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He’s only human
By Ruhanie Perera
The ‘Hump’ (or you can call him ‘Enge’) turned around to face us. Standing tall, you could say he was a man who made his presence felt. Wearing what could be called a shirt from the flamboyant fashion days with its distinct black butterfly print on white, which carried a label from an ultra modern designer brand – it spoke volumes of the spirit of the personality who has made it with generations of music lovers.

Almost 40 years after his big hit that started it all, Engelbert Humperdinck was finally here in Sri Lanka – the man with the deep resonating voice that sings of the many moods of ‘lurv’ and those unforgettable sideburns…

In a laid back post-concert interview with Engelbert Humperdinck, the legend himself put the sideburn theory to rest. Did someone mention that Elvis Presley had Humperdinck’s sideburns? “He took my sideburns,” was the quick assertion. He repeated it, “He took my sideburns! And the story is that there was a girl following him around in the early seventies and she was sketching him and – this is all on camera – she drew him with big long sideburns and she showed it to him…And Elvis said, ‘Heck, that’s not me that’s Engelbert Humperdinck’,” drawled the man with the claim to the sideburns and an unmistakable gift for the theatrical.

And if those twists and turns that life takes had been different, Humperdinck claimed that he would have liked to be a movie star! No, the world would not have lost the ‘Hump’ melodies that have become intertwined with the special memories of so many lives; he would have done both. But certainly to have been part of the world of movies seems to be a desire close to Humperdinck’s heart – “I should have been in acting a long time ago, but the manager I had didn’t want to take me off the road. Being on the road is a money spinner.” All the scripts that came from Hollywood were thus “dumped”. “I had dozens of scripts from Hollywood,” said the wistful “good water skier” who as an aspiring actor even studied martial arts so that he could do his own stunts.

So the movies didn’t happen, but the music sure did! And for Humperdinck, who has recorded over 76 albums all over the world for different markets and sung in his lifetime a multitude of songs, if there was one song he would like to be remembered by… “There’s only one song!” It’s the one song that comes to mind when anybody sees him and sees his sideburns – and without any warning he launched into a much softer, casual rendition of the first line of “Release Me”. “Please release me let me go…” he sang, eyes closed.

Tempted to write ‘croon’ I hold back for I have been forewarned with an impersonation, “People always say, crooner Engelbert Humperdinck.” I am not a crooner. Crooners are people who don’t have a high voice and a limited range of about an octave and one note. I am what you would term a contemporary singer,” – and Humperdinck has a two and a half to three octave range. As for “Release Me” – “That’s my signature song. And it’s special for me because it started my life.”

Humperdinck had just a few hours to experience Sri Lanka. “That’s my life. It’s very tiring but it’s very rewarding,” said the music man who, in those few hours, took back with him memories of a visit to the Gangaramaya temple and a blessing, the abundance of food, a spectacular view from his suite at the Trans Asia hotel and the warmth – of the people and the climate. “You got the sunshine all the time. If you don’t have any sunshine, just wait a minute.”

Totalling 140 performances a year, ‘the Hump’ designs one show for a year which he takes all over the world on tour. “I do a different show every year,” he said emphasising that, “It’s very difficult to find out what to choose and it takes me six weeks in preparation to know what songs to put in the show and the way to put it in. It’s a difficult task.” But he is a perfectionist and the ultimate professional who demands that he must “make sure that everything is correct before my audience comes in” – not forgetting the ‘ba ba doo da hey’ session in rehearsal. No major vocal exercises though because, I’m not a trained singer. I’m a pop singer!”

And then comes the almost two-hour long performance, with no breaks, of pure Humperdinck, which takes quite a toll on the performer himself. “It takes a lot out of me,” because of how “strong” he sings all the way through the show. “I’m human.” It’s odd that he had to say it, but sometimes we forget the human factor of the names that make it big. And yet, it’s this claim to being human that makes Humperdinck so endearing.

At that moment it was the soft-spoken 69-year-old Arnold George Dorsey who spoke of his wife of 40 years Patricia, while the ring that binds him to her glittered on his finger. Claiming she travelled with him to places that caught her interest, he then moved onto his four children, two who he mentioned by name Bradley and Louise because of their involvement in the music industry. The ‘proud father’ was apparent, as he spoke.

In a global music industry that is constantly evolving with a ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ theme, Humperdinck after decades in the industry has not just survived. His work encompasses the essence of a ‘special something’ that makes his music appealing to generation after generation of lovers of music all over the world. For him, it was a combination of things that helped him, back in ’67 – the name, the hairstyle and “Release Me”. And it worked, “Thank God,” he said conscious of his place in a bigger scheme of things.

“I’ve been pretty lucky with my fans,” said Humperdinck emphasising the fact that mothers (the backbone of his fan base) introduce their daughters to his music and the daughters in turn become fans… “It’s passed on a long way and they become the train of Humperdinck… the Humperdinck train… they join the Humperdinck train.” – The reflective words in repetition began to sound like the beginning of a song…

The Humperdinck train has exploded to something like about 200 fan clubs all over the world! And the good news, straight from the Hump’s mouth, “I am hoping to develop a fan club over here.” An official Humperdinck fan club, with a President and the full works! Nominations?

At the concert the evening before it was obvious, and it was something that Humperdinck was struck by as well, that the Humperdinck flame still burned bright in the hearts and memories of many. “The audience was absolutely fabulous,” and it’s clear that this was a man touched by the warm reception he received – “Everybody knew all my music. They just sang along with me and it was just wonderful. I would have liked to have played in a slightly larger venue so that we could accommodate them with the right sound. I’d like to do that.”

Acknowledging that at the concert was only a fraction of his fan base, Humperdinck continued – and the sincerity in his eyes and tone was marked, “I’d like to be in a much larger place where my fans can afford to come in and see the show. It was a lot of money for a small venue. Next time they’ll all come…”

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