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Engelbert Humperdinck is reflecting on the dark side of trying to make it in the music industry, claiming he was repeatedly subjected to unwanted advances from talent agents early in his career.
During a recent episode of “The Engelbert Humperdinck Show,” the 90-year-old British singer opened up about the struggles he faced while pursuing a music career in his early 20s.
Humperdinck recalled that he began traveling from his hometown of Leicester, England, to London in the late 1950s in hopes of establishing himself as a singer. He said that at the time, his older sister was able to give him just enough money to spend one night in a hotel while he visited talent agents.
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He revealed that seeking representation proved to be a “very difficult task” because many of the agents instead pursued him personally.
“In those days, you know, a lot of the agencies were…the men that fancied men,” he said. “I had to go through a lot because I got chased a lot by agents.”
Engelbert Humperdinck revealed that he faced the “casting couch” while trying to break into the 1950s London music industry. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“I was true to myself then,” Humperdinck continued. “And I avoided all that, but I went through hell with that sort of thing.”
Humperdinck described the experience as refusing to participate in the industry’s “casting couch.”
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“Casting couch, it’s called the casting couch, right?” he said.”Not in a Hollywood way, but in an agent’s way, you know.”
Humperdinck said that talent agents repeatedly made unwanted advances toward him. (Bettmann Archive)
“Every agent I went to was the same thing,” Humperdinck added.
“Except I did find one guy that helped me out,” he said. “He was a married man.”
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Humperdinck identified that agent as Sydney Myers, who invited the aspiring singer to stay at his apartment in London’s Maida Vale neighborhood for six months while introducing him to the industry. He remembered that Myers helped cover some of his other living expenses and the agent’s wife also welcomed him into their home.
“She treated me very well. I ate very well during that six months, you know,” Humperdinck recalled.
“And he was a meticulous man,” he added of Myers. “I liked him very much.”
The singer said talent agent Sydney Myers, who was married, was the exception. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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Myers later helped Humperdinck land a 42-week stint on the British music variety series “Song Parade,” where he performed under his birth name Gerry Dorsey before adopting the stage name Engelbert Humperdinck. The singer said the television exposure helped establish him as a household name and led to more work.
Humperdinck and his late wife Patricia were married for 56 years until her death in 2021. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Throughout his early struggles, Humperdinck was supported by his longtime girlfriend, Patricia, who would later become his wife and whom he has credited with encouraging him to pursue his music career before he found fame.
Humperdinck first met Patricia at a Leicester dance hall in 1956, shortly after returning from military service. The couple dated for seven years before marrying in 1964, three years before his breakthrough hit “Release Me” made him an international star.
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The pair, who shared four children, remained together for 56 years until her death in 2021.