David Clayton-Thomas Interview: ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Legendary Singer Scores on New Releases

-Interviewed on March 18th 2015

By Ray Shasho

David Clayton-Thomas inherited his musical savvy by performing in clubs on Toronto’s infamous Yonge Street back in the early 60’s, a music scene that had also launched the careers of fellow Canadians Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young to name just a few. Rockabilly musician Ronnie Hawkins referred to Yonge Street as “The Promise Land.” Toronto was without racial barriers and became a Mecca for R&B artists, which also gave them the opportunity to perform for the first time to white audiences. At a young age, David became heavily influenced by those rhythm and blues artists who performed regularly in Toronto, which led to David Clayton-

Thomas becoming one of the most recognized blue-eyed soul singers in the world.

But it would be David’s earliest roots, his passion for Mississippi Delta Blues that helped him move to New York and launch a brilliant career with the finest musicians. While playing in little clubs in Toronto, blues legend John Lee Hooker frequently performed, and David would grab his guitar in between sets and go over and sit in with him. Thomas eventually ended up playing with Hooker in New York and continued to live there for the next forty years.

DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in the summer of 1968. The band was originally formed by Al Kooper and named after Johnny Cash's 1963 album Blood, Sweat and Tears. Kooper left the group but not before writing the B, S &T early classic “I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know.”  Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B. B. King, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alice Cooper, and Cream. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced and performed on their first three albums

Folk singer Judy Collins heard David Clayton-Thomas one night at a club uptown and told her friend, drummer Bobby Colomby about him. Bobby invited David to help rebuild his shattered band and saying … “We never heard anyone sing like that!” They took the reformed group into the Café Au Go Go in the Village. Six weeks later, there were lines of people around the block, waiting to get into a club which only seated about 200 people.

David Clayton-Thomas’ debut album with the band was simply entitled … Blood, Sweat & Tearsand became their most successful album to date, spawning three successive Top 5 hits in 1969 …a cover of Berry Gordy & Brenda Holloway’s “You've Made Me So Very Happy,”  the David Clayton-Thomas penned “Spinning Wheel,” and their version of Laura Nyro's “And When I Die.” All three singles reached #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. "Spinning Wheel" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album sold more than 10-million copies worldwide.

In 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears won an unprecedented (5) Grammy awards including …

Album of the Year … Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist … and … Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance.

 BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS immediate commercial success was attributed to a brand new sound on the music scene, performed by eight prodigious musicians that incorporated shades of rock, blues, pop, rhythm & blues and psychedelic genres with horn arrangements and jazz improvisation, whileDavid Clayton-Thomas’ soulful renditions amazingly blended meticulously with the horn section. The band’s critically-acclaim recognition led to their day three appearance at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969.

The band’s subsequent albums …Blood, Sweat & Tears 3(1970) and Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 (1971) were well- received and commercially successful. Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 spawned the Top 40 hits … “Lucretia MacEvil” penned by David-Clayton Thomas and the Carole King cover tune “Hi-De-Ho.” Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 generated the Top 40 single “Go Down Gamblin’” written by Clayton-Thomas.

David Clayton-Thomas left the group to pursue a solo career after their next album entitled …New Blood. (1972) Jerry Fisher replaced Clayton-Thomas on vocals.

Clayton-Thomas returned to Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1975 and recorded the New City album

Subsequent Blood, Sweat & Tears albums featuring David Clayton-Thomas on lead vocals …More Than Ever (1976), Brand New Day (1977), Nuclear Blues (1980)

David, Clayton- Thomas has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

In 1996, David was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

In 2007, his jazz/rock composition “Spinning Wheel” was enshrined in the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame.

In 2010, David received his star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

In 2011, Author David Clayton-Thomas released his memoir Blood, Sweat & Tears: A brutally truthful memoir, Clayton-Thomas reveals what it was like to headline at Woodstock, to tour behind the Iron Curtain, to watch brilliant musicians tear their own band apart with in-fighting, and to make his fortune only to lose it all ... and start over again. This is a story of grit, courage, and determination. It is, above all, a story of survival. -Available to purchase now at amazon.com.

Today, David Clayton-Thomas is as busy as ever … his three recent releases … Soul Ballads,Combo (An album of classic standards) and A Blues for the New World … (3) separate genres performed by the musical genius of David Clayton-Thomas is available now at amazon.com.

-I gave Soul Ballads by David Clayton-Thomas (5) Stars!

I had the rare pleasure of chatting with David Clayton-Thomas recently about the Soul Ballads album, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The inception of “Spinning Wheel,” The current state of the music industry, My infamous ‘Field of Dreams’ wish question and much-much more!

Here’s my interview with the award-winning, legendary singer & songwriter of Blood, Sweat & Tears …DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS.

Ray Shasho: David thank for being on the call today!

David Clayton-Thomas: “It’s good to be with you Ray.”

Ray Shasho: It’s funny, I chatted with Al Kooper back in September of 2014, and the very first thing he said to me when he answered the phone was … Have you just been talking with David Clayton-Thomas? … I swear, true story!

David Clayton-Thomas:  “The strange thing is that Al Kooper and I really don’t know each other. He was gone from the band when I joined and we went out on the road and were on different paths. I think he lives down in Nashville now. When we met it was very quickly and casually backstage once or twice. So I really don’t know Al.”

