Engelbert Humperdinck

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in two thousand and four, and the presenter was Sue Lawley.

Presenter0:32

My castaway this Christmas is a singer. Demobbed from national service in the late fifties, he was determined to become an entertainer, but the going was tough, and sometimes he slept in railway stations and telephone boxes, surviving on bread and butter and tea.

Presenter0:46

Then in the mid sixties his manager came up with the strange but brilliant idea of changing his name to that of a nineteenth century German composer.

Presenter0:55

Its unfamiliarity, combined with the popular appeal of songs like Release Me, The Last Waltz and There Goes My Everything made him a huge star, not only here but in America too, where his success has been the secret of his longevity. Those days of hardship are a distant memory now. At 68 he's said to have the largest fan club in the world and still performs 140 concerts a year. You go through cycles of being at the top, he says. If you wait long enough and work hard enough, it will always come back. He is Engelbert Humperdink. It was, as it turned out, Engel. Do you still laugh at that name? I mean, it's a great name.

Engelbert Humperdinck1:30

Mm-hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck1:31

Do you still love?

Engelbert Humperdinck1:34

It has a great name.

Presenter1:35

It was such an inspiration, but it's still very difficult to understand why it did the trick for you.

Engelbert Humperdinck1:41

Well, I think it did the trick because it was so unusual, number one, and number two, it was so large that people thought it was a group, and um

Engelbert Humperdinck1:50

But Gordon Mills, who was my manager at the time, was quite brilliant in his choice of names. You know, he picked out Dom Jones and Gilbert O'Sullivan, and of course he did pick out Engelbert Humbert and

Presenter2:01

Yeah, it picks a difficult one for you. I mean you had trouble signing it at first.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:03

With trouble

Engelbert Humperdinck2:04

Yeah.

Presenter2:07

Let's set the scene though, because as I said, you know, you were suffering great hardship at the time. I mean, you had holes in the bottom of your shoes, didn't you?

Engelbert Humperdinck2:15

Yes, those days were pretty hard, pretty hard.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:19

You know, it's it's something that one had to go through. I think you appreciate the good once it comes along and um well, the truth comes out and sincerity

Presenter2:29

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:30

Prevails, you know, and and I think it was it was good for me to go through those times. Was it? Mm-hmm.

Presenter2:35

Was it? Mhm. Certainly makes you appreciate the good times for sure. How many pairs of shoes have you got now?

Engelbert Humperdinck2:38

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:42

I don't know.

Presenter2:42

Loska, how many shirts have you got? I mean hundreds, I think.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:45

I think yes, yes, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Presenter2:49

I it well, quite. I read that when you go on tour you have twenty eight trunks full of clothes.

Engelbert Humperdinck2:50

And then we

Engelbert Humperdinck2:53

I used to have that. I mean, not nowadays, it's it we've had to cut it down.

Presenter2:59

But back in the 60s, you made that record for Decker, didn't you? Release me. And.

Presenter3:06

For a start, it wasn't a success, was it? I think on Jukebox Jury, it got the old David Jacobs up the counter miss.

Engelbert Humperdinck3:11

And the only person who voted it ahead was Lulu. Oh, really? Yes, she was the only one. And thank you, Lulu, if she's listening.

Presenter3:18

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck3:23

Sometimes those kind of shows don't really m matter.

Presenter3:25

No, what did they know? What did they know? But of course, there was something that happened that really made the big difference, wasn't there?

Engelbert Humperdinck3:26

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck3:31

Yes, it was the London Palladium.

Presenter3:33

How did that come about?

Engelbert Humperdinck3:34

Dickie Valentine dropped out because he wasn't feeling too good, and I took his place and I had six minutes to establish myself on the London Palladium. I went for rehearsal and I was shaking all over. This is the biggest thing I've ever done in my life. And anyway, I did the show. That particular night, I had calls from Frankie Vaughan, from Dickie Valentine, backstage calls, saying how well I did on the show. And to me, that was the greatest feeling I ever experienced in my life.

Presenter4:05

Mm-hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck4:05

Yeah.

Presenter4:06

Because in the next two and a half weeks you sold two and a half million r

Engelbert Humperdinck4:09

Well actually in six weeks it we sold two and a half million.

Presenter4:12

Maybe.

Engelbert Humperdinck4:13

And um it's we're selling like 85,000 a day, 100,000 a day. 125,000 a day, which does not happen in today's world.

Presenter4:21

Ever had a better feeling than that?

