Monday, August 5, 2013

Engelbert Humperdinck – The Winding Road (2007)

 

album-the-winding-road

Engelbert Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey in Chennai, India and was one of ten siblings. His father served in the British military, and his mother taught violin and had an operatic voice. They all lived in Leicester, England. Young Arnold from Leicester developed strong and enduring family values imparted by his parents. At the age of eleven, Arnold George Dorsey began to study saxophone.

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 world's finest impersonation of Jerry Lewis and was quickly dubbed Gerry Dorsey by his fans. It became his professional stage name. Furthermore, he never picked up the sax again. To this day, Engelbert continues to include some impersonations in his shows as reference to how he got started.

Gerry Dorsey was very popular on the UK music circuit until he contracted tuberculosis, which silenced him for six months and nearly ended a bright 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 humour 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 Humperdinck – The Winding Road - 2007

Artist : Engelbert Humperdinck

Album : The Winding Road

Label : Engelbert Music

Genre : Oldies

Street Year : 2007

Time : 53:42 min

Track Listing:

1. Handbags And Gladrags 3:49

2. Woman 4:25

3. Eternally 2:48

4. Blue Eyes 3:27

5. Wonderful Tonight 3:35

6. Say (That) You Love Me 4:04

7. A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square 3:49

8. Goodbye My Lover 4:30

9. Every Breath You Take 3:49

10. The Living Years 5:31

11. South Of The Border 3:49

12. Where Is The Love/The Long & Winding Road 3:35

13. Do You Mind 3:58

14. Whiter Shade Of Pale (Duet With Rene Froger) 2:33

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