Ray Shasho: David, I really enjoyed listening to Soul Ballads.

David Clayton-Thomas:  “Thank you very much, we put a lot of love and care into it, and a lot of trepidation too, those are very hard songs to follow, when you’re doing a song by Ray Charles or Otis Redding, you’d better bring your ‘A’ game because those records were done beautifully.”

Ray Shasho: A track off Soul Ballads which I thought may have been particularly difficult to sing is “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

David Clayton-Thomas: “I idolized Gladys Knight, and that was one of the first tunes that I picked for the album. I thought …I’ve got to do that song.”

Ray Shasho:  I haven’t really heard many artists cover that song; I think Neil Diamond and Aretha Franklin may have done it?

David Clayton-Thomas: “Gladys is a tough act to follow; there are artists who put their stamp on a certain song and nobody wants to even touch it … Ray Charles, “Georgia on my Mind” …that song has been done, unless you can do it any better, but who can do it better than Ray Charles?”

Ray Shasho: David, you also did an excellent version of “People Get Ready,” an R&B classic penned by Cutis Mayfield when he was with The Impressions.

David Clayton-Thomas: “Those songs are old friends for me, I grew up singing R&B here on Yonge Street and those were our repertoire. My old piano player Lou Pomanti who was with me with Blood, Sweat & Tears for about five years, and now he’s a big producer around here, he’d just got finished writing all the arrangements for the Michael Bublé album and he prevailed on me one more time, he said, “Come on man, we’ve got to do an album with those songs!” The hardest part was figuring out which of those songs worked, because once we started coming up with ideas, we sat there with about thirty five songs and only ten could go on an album. So the hardest part was what we weren’t going to do. I’ve got to say; those songs came very-very easy to me because I sang them five shows a night, six nights a week for years. That was my repertoire when I first started out; I idolized all of those artists, so I don’t think there is a song on the album that I haven’t sung about a dozen times before. You know it’s funny; I didn’t even take lyric sheets to the studio because I knew the songs so well. But you know everyone can sing those songs … (“Sittin’On) the Dock of the Bay” … everyone can sing that.”

Ray Shasho: Track eleven on Soul Ballads, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” by the great Smokey Robinson, had a sort of jazzy spin to it?

David Clayton-Thomas: “When we started looking back at these songs and listening to the original recordings, we were pretty amazed how badly they were recorded. But it didn’t matter because the soul came through. Remember, they were probably recorded on a little four track machine, they weren’t the greatest musicians in the world, I know on the Bobby Hebb tune “Sunny” the horns were so out of tune that it made my teeth hurt. But it didn’t matter. We have the advantage now of using a 21st century recording studio with digital editing and hundreds and hundreds of tracks if we wanted, and really top notch musicians. It was quite a labor of love making that record and I’m so glad it’s coming out in the states now.”

Ray Shasho: Soul Ballads featured an incredible array of musicians … 

David Clayton-Thomas: My buddies from up here in Toronto, half the guys in the rhythm section and horns of that band play in my regular band. We’ve got some really good talent up here in Canada.”

Ray Shasho: Besides you … I’ve interviewed many Canadian music legends …Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Frank Marino, Gino Vannelli and the list goes on …but Canada has produced so many great comedians and actors as well.

David Clayton-Thomas: “If you go to Hollywood in LA there’s a whole Canadian community out there, Mike Myers and that whole gang, especially in theater and comedy … Jim Carrey, it’s just a whole enclave of Canadians in LA. Belushi and the Aykroyd Boys all came from Chicago, but The Firesign Theatre and Second City Television was really up here in Toronto, and that’s what really formed the very first Saturday Night Live. The Producer Lorne Michaels is a Canadian and when he first started he brought everybody down from Toronto to start that show.”

Ray Shasho: You had a close relationship with John Lee Hooker in those early days.

David Clayton-Thomas: “It was John who basically brought me to New York the first time. My earliest roots were Mississippi Delta Blues artists like John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Robert Johnson … and the blues were my entrance into music. Playing in little clubs here in Toronto, John Lee Hooker used to come up here and play all the time, so I would grab my guitar in between sets and go over and sit in with him. It ended up me going to New York and playing with him. I ended up living there for forty years.”

Ray Shasho: You’ve written a memoir entitled … Blood, Sweat & Tears?

David Clayton-Thomas: “The book and the Soul Ballads album were kind of tied together, because while the book was coming out in October of 2010, it was also announced that I was getting my star in the Canadian Hall of Fame. So I had pressure coming to me from the book publisher and from the record company who said, you’ve got to get a new album out because you’ve got all this stuff going on in the fall. I had just finished the book and I’ve got to tell you…I was pretty much written out! It takes a year and a half to two years to write a book, and during that time you’re not writing many songs. Writing a book for me was kind of a one-time thing, I just wanted to put a postscript on all of those Blood, Sweat & Tears years and wrapped it up and tie a bow on it, and say here’s what happened and here’s how it was … and move on.”

“But like I said, I was getting pressure from both sides to get a new album out and that’s when I called Lou Pomanti, I said, you know you’ve been bugging me for years to do this album, I think the time is right. I don’t have any original material ready to go and we need an album three months from now. I said can we do it? He said, sure we can!”

