From www.castlebar.ie

Music
World icon Engelbert Humperdinck for Castlebar date
By Bryana Hindle
Sep 26, 2005, 19:53

Humperdinck knew he could sing harmonies, but the power of his own voice came as a surprise to him and other people. “It’s just so loud, but I discovered I can be tender with it at the same time.”

Like all great icons he is a man of great depth— masculine and loving, shy inside and uninhibited on stage, prepared to play the sex god to the hilt and still at this stage of his career managing to get away with it.

In a career spanning 35 years Engelbert has achieved 64 gold albums and 24 platinum, four Grammies, a Golden Globe and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has performed for the Queen, several presidents and many Heads of States. He has recorded everything from the most romantic ballads to movie theme songs, disco, rock and even gospel.

His unique voice has charmed millions of fans around the globe. The name Engelbert Humperdinck was suggested to him by a former manager, taken from the Austrian composer who wrote “Hansel and Gretel’. It was outrageous enough to be memorable, and thus was born the soon-to-be legend, Engelbert Humperdinck.

He exploded onto the music scene in the Sixties with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones. His Sixties did not so much swing as rage. The shy handsome boy catapulted almost instantly to become a world icon. His first single in the charts was “Release Me” which went into the Guinness Book of Records for achieving 56 consecutive weeks in the charts. It was No One in 11 countries.

Engelbert’s music has transcended time and his honeyed mellow voice still continues to reach out to people now - serving to transport and inspire us, to embrace and uplift us, and to provoke feelings and emotion ingredients that are no doubt the essence of his long-lasting success.

When Engelbert Humperdinck sings “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” you know for sure he has - fiercely. Engelbert embraces the sobriquet King of Romance. All of the songs sound as if you should be listening to them in Vegas. They have huge elegance and understated passion that comes from a lifetime of loving to perform, loving romantic songs and loving women. Let there be love indeed.

See Engelbert Humperdinck live in concert on Thursday 24th November 2005 @ 8pm. Tickets are €49 and can be purchased from the Box Office by calling 0818 300000, on the website www.royaltheatre.ie or calling into any of the usual outlets.

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