It's 50 years since singer Engelbert Humperdinck's hit Release Me kept The Beatles from the number one spot in the UK singles charts with Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, but the veteran singer has no plans to retire.
Speaking to The Belfast Telegraph, the singer said "It really was a stunning record that took me all over the world and gave me a global career immediately and stopped The Beatles from having their 13th number one, which was rather unique,"
"I'm a big Beatles fan, but they were real gentlemen and they never mentioned it. I talked with Paul and Ringo and they never brought it up."
Englebert's cover of American country song Release Me became a huge hit in 1967 after he was asked to stand in for an ill Dickie Valentine on the TV programme Sunday Night At The London Palladium
Soon after his appearance, the song reached number one and remained at the top of the charts for six weeks. It was the biggest-selling single of the year in the UK and was also a huge hit in Ireland.
"It was an amazing feeling because Release Me wasn't a hit immediately. It took about three months and then I did Sunday Night at the London Palladium and the next day it started selling like 80,000 a day, 90,000 the next day and it went up to 127,000 a day, which is unheard of, and every day I would call to ask, 'How many did we do today?'
The singer is understandably chuffed about the release of Engelbert Humperdinck: 50 and The Complete Decca Studio Albums. However, the man who was born Arnold George Dorsey in India in 1936, has no plans to retire.
In fact he does about 80 concerts a year. "I love what I do. I don't know where my energy comes from, but I don't believe in having things done. I'm growing old gracefully."