Ray Shasho: David, what year did you join Blood, Sweat & Tears?

David Clayton-Thomas: “In the summer of 1968. We recorded the album over the course of that summer, it was released in October and by Christmas it was the number one album in the world.”

Ray Shasho: The album was a huge commercial success and spawned (3) consecutive Top 5 singles. It also won a Grammy Award for ‘Album of the Year.’ How did a newly reconstructed Blood, Sweat & Tears achieve commercial success right out of the gate?

David Clayton-Thomas: “We had the top musicians in New York, who weren’t generally known to the public, but these were the ‘A’ team guys … Bobby Colomby, Randy Brecker… these are great-great musicians! But I think the musical climate was different then. Today it seems that everybody wants to put out records to please the marketing guys and it sounds like everything else on the radio. In the 60’s it was a different philosophy, we came into an era that was mostly big power rock bands like Hendrix, The Who, Cream … and we came out of left field with Julliard graduates playing trombones, trumpets and flutes with Basie-Ellington types of arrangements and very much a New York City band. We succeeded so quickly because it was so different, there was nothing like it out there. And in those days was a bonus. Blood, Sweat & Tears were serious musicians and all of a sudden they were playing to 22,000 screaming people at Madison Square Garden. It was a great band and had a great run. I’m very proud of it.”

“Today, I think doing something completely different is almost career suicide. The Record industry is another oxymoron along with jumbo shrimp, it’s pretty much gone. When was the last time you saw a record store? It’s been going for the last several years and I watched it go, and in some ways I’m kind of glad. Remember when the old studio system dissolved in Hollywood and all of these wonderful independent films came out. They weren’t governed by the big corporate bureaucracies. In some ways, the artist has been under the thumb of the record company or the whim of the record company for so many years. I’ve talked with some of the early guys who invented rock and roll like Chuck Berry …Little Richard …Fats Domino …and these guys signed lifetime record contracts for a new Cadillac and never saw a royalty check ever. I think that the new internet freedom that we have now … we only communicate with record companies that can communicate in 21st century language, like CD Baby, Spotify and iTunes, because that’s where people are going for their music now. The only places left for selling CD’S are like Walmart, Costco or something, and they only sell the Top 10… you’ll get your Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, but there’s hardly any new music coming into that. So it’s left the artist to do what he knows best and that’s create and go directly to his fans, and you can do that all over the internet.”

Ray Shasho: “Are companies like Spotify paying royalties to the artists like they should?

David Clayton-Thomas: “Its took us a hundred years to build up a system of copyright  to protect music and then the internet came along and they just threw it out the window, there was no real laws to govern it. It is happening; unfortunately the laws move a lot slower than the technology. But we’re working on it … it will all come around. The record industry may be in deep dookie but the music business is doing just fine. In fact, I think it’s doing better than ever because of the creativity.”

Ray Shasho: I’d like to talk about your classic hit with Blood, Sweat & Tears … “Spinning Wheel” (1969) … I chatted with Engelbert Humperdinck before our interview and Engelbert  recently recorded “Spinning Wheel” for his latest duets album called … Engelbert Calling.

David Clayton-Thomas: “Yea, he did it with Gene Simmons. I go way back with Engelbert; I’ve known him for quite some time and have a lot of friends in common in Germany. I’ve done a lot of work in Germany over the years and have a lot of mutual friends over there. But when somebody called me up and said I just heard “Spinning Wheel” by Gene Simmons … I go are you kidding? (All laughing) Kiss is doing “Spinning Wheel?” I don’t believe it!”

Ray Shasho: “Talk about the inception of “Spinning Wheel” … when we think of the 60’s, I think most people would say “Spinning Wheel” is in the top of their list. 

David Clayton-Thomas: “Yea and it was played at Woodstock and released that same year in 1969, so it’s kind of engrained in a lot of people’s memory. This is a song that I wrote up here in Canada two years before I joined Blood, Sweat & Tears and tried to get it recorded. I did a demo of it, but tried to do a real record of it and was turned down by every record company in the country. They said, what is this … it sounds like jazz …we can’t sell jazz! So that was the prevailing wisdom back then. Then I came down and found the right combination of musicians and recorded it in New York and the rest is history as they say.

Record executives follow trends … Artists set trends. That’s the way it’s always been, especially now that the industry is running out of money and basically going broke, and a lot of the talent has left. When is the last time you saw an A&R man at a record company? That post doesn’t exist anymore. Record companies are basically distributorships now. They could be selling toothpaste or hand soap …they’re just units to be moved and not really a connection with the music. That’s why a lot of artists, even senior artists like myself are moving away from the record industry. Except for Nashville, the days when a record company used to make or break an artist are over.”

Ray Shasho: Groups like Blood, Sweat & Tears & Chicago were pleasantly dissimilar when they arrived on the music scene … a prodigious ensemble performing a phenomenal blend of rock, jazz and psychedelic music.

David Clayton-Thomas: “What happens in the record industry … as soon as something comes along that’s different, within a year they’ve cloned it half a dozen times. The same producer that produced the first Blood, Sweat & Tears record with me … we went on the road to promote it, and while we went on the road he produced three Chicago albums. (All laughing) And then everybody had to have a horn band in those days. By the year Blood, Sweat & Tears broke … you had Tower of Power, Chicago, Ides of March, Chase … there was horn bands coming out of the woodwork.”