Engelbert Humperdinck4:22

I used to call up every day, how many did we do? How many did you know, because it's so exciting for a person who has been li living with holes in his shoes.

Presenter4:24

I'm gonna

Presenter4:32

Absolutely.

Presenter4:33

This have your first record, tell me about that.

Engelbert Humperdinck4:35

Well, the first record is um The Beatles with Penny Lane, because that was a song that released me st it stopped them from going to number one.

Presenter4:45

What you were at number one in

Engelbert Humperdinck4:46

Yes, and they never got there. They never got to number one. Never got to number one. And it was your fault. And it was my fault.

Presenter4:47

Pimped it to the post.

Presenter4:49

Uh

Presenter4:51

And it was your fault.

Speaker 45:04

More of fish and finger pies in summon me now back behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout.

Speaker 45:15

Brittany Ness is telling pumpkins for a drain But now she feels as if she's in a

Presenter5:23

Beatles and Penny Lane in Memphis.

Engelbert Humperdinck5:24

Great lyric, isn't it? You could visualize it, couldn't you? The storytelling of it.

Presenter5:25

It's wonderful, isn't it?

Presenter5:28

Yeah.

Presenter5:30

Now that success following the London Palladium meant that everybody wanted to know who you were, Engelbert Humperdink. You'd been Engelbert, I think, for two years by then.

Engelbert Humperdinck5:38

Yeah.

Presenter5:39

Now presumably, because you'd still got the holes in your shoes and the press wanted to come round to the flat, that would have been an embarrassment.

Engelbert Humperdinck5:44

It was an embarrassment because I was living in Hammersmith and my flat was empty, you know, there was nothing in it and no furniture. So we were living above a furniture store, so we asked the gentleman down there whether we could borrow the furniture from down there. And he was kind enough to allow us to bring it, to bring it up to the flat, and then after the interviews and press, you know, we put it back down again. It was a brief moment of great living.

Presenter6:12

Mm-hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck6:12

Happy.

Presenter6:12

Well, there were more to come, of course.

Presenter6:14

Because off you went eventually, and not long after that you were buying Jane Mansfield's Pink Palace on Sunset Boulevard. Have you still got that?

Engelbert Humperdinck6:20

South Second Boulevard and uh

Engelbert Humperdinck6:23

No, actually I I sold it a couple of years ago and it's it's down now, it's flat, and I bought another home in LA.

Presenter6:30

And you got a home over here, and you bought at that stage the first of many Rolls-Royces. I don't know how many Rolls-Royces have you counted them?

Engelbert Humperdinck6:37

No, I I I went through a crazy period in my life where I I do love Rolls Royce. I've never driven anything else but rolls since uh my success, of course. But I I collected a whole bunch of them. And I had Princess Margaret's roles, I had Pierpoint's roles, you know, the Hangman's roles. And I had about fourteen of them.

Presenter6:46

Yeah.

Presenter6:55

for all at the same time.

Engelbert Humperdinck6:56

Yes. And then uh I I saw them off gently.

Presenter7:01

Have you got one now?

Engelbert Humperdinck7:01

Have you got one now? Yes, I have.

Engelbert Humperdinck7:03

I mean

Presenter7:03

I mean, rags to riches is a cliché, but in your case it is literally true.

Engelbert Humperdinck7:08

Today

Presenter7:09

How does it make you feel? Because I'm sure you don't forget those hard days. Does it make you feel?

Presenter7:15

defiant or grateful or proud? What was it make you feel?

Engelbert Humperdinck7:19

I feel proud that I was able to accomplish uh uh what I've accomplished in my life so far, yes. It took a lot of hard work and uh a lot of struggling and uh a lot of jukebox juries that went that sort of stuff.

Presenter7:30

That sort of thing.

Presenter7:32

But you're one of ten children, aren't you?

Engelbert Humperdinck7:34

I have seven sisters and two brothers.

Presenter7:36

More systems.

Presenter7:38

What do they think? What have they thought over the years of your success? Did they could they always see it coming?

Engelbert Humperdinck7:43

No. I think it surprised everybody, including myself, you know, because I thought I'd be an artist that works in the clubs. You know, I didn't realize that I would go to such magnitude, you know, around the world. In fact, Release Me was number one in nine countries around the world. So it took me so every time I made an album, it went to these countries and I was able to play these countries. And so it took me to places in the world I never dreamed I'd ever visit, you know.

Speaker 47:57

Yeah.

Speaker 17:57

Yeah.

