck
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The smooth-voiced ballad singer Engelbert Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey on May 2, 1936, in Madras, India. Raised in Leicester, England (one of ten kids), he started playing saxophone when he was eleven. He claims his singing career was an accident. "I went to a small club in Leister and everyone was getting up and singing. So I got up on stage and sang a ballad -- and I got a standing ovation!" Thus encouraged, he went on to then launch a career as a dance-band singer under the name Gerry Dorsey. For ten years he struggled for success, but his one single, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" went nowhere. He toured with Marty Wilde and even appeared on the U.K. TV series Oh Boy.

Then in 1966, Dorsey contacted his former roommate, Gordon Mills. Mills, formerly a singer in the skiffle group Viscounts, had moved on to songwriting (producing top hits for groups like Johnny Kidd and the Pirates) and then to artist management of matinée-idol singers of the likes of Tom Jones. Mills decided to re-invent Dorsey, gave him the name of the 19th-century classical German opera composer (Hansel and Gretel), and introduced him to the world as the enigmatic balladeer Engelbert Humperdinck. Armed with his new name, a vivid stage presence, rugged good looks, smooth style, and three-and-a-half octave singing range, Humperdinck broke into full stardom in 1967 with his version of the country song "Release Me." This was followed by "There Goes My Everything" and "The Last Waltz."

He remained in the charts until the early '70s and was often the biggest selling artist in the U.K. Country music offered Humperdinck a smorgasbord of material for his silky voice. He did a successful album with Gloria Gaynor, Remember I Love You in 1987. He has earned many different awards (Golden Globe, etc.) including some 59 Gold records, 17 Platinum albums, and various Grammy Awards. Still on the road, he travels with an 18-member group and has added impersonations and comedy skits to his act over the years (imitations of Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, and his arch-rival, Julio Iglesias), somewhat obscuring his impact as a singer. Still, when he is not goofing around on stage, Humperdinck can sing a ballad like few others. His dynamic range, heartfelt understanding of lyrics, and clarity of exposition make him one of the great ballad singers. He states "There's always going to be a market for romance and, as long as people come and see me, I'll be there."

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