Humperdinck still puts on a top act

Chris Jordan

Tuesday, July 11, 2000 | 9:13 a.m.

It's no laughing matter: Engelbert Humperdinck makes the women swoon.

His more than 3 million fan club members and 130 million albums sold are proof of that.

But the suave Humperdinck -- who opens a six-day engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton tonight -- also has a funny bone; the singer wants to humor his audience when he's not romancing them.

In between songs at his concerts, the 67-year-old British singer will tell jokes and perform impersonations of Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, and Julio Iglesias.

"I think it's important when a person comes to a concert, that they get to know a little bit about the artist and not just listen to the music," Humperdinck says via phone from his home office in California. "They could just stay home and play the CDs. My job as an entertainer is to take away their stress for the two hours I'm on stage."

That must be why Humperdinck performed the "love" song "Lesbian Seagull" for the 1996 movie "Beavis and Butt-head Do America."

"I just received another platinum record for that," Humperdinck says. "It reintroduced me to a younger audience and we're trying to create awareness for the younger people."

Young people take note: Before becoming a romantic balladeer, Humperdinck was born in Madras, India, in 1936. His father was in the British army and his family soon relocated to England. Arnold Dorsey, the man who would become Humperdinck, took a liking to the saxophone, but a performance by Nat King Cole left a lasting impression on the future singer.

"I was mesmerized by the way he caressed the lyrics of a song, and totally changed it into his style and his rendition," Humperdinck says. "That was very inspirational to me."

In his early performing days Humperdinck shared Tom Jones' manager. It was that manager who decided to change the singer's name from Dorsey to the name of the 19th-century Austrian classical composer, Engelbert Humperdinck. With his prominent sideburns, smooth style, and three-and-a-half octave singing range, Humperdinck broke into stardom in 1967 with his version of the country song "Release Me."

Over the years, Humperdinck also has released hits such as "Quando, Quando, Quando" and "After the Lovin" while accumulating 64 gold and 23 platinum records.

Recently Humperdinck has enjoyed some good news regarding a new record, "Engelbert: At His Very Best."

"I'm very happy to say that the new CD is gold all across Europe," Humperdinck says. "It's a great rush -- anytime you're on the charts it's a stamp of approval."

The album is due out domestically in the summer. Until then, Humperdinck will tour the country.

And even though he enjoys a good laugh, he knows his main job is to make the women swoon. He does that by conveying sensitivity and passion with his voice.

"I've always been very aware of emotions and it's something that's important," he says. "You let the lyrics of the song build up and really think about what you're saying.

"Hopefully, I can make them laugh at my jokes and cry at my songs."