Presenter8:07

So your success took you by surprise, and certainly those brothers and sisters. Have they all enjoyed it with you all?

Engelbert Humperdinck8:09

Depends.

Engelbert Humperdinck8:13

I'm sure they have. I'm sure they're all proud of me. And and and of course my mother and father were so, so proud of me, and God rest their souls. And I'm I'm glad that they experienced a little piece of my success.

Presenter8:25

Record number two.

Engelbert Humperdinck8:27

Nat King Koh was my favorite, favorite singer of all time when I was a very young person. If you listen to this man's voice, the way he portrays a ballad, it's just amazing. It's like his velvet tones, he just caresses a lyric, you know. And I stole a lot from listening to people like Nat King Kohl. And I think if you're going to steal, you have to steal from the best. And he was one of the best.

Speaker 48:52

Let there be you

Speaker 48:56

Let there be me

Speaker 49:00

Let there be oysters.

Speaker 49:04

Under the sea?

Speaker 49:08

Let there be wind.

Speaker 49:12

An occasional rain

Speaker 49:16

Chile can't

Presenter9:18

Come near

Presenter9:20

Natkin Cole and the George Shearing Quintet and Let There Be Love.

Presenter9:25

You were born, Engelbert Humperding, out in India, in Madras, where your father was an army officer and engineer, wasn't he?

Engelbert Humperdinck9:30

Of an engineer, wasn't he?

Presenter9:32

And there, as now, you knew luxury apparently.

Engelbert Humperdinck9:36

Well, yes, yeah. We had uh we had quite a large home. I I never realized how large it was until I went back in nineteen eighty four. That's the year my father passed away. But uh so I went back to sort of bring back a few memories.

Presenter9:50

Tell me about the house. Was it large, airy, servants?

Engelbert Humperdinck9:52

It was very large and many servants and it was lovely. And I said, Good on you, Dad. You know, that's fantastic.

Presenter10:01

But you were, I understand, an unhappy little boy because you didn't like the way you looked.

Engelbert Humperdinck10:06

Yeah, I wasn't too good looking as a little boy. I was a little pod podgy person and uh and I had these thick lips and a flat nose and and I have a story about that. The only way my mother used to keep me quiet was to wet my lips and stick me up against the wall.

Presenter10:21

I didn't believe it.

Engelbert Humperdinck10:21

But it was the

Presenter10:23

But it was the teeth, wasn't it? It was the teeth that mirror you.

Engelbert Humperdinck10:24

Yeah, it was my friend, yes. And I used to sleep on them and try and push them push them back. Eventually they did go back somewhat, yes.

Presenter10:32

But did this make you self-conscious, shy? I'm sure it did.

Engelbert Humperdinck10:34

Yes, very well.

Engelbert Humperdinck10:36

Very shy, very shy. And when my dad used to ask me to sing, you know, as a little boy, he would say, Come over here and sing a song for the for the for my guests, you know. And I'd say, Okay, Dad, I'll sing if I can stand behind the door or or by the behind the curtains or under the table.

Presenter10:37

Very shy.

Presenter10:52

So it was a musical family. I mean, it was it was round the piano family sing songs, were there?

Engelbert Humperdinck10:55

Found

Engelbert Humperdinck10:56

And mother had an incredible voice, sort of operatic, and she could hit notes and make the windows rattle and the chandeliers tingle, you know, and I think that's where I got my power from, from my mother.

Presenter11:08

And then the whole family came back to the UK. This was just after the war. You'd have been ten years old.

Engelbert Humperdinck11:11

Okay, this was

Engelbert Humperdinck11:13

You don't

Engelbert Humperdinck11:14

Yeah.

Presenter11:14

Home to Leicester.

Engelbert Humperdinck11:16

Mm-hmm.

Presenter11:16

Well now, what did you think of Leicester when you got there?

Engelbert Humperdinck11:19

I was uh I was excited. It's in a different country and uh the snow was on the ground and it was just it was wonderful, something I'd never seen before. I loved it. I loved the experience of it. I mean I'd we d we didn't have the servants, etcetera, but one has to cope with those things.

Presenter11:35

One does. Record number three, tell me.

Engelbert Humperdinck11:38

Okay, number three is Frankie Lane and Woman in Love. Now this is a very special song for me because um at one particular time uh when I was seventeen years old I went into a club. There were people getting up and singing so um I didn't realize it was an audition that was going on and I had a pint of beer which I shouldn't have been drinking but I did and it gave me the courage to get up and sing. I sang it and I got standing oh I really didn't think I had a great voice.