Ray Shasho: Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention were also early innovators for using horns in a rock band.

David Clayton-Thomas: “Well yea … as a matter of fact I had lunch the day before yesterday with a gentleman by the name of Jim Fielder. Jim was the original bass player in Blood, Sweat & Tears and he has been with Neil Sedaka for the last thirty years. When I first met Jim Fielder he was the bass player for The Mothers of Invention with Aynsley Dunbar and Frank Zappa …playing at the Garrick Theatre in New York City, next door to the Café Au Go Go where Blood, Sweat & Tears played. So Jim came over to Blood, Sweat & Tears. There’s a picture on my website of me and Frank Zappa jamming away on guitars … just a tremendously creative guy.”

Ray Shasho: Dave, are you going to hit the road again anytime soon?

David Clayton-Thomas:  “Not really on the road, my days of being on the road are over. I am coming down to the states and doing some concerts this year. I like to pick events. Last year I came down and did the St. Louis Blues Festival and did the Toronto Jazz Festival here with Earth, Wind & Fire and Chaka Khan, and two nights at Massey Hall with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, but that’s not being on the road, that’s doing things you really want to do. Being on the road is when you go out for 150 days at a time and half the gigs are to pay for gas …that’s being on the road. (All laughing) I did that for 40 years and I won’t do that anymore. The record company that put out Soul Ballads also books a lot of concerts and they’ve already asked me if I’d come down and do a few spots this year, and I’d love to do that.”

Ray Shasho: Do you enjoy performing with a live symphony orchestra?

David Clayton-Thomas:  “It’s one thing I do. The new album that I just finished is called Combo. It’s a small quintet and we play all acoustic, it’s a very unplugged and very intimate kind of album. It’s really great to sing in that kind of environment. On the other hand when you’re playing with a symphony orchestra and you hear 80 pieces strike up the opening to “God Bless the Child,” you wouldn’t be human if your hair didn’t stand up in back of your head. (All laughing)  The last few years I’ve been doing concerts with a 10-piece band, Blood, Sweat & Tears was only eight pieces. So this year we’ll cut it back a little because of the new album and play more intimate concerts. Of all the places I’ve played  … from Carnegie Hall to Royal Albert Hall to Madison Square Garden … my favorite place is still an 800 to 1000 seat performing arts center. Where the people are sitting in nice plush seats and relaxed and you have a beautiful stage with nice production, great lights, and the audience is three feet away, you can reach out and touch them. That’s my favorite place to play.”

Ray Shasho:  Producer/songwriter/musician James William Guercio produced your classic debut album with Blood, Sweat & Tears; he also worked with The Buckinghams, Chicago and Beach Boys to name a few. He was obviously a successful producer, why didn’t he work with the band again after that first album?  

David Clayton-Thomas: “The makeup of Blood, Sweat & Tears, except for the songwriters, everybody made 100% of their living by going on the road, and that included the agents, promoters and people in our front office. We went from being basically a Greenwich Village street band making five hundred bucks a night split nine ways, to all of a sudden, tens of thousands of dollars a night pouring in. So Blood, Sweat & Tears basically went on the road for three years until finally our manager called a halt to it and said, look, you guys have been out there for three years, while your all out there touring all over the world and making tons of money, Jimmy Guercio has made three Chicago albums in that time. (All laughing) So we decided that we needed to get more products in the can and make some more albums. So we went in and recorded B, S &T 3 and B, S &T 4 in basically consecutive years. If you notice between the first Blood, Sweat & Tears album and second B, S &T album, there is a three year gap. We were in Australia, South America, Russia … you name it and we were there.”

Ray Shasho: Dave you’ve written several great tunes with the band, any regrets for not having written more songs?

David Clayton-Thomas: “Not particularly …I’m not a singer who only sings his own songs; I’m not a Bob Dylan, I write a few songs that happen to fit me. I enjoy just as much doing Soul Ballads and singing those great iconic Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes songs. I’m first a singer and a songwriter second.”

“The Toronto music scene is heavily R&B oriented and the reason for that being is, back in the 60’s when we young Canadian musicians were growing up, and I’m talking about people like Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell … there was a color bar in the states, if you were a black band and worked in Detroit you worked black clubs. They wouldn’t even allow mixed bands, you couldn’t even have a white guy in your band or a white band couldn’t have a black guy in it. What happened was because of our proximity to all those great towns, all those great R&B artists from Chicago and Detroit came up to Canada. There was no color bar up here. Up here they played in all the finest clubs and were idolized. Those great R&B artists loved to go to England and to Canada because there was no racism here. The first time I heard Eric Clapton, I said this guy has been listening to Chicago Blues … well of course; all the black artists would go over and play in England and would develop a huge following there, everyone from The Beatles to the Stones were heavily influenced by the Black American artists.”

Ray Shasho: David, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?

David Clayton-Thomas: “I’ve been very lucky because I’ve already collaborated with everyone who I’d want to collaborate with … I would have loved to sit down and sing with Ray Charles, I did get to sing with Aretha Franklin on a number of different occasions and she’s another one of my idols. There are a few young bands … I saw a Bruno Mars show a couple of months ago and he kicks ass … that’s a serious old school R&B artist.”

