AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Engelbert Humperdinck

Artist:Engelbert Humperdinck

Song:After the Lovin'

Album:Gold

The 1976 single After the Lovin' was one of two top five pop hits for crooner Engelbert Humperdinck. Release Me was the other top ten hit. That's probably his signature song. Most of Humperdinck's success was in the easy listening market. He was born Arnold George Dorsey May 2, 1936 in Madras, India. His father was an officer in the British Army. His family moved to Leicester, England when Humperdinck was ten years old. Part of his club act was an impersonation of Jerry Lewis. That got him the name Gerry Dorsey. After a stint in the Army, Humperdinck released a couple of singles that went nowhere. And then he was ill with tuberculosis. Things weren't going too well in Gerry Dorsey's music career until he got together with his former roommate Gordon Mills. He managed pop singer Tom Jones. Mills suggested the name change to 16th century German composer Humperdinck. I guess he thought Gerry Dorsey was bland. Mills got him a deal with Decca. Release Me was Humperdinck's first single in 1967. It topped the British charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that Humperdinck continued to have chart success mostly in easy listening. It was enough to get him his own variety show in 1969. This continued in the 70s until he left Decca for Epic for the 1976 album After the Lovin'. The single reached # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the most played song in jukeboxes in 1976. And Humperdinck was nominated for a Grammy. Most of the album including the single After the Lovin' was produced by veteran producers Charlie Calello and CBS house producer Joel Diamond. The song was written by the team of Alan Bernstein and Ritchie Adams. Adams was a Brill Building songwriter. He co-wrote the 1961 Bobby Lewis classic Tossin' and Turnin'. Humperdinck wasn't as successful after that. He left Epic in 1985. This 2CD comp from Universal's Hip-O label has original recordings of Release Me and After the Lovin' Beware of cheap knockoffs. Humperdick currently records for his own label. He had a significant stint with the Italian label Ariola in the 90s. Here's Engelbert Humperdinck performing After the Lovin' on the Tony Orlando and Dawn Show 1976.