Presenter12:06

Have you sung in public before? Never.

Engelbert Humperdinck12:07

Never, never That was my very first experience.

Presenter12:10

And this is the song you sang.

Engelbert Humperdinck12:11

And this is the song I sang and uh f for the Frankie Lane version, which I particularly love. I got to see him live too, but I didn't meet him.

Engelbert Humperdinck12:21

I've met the others, but not him.

Presenter12:23

What, everybody on this list you've heard?

Engelbert Humperdinck12:23

Uh

Engelbert Humperdinck12:24

And I've met everyone else except Frankie Lane.

Presenter12:27

Well, I want to ask about Elvis, who I see lurking down there, but we'll come to that. Let's have Frankie Lay.

Engelbert Humperdinck12:31

Oh well.

Speaker 412:35

It's hard the eyes.

Speaker 412:38

Of a woman in love and made gay.

Speaker 412:44

Pairmall.

Speaker 412:46

Into my crazily game.

Speaker 412:53

Everymore.

Speaker 412:55

Into my

Presenter13:01

Frankie Lane and Woman in Love, which Engelbert Humperding sang when he was seventeen.

Engelbert Humperdinck13:06

Seventeen, I swear.

Presenter13:06

And immediately well, you knew from that moment that you could make it, didn't you?

Engelbert Humperdinck13:11

Well, I didn't know I could make it, but I knew that there was something there, and I didn't know uh how far it was going to go, you know.

Presenter13:19

How soon before you gave up the day job? Because you were working i in an engineering factory.

Engelbert Humperdinck13:23

Yes, I I didn't give up my day job, I promise you that. I was working at weekends in clubs and um the money wasn't too great. It was thirty shillings for a weekend. That's three shows Saturday, three shows Sunday afternoon and three shows Sunday night, and I got thirty shillings for that.

Presenter13:38

Hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck13:39

It was an apprenticeship that I will never forget.

Presenter13:42

And you entered talent competitions and did the rounds of the Midlands clubs, didn't you?

Engelbert Humperdinck13:44

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck13:46

Yeah, I did, yeah. I persevered and I moved to London and I started going and visiting agents and doing auditions and it paid off.

Presenter13:55

But where did you live?'Cause you wouldn't have had any money.

Engelbert Humperdinck13:58

Well, when I worked at the working men's clubs I never had places to stay so I would sleep in the park or in the in a public convenience or in a telephone box or things like that. But when I went to London I met the agent an agent who took a shine to me. He and his wife uh invited me to the to stay at their apartment in uh Maidevale. And so it got me a place where I could I could go here and go there without wondering where I'm going to sleep tonight. No.

Presenter14:27

And you were still Jerry Dorsey at this point, yes. What did your parents call you?'Cause you ch christened Arnold.

Engelbert Humperdinck14:28

It disappoints me.

Engelbert Humperdinck14:32

Yes, I was christened Arnold. They went from Arnold to Jerry to Engelbert. And they the whole family did the same thing. And to this day, no one calls me Arnold, no one calls me Jerry. They call me Engelbert or Enge or Engel. Mother used to call me Engel because it means Angel, you know.

Presenter14:47

Mm-hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck14:48

Yeah.

Presenter14:49

Didn't you once share a house in London with Billy Fury and Georgie Fame and

Engelbert Humperdinck14:54

Well, we we used to stay in a house, a very large house called Rock and Roll House. There was a lot of people, Duffy Power, Billy Fury and um Joe Brown. We were all there, you know, all staying in the

Presenter15:06

But they were all making it.

Engelbert Humperdinck15:08

Yeah.

Presenter15:08

And Jerry Dorsey wasn't.

Engelbert Humperdinck15:09

No.

Presenter15:10

Now why?

Engelbert Humperdinck15:11

Well, I wasn't in the right place at the right time and I didn't meet the right people. It takes a combination of things to be a success. And I guess at that particular time I wasn't ready for that to happen.

Presenter15:23

Or the public wasn't ready for you. Were you that different after you changed your name?

Engelbert Humperdinck15:28

I had a little bit more confidence, I think. I never tried to analyze the the success and what caused it because I thought it might disappear, you know. I'm very superstitious. So I just didn't try to analyze that success at all.

Presenter15:42

Becker number four.

Engelbert Humperdinck15:44

O number four is uh Dean Martin.