Ray Shasho: David, thank you so much for being on the call today and for all the incredible music you’ve given us with Blood, Sweat & Tears and all the great music you continue to bring!

David Clayton-Thomas: “It’s been a pleasure talking with you Ray.”

Very special thanks to Anne Leighton PR *Media * Music Services * Motivation

Purchase David Clayton-Thomas’ latest releases … Soul Ballads, Combo and A Blues for the New World … (3) separate genres performed by the musical genius of David Clayton-Thomas, available  now at amazon.com.

            

Purchase Author David Clayton-Thomas’ memoir … 
Blood, Sweat & Tears at Amazon.com

David Clayton-Thomas Official Website

David Clayton-Thomas on Facebook

David Clayton-Thomas on Twitter

COMING UP … An interview with vocalist/author JOE BONSALL

of the legendary … ‘OAK RIDGE BOYS’ and guitar legend/singer/producer DAVE EDMUNDS (Rockpile).

Contact music journalist/author 
Ray Shasho  at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

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COMING SOON!

Ray’s important & exciting new book series …

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Engelbert Humperdinck Interview: 'The Internationally Renowned Singer Perpetually Astounds'

Engelbert with Elton John and Gene Simmons of KISS

By Ray Shasho

-Interviewed February 5th 2015

British entertainer Arnold George Dorsey (stage name Gerry Dorsey) had limited success as a singer, but in 1967 Engelbert Humperdinck became an overnight sensation and a household name worldwide. Humperdinck recorded one of the best-selling singles of all-time; a number-one hit song entitled “Release Me,” which thwarted The Beatles efforts of reaching the top of the charts with their double A-sided record, “Strawberry Fields Forever /Penny Lane.” “Release Me” held the number-one slot on the UK Pop charts for six weeks and remained on the charts for a record fifty-six consecutive weeks, selling 80,000 copies a day. Humperdinck superseded the success of “Release Me” with “There Goes My Everything” and “The Last Waltz,”sweeping the Top 40 Pop charts that same year.

Engelbert’s charisma, good looks and magnificent vocals mirrored performers such as Elvis Presley and Tom Jones, and it quickly became evident that a new singing sensation had conquered and charmed the music world. Humperdinck’s sex appeal captivated a huge female fanbase which became known as the Humperdinckers, and throughout the 70’s, Humperdinck sustained the hits on the Top 40 airwaves …

“Am I That Easy to Forget,” “A Man Without Love (Quando M’Innamoro),” “Les Bicyclettes de Belsize,” “The Way It Used To Be,” “I'm A Better Man (For Having Loved You),” “Winter World of Love,” “Sweetheart,”  ”When There’s No You,” and “Another Time, Another Place.”

Engelbert Humperdinck’s albums released throughout the 60’s and 70’s …

(1967) Release Me, The Last Waltz, (1968) Man Without Love,(1969) Engelbert, Engelbert Humperdinck, (1970) We Made It Happen,(1971)Sweetheart, Another Time, Another Place,(1972) Live At The Riviera, Las Vegas, In Time, (1973) Engelbert King of Hearts, My Love,(1974) Engelbert Humperdinck His Greatest Hits, The World of Engelbert Humperdinck,(1976) After The Lovin, (1977)Miracles, Christmas Tyme, Engelbert Sings For You, A Time For Us,(1978) Last Of The Romantics, Love Letters,(1979) This Moment In Time, 
Engelbert Sings the Hits.

Humperdinck relentlessly toured the world in front of adoring sold-out audiences and became a hot commodity and mainstay attraction on the Las Vegas and Atlantic City Strips. When he wasn’t on the road, he’d be in the recording studio generating the hits. His last major Pop hit on the Top 40 charts came in 1976 with the brilliant and graceful “After The Lovin’” composed by Ritchie Adams and written by Alan Bernstein. In 1979, Humperdinck spawned his fourth number-one hit on the Easy Listening charts in the U.S. with yet another Adams/ Bernstein composition entitled “This Moment In Time.” In 1983, Engelbert released his last charted single“Til You and Your Lover Are Lovers Again.”

In 1999, Humperdinck released The Dance Album which featured newly recorded dance versions of six of Engelbert's greatest hits, along with five original songs. The album landed in the Top Ten on the Billboard Dance charts.

Most Recently: Engelbert Humperdinck released his highly anticipated and critically-acclaimed double-CD entitled… “Engelbert Calling” which features incredible duets with some of the world’s most recognized names in music … including Elton John, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Gene Simmons, and many-more. The album is released by OK! Good Records, and  produced by Grammy Award-winner Martin Terefe, who is well-known for his work with Jason Mraz, James Morrison, KT Tunstall, and Mary J Blige. 

… I gave “Engelbert Calling” by Engelbert Humperdinck (5) Stars!

Engelbert Humperdinck’s career has spanned nearly five decades. He’s sold more than 150- million albums world-wide, including 24 certified with platinum status and 63 with gold, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe for “Entertainer of the Year” (1988), and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Engelbert has solidified his name as an international Pop legend and has established himself as one of the world’s most influential artists.

At 78, Humperdinck continues to tour the world and record in the studio, and like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better. Engelbert is happily married to Patricia, his wife of 50 years. The couple has 4 children and 9 grandchildren. He’s managed by his son Scott Dorsey/Dorsey Productions.

