British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck was born 88 years ago as Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, British India, is a widower and has 4 children. He is nicknamed the ‘King of Ballads’.
When he was a teen, Engelbert began to show interest in music, so he learnt the saxophone and started playing it in nightclubs. In 1959, his first single ‘Crazy Bells’ was released, but was not successful and likewise, the song that he released next. That same year, he joined other music artists in a TV show and also appeared in more TV shows too. His music career came to a halt when Humperdinck was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1962 and was hospitalised for 9 months. When he recovered, he practically had to start all over again.
Real success arrived in 1966 when Engelbert represented his country in a song contest. A year later, the song ‘Release Me’ was a UK number one hit, followed by two more ballads ‘There goes my Everything’ and The Last Waltz’, of which over a million copies for each hit were sold globally.
In 2012, he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest but placed 25th. He was the oldest participant in the ESC’s history. In the 80s, he made special guest appearances when he starred in famous TV series like ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Hotel’.
Over the years, Engelbert continued gaining popularity all over the world and releasing new material. In fact, during his 6-decade long career, Humperdinck released over 100 albums and more than 40 singles with a string of hits, plus selling over 140 million records worldwide. He also gave many concerts yearly, including shows in prestigious hotels in Las Vegas. He also recorded a whole album in duet with several famous artists like Kenny Rogers, Cliff Richard, Dionne Warwick and Olivia Newton-John, amongst others.
In December 2023, Engelbert declared that this month he will be travelling to Australia for his ‘grand farewell’ tour which includes a concert in the famous Sydney Opera House.
In 2021, Humperdinck was appointed as Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services in music.
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