Engelbert Humperdinck15:47

I never thought I'd ever meet this man, you know, this giant. I used to love the movies that he was in, you know, De Martin and Jerry Lewis movies, and I would try to imitate them the next day, and you know, I I would imitate them both because I used to love impressions. But Dean, later on, he really liked my my work, he liked me uh, somehow he took a shine to me. He was the one that put his name up for me, you know, he uh had a piece in the hotel in at the Ribiera Hotel in Las Vegas, and he wanted me to be there.

Engelbert Humperdinck16:19

And his his name was Dean Martin Presenz Engelbert Hamburging, so you know he was very instrumental in getting me into Las Vegas.

Speaker 416:28

Return to me.

Speaker 416:34

Oh, my dear arms alone.

Speaker 416:41

Hurry back, hurry back, oh my love, hurry back, I am yours.

Speaker 416:52

Yeah. Re turn.

Presenter16:53

End of me.

Presenter16:56

Dean Martin and Return to Me Dean Martin who helped you into Las Vegas and you got to know him personally and Frank Sinatri you knew.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:02

Yeah, thanks.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:04

Yeah.

Presenter17:04

And Elvis.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:06

And tell me

Presenter17:06

Tell me about Elvis.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:08

Elvis was one of the warmest creatures I've ever come across in my life. He came to see my show.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:13

And then I went to see his show, and he was that kind of a person, you know.

Presenter17:17

But for Elvis to turn up at your show, I can imagine a 1960s Las Vegas audience, mainly women, would be.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:24

Bedlam. It was Bedlam.

Presenter17:26

Sure.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:26

He was a very flamboyant dresser, as you uh will remember, and he came to my show and he was wearing this cape.

Engelbert Humperdinck17:35

And when I introduced him, he stood on the the table and he spread his cape out like Batman. The audience went absolutely berserk. It took me about ten minutes to quieten them down. And I said, Now wait a minute, I said, This is my show. I said, Let's get on with it So I had to pull one of my big gun ballads out and and hit them with that and fortunately they did quieten down.

Presenter17:55

Now tell me about the sideburns. Now, which of you had them first, you or el you?

Engelbert Humperdinck17:57

Which

Engelbert Humperdinck17:59

Me or else you it was m it was it was I.

Engelbert Humperdinck18:02

I started the sideburns. I started it in 1965, actually. Everyone asked me to shave them off. My manager said shave it off. The agents were saying you don't need that. I said, No, this is part of my image. This is something I want I learned something from watching the Beatles. They all had that same hairstyle and then when they went woo they all shook their heads and everything starts from the head I thought. So I was premature grey when I was young, so I dyed my hair black and I grew these long sideburns and yes, it was me that started the sideburns.

Presenter18:35

So he copied you, Elvis, did he?

Engelbert Humperdinck18:36

He took the whole hairstyle. As as a matter of fact, when we had a picture taken, we looked like brothers. You know, because b we both had the long sidebunes.

Presenter18:44

But in the end, you shaved yours off, and he kept them. And so everybody believes it was him, they're his, it's his inspiration.

Engelbert Humperdinck18:47

So

Engelbert Humperdinck18:50

Yeah, everybody thought, yeah. But if you if you can remember that everyone start everyone started wearing sidebuns in the the late sixties and early seventies. I mean everybody.

Presenter18:58

Uh

Engelbert Humperdinck19:00

Yeah.

Presenter19:00

I feel sort of

Engelbert Humperdinck19:01

proud of the fact that I started the whole trend.

Presenter19:03

Proprietorial about them. You've got them back again now, I see.

Engelbert Humperdinck19:04

Have you got them

Engelbert Humperdinck19:06

Yes, I have, yes.

Presenter19:09

So you took America by storm. I mean you went to Vegas, you went on the Ed Sull Sullivan show, you had your own T V show, didn't you? There was talk of you also going into films, I think.

Engelbert Humperdinck19:13

J

Engelbert Humperdinck19:15

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck19:19

I hate to talk about this because my manager is not here to answer it. You know, he died, Gordon Wills died, and um he used to throw them away because he didn't want us to spend time or me to spend time in a studio because it you know, we had a company and I was making big money and it was going into the company and

Presenter19:37

So you never got to hear of the offers?

Engelbert Humperdinck19:39

I never got to hear of the office.

Presenter19:41

I I I read a rumor that you were thought of as a James Bond at one point.

Engelbert Humperdinck19:46

I would love to have been in the early days, of course, now it's too late, but they never came my way because.