I had the wonderful pleasure of chatting with one of my favorite singers about his critically-acclaimed release … ‘Engelbert Calling’ …Engelbert’s follow-up release upcoming ... The current world tour …The early days… ‘The Humperdinckers’ … Befriending ‘Elvis’ …And Much-Much More!

Here’s my interview with internationally renowned singer, songwriter, entertainer, a true gentleman and nice guy...
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK.

Ray Shasho: Engelbert, thank you so much for being on the call today, how’s the tour coming along?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “It’s going great; I’ve only done about ten concerts so far this year, but it’s going wonderful. I start again next week, the people are loving what I’m giving them and I’m very happy about that, I keep changing the show as I go along. But the actual show has been tried and tested in every country around the world, all my standards I’ve chosen that people want to hear, I keep them in the show. And of course now I’ve got a new album out ‘Engelbert Calling’ which I sing four songs from that particular album.”

Ray Shasho: I heard you are going to do a follow-up album to ‘Engelbert Calling’ entitled ‘Redialed,’ is that a working title or will it actually be used for the next album? 

Engelbert Humperdinck: “No, that’s what we said, so that’s what it will be. It’s an obvious title really.”

Ray Shasho: I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Engelbert Calling,’ but I always pick favorites, and I have to say “I Need You Now” with Lulu and “After the Lovin'” with Beverley Knight were my absolute favorite tracks.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Thank you! I love singing with them all, Wynonna Judd was great with my big song (“Release Me”) and she did a great job with that. I didn’t get to go in the studio with her but I did speak on the phone with her and we actually rehearsed online from my house. So yea, it was amazing. And she was just delighted to do the number. She said I just might put this out as a single, and of course I said oh great!”

Ray Shasho: Engelbert was there a certain process for selecting these particular artists for the album?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “My son Scott is managing me and he has a good idea of what people expect out of me as an artist. There’s a contemporary song on the album written by Dan Wilson, Martin Terefe and James Morrison called “Real Love,” and Shelby Lynne did a great job on that one. I also know a lot of these people; Neil Sedaka’s “The Hungry Years” has always been a massive favorite of mine because I think it’s one of the best songs he’s ever written. Many years ago after my After The Lovin’ album, I recorded it and rereleased it with Neil singing with me on it, and just a marvelous piece for posterity.”

Ray Shasho: I noticed several of your duets were with some of the artists that shared billboard rankings with you in 1967 … for instance Lulu and Dionne Warwick.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “In 1967, Lulu was on a show called ‘Juke Box Jury’ and was part of a panel of four. And she was the only one that voted “Release Me” a hit. So I thought to myself, one of these days, I’ll have to have her sing with me on an album, and here was my opportunity. So she was the only one that was right that it would become a hit, and it did become a hit all around the world (All laughing).”

Ray Shasho: The most surprising duet on the album has to be the one you did with Gene Simmons of KISS, he must be a big fan of yours.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “I love him to death! It was really something special. He took the trouble of coming to the studio, instead of saying, send it to my home and I’ll complete it at my studio. He never did that. He said I’ll come and do it with you. He came in and was so humorous and pleasing, not only is he a great businessman but has a great personality and persona. He was good to me and promoted my album in many ways, on his website, and I’m really grateful to him. He’s a wonderful man. He came to see me in concert right after.”  

Ray Shasho: You and Gene picked a great song to sing too, “Spinning Wheel” which was written by David Clayton-Thomas and became a huge hit for Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Gene said to me, just relax, enjoy it and have fun with it, and that’s what we did. And I think that’s what comes out in the album. He’s a lot of fun; I can still see that smile on his face.” 

Ray Shasho: Your first single … "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" in 1958 as Gerry Dorsey, was a great tune, why didn’t it do very well?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Actually my first single was called “Mr. Music Man.” I really think I wanted to be known as Mr. Music Man, but that wasn’t a hit either, and the great Johnnie Ray wrote that song for me. So “Mr. Music Man” and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" were not hits, I had to wait till I changed my name until I had a hit.”

Ray Shasho: Then in 1967 you dominated the airwaves! I remember everyone talking about a new charismatic singer with a terrific voice and funny name.

Engelbert Humperdinck:  “I had number one, two, and three on the charts. “Release Me” was the only song that knocked The Beatles out of the #1 slot from on top of the UK record charts. It was the biggest single that I ever had and sold millions.”

Ray Shasho:  Engelbert you’ve also written some of your own material through the years? 

Engelbert Humperdinck:  “I’ve written a lot of songs that I have recorded too. I wrote one that was a #4 hit for Tom Jones in the early years called “This and That,” and a matter of fact; I put that song back in my show and do it myself now.”

Ray Shasho: “When did you first meet Tom Jones?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “I met him before he became a star.  He was a friend of a friend who lived in Wales. He brought Jones to London and introduced him to my friend Gordon Mills who wasn’t my manager then. He became manager to Tom Jones and to me. And that’s how the meeting began. Of course we were in a company together at one time back in the early days, there was Gilbert O’Sullivan, Tom Jones, Gordon Mills and myself, and we had this massive company that was very successful. Gordon Mills passed away many years ago and I had to change managers quite a bit, but the one who I think is particularly doing the best job is my son Scott who is doing it right now. I haven’t talked with Tom Jones for about 28 years.”