Presenter19:51

Or they never reached you.

Engelbert Humperdinck19:52

They were never presented to me, no. They never reached me. So, um consequently, I I stayed a singer. But it's not been too bad. It's been wonderful.

Presenter20:03

Make good number five.

Engelbert Humperdinck20:04

Number five, Elvis. Elvis Presley with the Blue Christmas Christmas is coming up. Elvis was of course a dear friend of mine. I love his version of it, and so I also later on I put it on my Christmas album. So there you go, Elvis.

Speaker 420:20

Hallelujah Christmas!

Speaker 420:27

Oh, without you.

Speaker 420:31

I'll be so blue just thinking.

Speaker 420:37

Ooh about you.

Speaker 420:42

Decorate

Speaker 420:45

He shuns a ring

Speaker 420:47

On a girl

Presenter20:50

Elvis Presley and Blue Christmas. So you um hit the big time, Engelbert, cracked the American market. I think in the early seventies you were doing about 300 dates a year when you round up.

Engelbert Humperdinck20:59

It was amazing. It was two shows a night. I played Vegas for for a month at a time, fifty-six shows in a row, you know, day off and go to to Lake Tahoe and do twenty-eight shows in a row. So th they were cramming everything into the early days, m making as much money as they can out of

Presenter21:15

And women were tearing the shirts off your back.

Engelbert Humperdinck21:18

Well, those would yes, there was

Engelbert Humperdinck21:21

Yeah. I used to carry, as I say, a l a lot of shirts, you know, and one time my the guy that used to dress me said he says, Angie, he said, Do you think we can cut down on the dress shirts? He said, I'm carrying one hundred and fifty of them.

Presenter21:34

Well, they're going to get ripped all the time. But you were attacked on occasions. What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you in terms of?

Engelbert Humperdinck21:36

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck21:42

Well, I've I was almost kidnapped in Chicago. That was one one instance, you know. So uh you know I used to make my exit out of the theater as soon as I'd finished the show. But on this particular occasion I jumped in the car and my my road manager at the time uh he didn't recognize the driver, so he pulled me out of the car and the doors were wide open and it just took off, you know.

Engelbert Humperdinck22:06

We got the number played, but it belonged to a milk float. Yeah, so somebody tried to do something there.

Presenter22:13

Didn't you have a a bullet through the car once?

Engelbert Humperdinck22:15

Yes, now it's in Las Vegas.

Presenter22:17

Well

Engelbert Humperdinck22:17

and the driver stopped and I s his name was Frank. I said, Frank, go, go, you know,'cause I didn't want to have another one come through there. But we never found out anything about it and uh

Presenter22:28

But you would presume it's a kind of jealous husband or something.

Engelbert Humperdinck22:32

It mm probably was, yes. Yeah. But I don't do anything to em embarrass peop men in the audience. I try I just try to do my job.

Presenter22:33

Yeah.

Presenter22:40

No, but I mean, uh as we know over the years you got quite a reputation for being a a womanizer. Um a couple of paternity suits, all that kind of stuff. I mean, what what would you say would you say that

Engelbert Humperdinck22:47

Ale peter.

Speaker 122:47

Uh

Engelbert Humperdinck22:48

All that kind of stuff.

Presenter22:52

The temptation was too great, or offers you couldn't refuse were

Engelbert Humperdinck22:56

Well, it's well, that sounds like a mafia statement. Um no, there were you know, it was uh it was a process of growing up and uh and being in a in a world that was so full of everything at that particular time and uh sometimes, you know, you just go off the rails and then you find yourself again.

Presenter23:15

Mm, mm. And you did I mean, you made your wife an offer.

Presenter23:20

when you wrote your autobiography, didn't you? You let her write a chapter. that you did not see before publication.

Engelbert Humperdinck23:27

Correct.

Presenter23:28

That was brave. Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck23:29

Yes.

Presenter23:30

As it turned out, wasn't it?

Engelbert Humperdinck23:32

Yes, uh it w it was brave of me and I read it and uh it was um she's quite a lady.

Presenter23:39

Was she, um

Presenter23:40

She revealed that she felt pretty raw about what she'd had to put up with, really, didn't she?

Engelbert Humperdinck23:44

Yeah, well, um you know

Engelbert Humperdinck23:47

I I d I don't think me saying I'm sorry is enough, but uh uh I guess I am, very much so.

Presenter23:54

I suppose you probably didn't realise quite how much she knew or how much it was hurting.