Ray Shasho: It was Gordon Mills that was responsible for changing your name from Arnold George Dorsey to Engelbert Humperdinck?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “He gave me, Tom Jones, and Gilbert O’Sullivan our names. So he was responsible for the three of us changing our names.”

Ray Shasho: What was your initial reaction when Gordon Mills asked you to change your name to Engelbert Humperdinck?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “I thought it was a group, it was so great, I thought, where did they find this name? But it’s very recognizable and people love it.”

Ray Shasho: I understand that you couldn’t use the name Engelbert Humperdinck while performing in Germany, is that still true today?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “The name belonged to the German composer who wrote the opera ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and passed away in 1921, and his family objected to me having the name Humperdinck in Germany, so therefore I went under the name Engelbert. Now it’s all over and I can use the name Engelbert Humperdinck in Germany because the family has passed on.”

Ray Shasho: Frank Sinatra’s big hit “Strangers In The Night” was initially offered to you by composer Bert Kaempfert.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Strangers In The Night,”  “Spanish Eyes,” and “Wonderland by Night.” I went to Bert Kaempfert’s house in Spain and he played it to me on the piano personally and sang the songs. I told him that I loved those songs. So I brought them back to London and recorded all three, and then Gordon said you can’t have “Strangers In The Night.”  I said why not, it’s a number-one song … I promise you. He said you can’t have it, Sinatra wants it. I think there was a large money figure involved so that’s why he gave it to him. That’s show business … managers, agents … where the dollars are, they go.”

Ray Shasho:  There’s no doubt in my mind that you would have nailed that song!

Engelbert Humperdinck: “You should have heard my version, it was amazing! I’ve been looking for that version on Decca Records because I recorded it, and then suddenly it’s buried somewhere and I cannot find it again. But it was an incredible version, and I know it would have been number-one.”

Ray Shasho: Were you inspired to become a singer by listening to anyone in particular?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “When I first started in the industry, I wasn’t going to be a singer Ray; I wanted to become a musician, so I really didn’t listen to too many people or tried to get inspired by them because I wanted to become a Sax player. Eventually when I did start singing, I think Nat King Cole was one of my favorites. When I was eighteen years old I went into the service and was shipped to the same place with someone who I befriended later in life, and that was Elvis Presley. Elvis was shipped to Germany and I was in Germany at the same time. I used to play his songs on the jukebox in the canteen and little did I know that I would become friends with him. I did love the way he performed and saw him work onstage, I admired and learned so much from this master. He had humility and charm and he never took himself seriously onstage, his image, and I learned all this from him. Because there are a lot of people who seem to think they’re the cats whiskers when they walk onstage, and he and his giant image didn’t show that at all. He was just a great guy and I learned from him a lot. But I told him the story about being in the army at the same time … he was a big star and I was a nobody! (All laughing) Elvis was a marvelous man.”

Ray Shasho: I heard somewhere … Elvis felt that if his twin brother(Jesse Garon) had survived, he would have looked much like you, and that’s one of the reasons he liked you so much.   

Engelbert Humperdinck: “There was a guy that did a story on him and went over and asked people who were closest with Elvis and whom he admired in the industry, and he said he liked me because I reminded him of the twin brother he lost at birth. He considered me the twin brother he lost at birth. I thought what a great complement.”

Ray Shasho: You guys did look alike with those muttonchops.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Yea, well I started it you know. (All laughing) I brought it to America and people like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope used to make comments like … Engelbert always looks like he’s on the phone … because my muttonchops were so thick. (All laughing)”

Ray Shasho: Engelbert, you must have some great stories about frenzied female fans.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “There are many of those, fans used to get jobs in hotels so they could bring room service to my room, (Laughing) that’s the type of thing that used to happen to me in the early days. I even used to find people in my room when I got there. It was amazing; they were hiding in cupboards and things like that. They would bribe the staff and got in somehow. People have also camped outside my house in their cars and would sit out there for days and days.”

Ray Shasho:  “Was your wife Patricia jealous about your diehard women fans called the Humperdinckers?”

Engelbert Humperdinck: “There was a little bit of jealousy, which I think was sort of natural when you see your husband surrounded by lovely ladies, kissing you all over the place, putting lipstick on you, writing love messages, throwing keys and bouquets of flowers onstage with all kinds of risqué messages … I should imagine that it would lend itself to a little bit of jealousy, but she overcame all that. And here I am still going strong and still getting the messages and bouquets of flowers when I go onstage.”

Ray Shasho: Engelbert, you have been married to Patricia Dorsey for over 50 years, that alone is a tremendous feat.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “It is a tremendous feat. People always ask me what’s my favorite song, and besides “Release Me,” I have to say that Nat King Coles’ “When I Fall in Love” is my favorite song. That was the first single that I did for my girlfriend, the girl I was dating, who happens to me my wife right now.”

Ray Shasho: “So what is the secret to a long and happy marriage?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Patricia has been the backbone of my career because she’s stood by me under certain circumstances, mistakes are made and I made a few, she forgave me for those and we still love each other very much and I hope it goes on forever.”

Ray Shasho: “When I was working in broadcasting as a deejay in 1979, I loved playing “This Moment in Time” (#1 hit in 1979) over the airwaves.