Engelbert Humperdinck24:00

Probably I didn't realize it, I was too young to realize those things.

Presenter24:02

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck24:03

Um

Engelbert Humperdinck24:05

But I should have. But I'm not making any excuses. I'm ha ha

Presenter24:09

Are you are you a, may I ask, a one woman man now?

Engelbert Humperdinck24:12

Of course, of course.

Presenter24:15

She believes that.

Engelbert Humperdinck24:16

Of course, yes.

Presenter24:18

And she should.

Engelbert Humperdinck24:19

Yes, yes, for sure. Um wh where do we go from here, sir?

Presenter24:23

We go into the next record quickly, I think. Record number six, go on.

Engelbert Humperdinck24:28

Number six, Jimi Hendrix. Jimmy was breaking through in this country. His agents were looking for an established name so that he could make a name for himself in this country by being on the same bill as. And they chose me, and Jimmy opened the show. And it was just an amazing how my crowd enjoyed his music. One day, my guitarist didn't show up, and Jimmy said, I'll play for you, man. And I said, You can't do that, Jimmy. You're too big a star. He said, No, I'll play for you. And he played from backstage, and it sounded like three guitars.

Speaker 124:49

Yeah.

Speaker 125:22

See you.

Presenter25:30

Jimi Hendricks and Purple Hayes. You still keep a house in Leicester in

Engelbert Humperdinck25:34

I mean

Presenter25:34

So do you think that? I mean, is it just for old time's sake? You can't spend that much time.

Engelbert Humperdinck25:38

No, no, I I Leicester is my home, as you know, and uh I don't think I can drift from it at all. I just love coming home. I really do.

Presenter25:48

You've got a golf hole.

Engelbert Humperdinck25:48

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck25:49

I I've yes, I have a ho a golf uh hole and I have a bunker, yes.

Presenter25:53

Bungie.

Presenter25:55

And you've got a pub, haven't you?

Engelbert Humperdinck25:57

I got a pub on the land. You see I had four cottages on the on the on the property and I turned one of the cottages into a real English pub and the price is right.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:09

And when I attend bar, you know, it's uh i I'm g I'm good at it.

Presenter26:13

And it's got a dart board and a cribbage board, is it? It's got all that.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:15

It's got the dartboard, yes. And I've had Eric Bistro come to my house and play me in dance.

Presenter26:21

I'm really.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:21

Really?

Presenter26:22

That's amazing.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:23

I only got one game out of him. We played five, I got one game.

Presenter26:26

And all the houses you've ever owned, and we mentioned Jane Mansfield's Pink Palace, and you've got others in the States.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:31

There.

Presenter26:32

As I read, your wife Patricia always does the cleaning.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:36

If we have somebody to clean the house, she'll clean the house before the cleaner comes to clean it. And that's the kind of person she is. I can't change her. I just can't change her.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:45

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Presenter26:46

Why change it?

Presenter26:49

Record number seven.

Engelbert Humperdinck26:50

Number seven, it's me, it's me. It's a song called All the World on the Seven Season. It takes me back to 1967 when I first got the success at the London Palladium. And of course, I went back at the end of the year and did a pantomime where I played Robinson Crusoe. And it just painted a picture, so I thought I'd play it. What do you think?

Presenter27:17

All the World and the Seven Seas. This is Engelbert Humpertinker's Robinson Crusoe.

Engelbert Humperdinck27:19

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck27:22

Yes, that's right.

Presenter27:23

Let's hear it.

Engelbert Humperdinck27:25

Uh

Presenter27:25

Uh

Engelbert Humperdinck27:25

To leave.

Speaker 427:27

Heaven no, not

Speaker 427:32

But all this work.

Speaker 427:40

Seven seas couldn't call me away if I can stay in these arms hold

Presenter27:53

Great stuff for 31-year-old Engelbert Humperdink and All the World and the Seven Seas. Thank you. There's just one more string to your bow I'd like to hear about before we finish, and that is apparently you have healing powers. Now who and what have you healed?

Engelbert Humperdinck28:08

I really, really this is a difficult uh subject to talk on really, but uh I have to tell you that

Engelbert Humperdinck28:14

Many years ago I got very ill and there wasn't any doctors that knew what it was and it lasted for four and a half months and the only person that cured me was a holistic medicine doctor in Germany and he was an iridologist or iridologist, I don't know how you pronounce that. And he looked into my eyes and said, yes, it's gone. And I said, thank you very much. He said, you know, I have two healers. I said, oh, you want me to see a healer? Because I believe in healing. And he said, oh, no. He said, you're better than both of them. So I smiled. I said, come come, come on. He said, no, really. You have an aura and you should use these. There's not many people who are gifted with this thing and I can see it in you. So he said, use it on your family and friends and then maybe you can do it to the general public. Anyway, I've been using it for many and many years now. And it's not me. I'm not the healer. I'm just the instrument. The medication comes from above.