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Here’s the story about “This Moment in Time.” It was written by two gentlemen, Richard Adams and Alan Bernstein, and they also wrote “After the Lovin.’” Alan Bernstein was in the hospital and he had cancer. He wrote the lyrics to “This Moment in Time” while he was in the hospital and you can hear what he is trying to say … “I know the sun is gonna shine … because of you and me … there’ll be this moment in time.” It’s an amazing and heartrending lyric to someone who knows the story. I visited him in the hospital; a very talented writer had left this world.”

Ray Shasho:  The ‘Peace Collective’ is an all-star group of music artists that banned together to record a single and music video to mark the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Day truce in the trenches (1914) …  To quote Simon Britton, “A spontaneous act of humanity that transcended the horrors and barbarity of World War One. It is a story of hope and peace which should be told over and over again.” The single was released on December 15th 2014, and all profits from the song go to the British Red Cross and the Shorncliffe Trust. Engelbert talk about being a member of the ‘Peace Collective.’

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Isn’t that something? I was asked by Simon Britton who is the producer … he was actually coming to LA to see my show and he asked me to do it. There were so many great artists participating. 100 years ago on December 24th, during the First World War, there was peace for one day. The Germans were singing “Silent Night” in their trenches and the Brits were singing “Silent Night” in their trenches, and all of a sudden they both put their hands up and they all came out and shook hands. They greeted each other, exchanged presents, sang together, and played football (soccer) together. Afterwards, they both went back into their trenches and went back to war again. It sort of tells you something… that we really don’t want to kill each other, it’s all political."  

"But that’s what inspired the song written by Peter Hooton (The Farm) which was a hit (“All Together Now”) in 1990. “The re-released single features an all-star cast including …Suggs, Mick Jones, David Gray, Julian Lennon, The Proclaimers, members of The Farm, Gabrielle, Jah Wobble, Leo Sayer, John Power, Suzi Quatro, Holly Johnson, and my amazing daughter Louise was on it.”

Ray Shasho: Here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?

Engelbert Humperdinck: “It would have to be the people that I’ve admired …Nat King Cole, Elvis … if Elvis was alive today, he would’ve been on my album. The sideburns would have been together… we would have been bookends. (All laughing)”

Ray Shasho:  You’re selling a line of jewelry?  (Released on Valentine’s Day) Available at www.ehcalling.com

Engelbert Humperdinck: “It’s a musical note called the harmony pendant and sold through the Zalemark Holding Company. Soon other pieces will be publicized and promoted on television. I’m a hands-on person and designed all the jewelry myself. I’m hoping people will enjoy my jewelry. Since this album, people have been getting in touch with me to promote clothing lines, beer, wine, and all kinds of things, so I’ll be endorsing a lot of products in the near future.”

Ray Shasho: Engelbert, thank you so much for being on the call today and for all the incredible music you’ve given us and continue to bring!

Engelbert Humperdinck: “Ray, happy anniversary to you and Sharon, God bless you, stay well, and keep that marriage together!”

Engelbert Humperdinck Official Website

Engelbert Humperdinck on Tour

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Purchase Engelbert’s Jewelry at www.ehcalling.com  -Iconic jewelry to celebrate the release of Engelbert Humperdinck's latest album. The collection consists of three main pieces, including a pendant, lapel pin and necklaces. All pieces are available in a variety of styles made of silver, white or yellow gold, as well as a variety of stones from sapphires to diamonds.

Very Special thanks to Jessica Seggman of Miller PR

Purchase Engelbert Humperdinck’s highly anticipated and critically-acclaimed double-CD entitled… “Engelbert Calling” 
featuring duets with some of the world’s most recognized names in music, including Elton John, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Gene Simmons, and many-more. 
The album is released by OK! Good Records, and produced by Grammy Award-winner Martin Terefe, who is well-known for his work with Jason Mraz, James Morrison, KT Tunstall, and Mary J Blige.

–Available NOW on amazon.com  

…  (5) Stars all the way!

‘ENGELBERT CALLING’

 Track Listing …

CD1

“Something About The Way You Look Tonight” with Elton John
“Since I Lost My Baby” with Cliff Richard
“Never Never Never” with Olivia Newton-John
“Spanish Eyes” with Il Divo
“Make You Feel My Love” with Willie Nelson
“Spinning Wheel” with Gene Simmons
“I Need You Now” with Lulu
“You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” with Smokey Robinson
“Real Love” with Shelby Lynne
“She Believes In Me” with Kenny Rogers
“Better” with Louise Dorsey

CD2

“Ain’t That Peculiar” with Andrea Corr
“A Certain Smile” with Johnny Mathis
“Kiss Me Honey” with Tini
“The Hungry Years” with Neil Sedaka
“It Matters To Me” with Dionne Warwick
“She” with Charles Aznavour
“Release Me” with Wynonna Judd
“It’s Impossible/Somos Novios” with Armando Manzanero
“Quien Te Dijo Eso” with Luis Fonsi
“After The Lovin’” with Beverley Knight
“Something To Hold On To:” with Ron Sexsmith
“Father And Son” with Bradley Dorsey

COMING UP NEXT…

David Clayton-Thomas the legendary voice

of ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears.’

Contact music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

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