Presenter29:14

Have you had visible proof in front of your very eyes of somebody who describe what sort of thing?

Engelbert Humperdinck29:18

Yeah.

Engelbert Humperdinck29:22

Well, I I'll give you uh one of the the the t happenings. A gentleman had a Bell's palsy and uh the doctor said it would take three months, six months. Sometimes it never goes away, and he'd had it for eleven days. I did a three minute prayer over his head, and during that three minutes his face went back to normal.

Engelbert Humperdinck29:40

And that was the doctors couldn't believe it. And so, you know, and I'm please I hope people don't start crowding me. I'm only an instrument and I'm a believer in God and that's the way I work. I work through Him. It's not me.

Presenter29:59

So here you are, you're still going strong, still.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:02

Still

Presenter30:02

Healing, still handsome, still got black hair.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:06

Little little help. Oh yeah, with a little, of course. This is the best bottle in the business.

Presenter30:07

It'll help.

Presenter30:09

Yeah.

Presenter30:12

And you're age sixty eight.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:14

Yes, I am.

Presenter30:14

Yeah.

Presenter30:14

Do you just go on and on, or is there a circle round a date in the calendar at some point?

Engelbert Humperdinck30:20

There is no um hang-up time, I don't think. As long as I have my my vocal powers and as long as the people out there want me, I'll be there for them.

Presenter30:29

Unless you're on our desert island, of course,'cause we're sending you away right now.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:34

Yeah.

Presenter30:34

You're gonna hate it there, aren't you? I mean no audience, no women, no family.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:37

Women

Engelbert Humperdinck30:39

Well, you know, i it'll give me time to to think.

Presenter30:41

Not

Presenter30:44

Do you need time to think?

Engelbert Humperdinck30:45

Yes, you do. Yes, you do.

Presenter30:47

Tell me about the last record.

Engelbert Humperdinck30:49

The last record is Ray Charles and a s a song called Making Whoopee, which I had the pleasure of doing a a duet with Ray Charles on on one of my shows. I learned from him, everyone learned from him, Elvis learned from him, everybody did.

Speaker 431:03

I tell you the forest washing fishes and

Speaker 431:08

Baby clothes

Speaker 431:12

He's so ambitious, ooh, I tell you he's so.

Speaker 431:20

It's really killing.

Speaker 431:24

The boy's so willing.

Speaker 431:27

Too many.

Presenter31:32

Ray Charles making whoopee. Yeah. Good stuff in it. Now, this is really difficult. If you could only take one of those eight records, which one would you take?

Speaker 431:33

Making more pay stuff.

Engelbert Humperdinck31:41

If I could only take one.

Presenter31:43

Mm-hmm.

Engelbert Humperdinck31:43

Uh

Engelbert Humperdinck31:44

I would say uh

Engelbert Humperdinck31:46

Dinos returned to me.

Presenter31:48

Now what about your book for this desert island? We give you the Bible and we give you the complete works of Shakespeare.

Presenter31:55

What other book would you like to take?

Engelbert Humperdinck31:58

Well, being on a desert island by myself, I think I would go a little bananas, you know, so

Engelbert Humperdinck32:03

I I would like to take my book.

Engelbert Humperdinck32:06

to remind me of what I've done.

Presenter32:09

What your own book?

Engelbert Humperdinck32:10

My own book, of course.

Presenter32:11

So you don't need your own boy.

Engelbert Humperdinck32:12

Yes, I do. I do. I do. I'll f find out where my life is and what I'm what I did in my life.

Presenter32:18

Okay.

Presenter32:19

And your luxury.

Engelbert Humperdinck32:21

Not my mobile phone, right? No. Okay, okay. Then I think I would take my saxophone and I'd really learn how to play it'cause I'cause I'd have the time to learn.

Presenter32:23

Not m

Presenter32:31

Engelbert Humperting, thank you very much indeed for letting us hear your Desert Island discs, and um happy Christmas!

Engelbert Humperdinck32:36

Thank you, same to you.

Speaker 132:44

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.