Engelbert Humperdinck, the British singer, recently shared a surprising event from his time in the British Army during a broadcast of The Engelbert Humperdinck Show. At the age of 90, Humperdinck reflected on how a simple shoelace impacted his life.
Humperdinck enlisted in the army in 1954, starting his service at the age of 18. He hoped to be stationed in Cyprus to join a friend, but circumstances led him elsewhere. He described the selection process where soldiers were formed into ranks of three and then counted by the adjutant and sergeant major. Each group was assigned to different destinations like Cyprus, Germany, or Belgium.
“The way they choose people and when you’re in training, you form a rank of threes, and the adjutant goes around with the sergeant major, and he counts out 24 people.”
During the assignment lineup, Humperdinck discovered his shoelace was undone, causing a brief delay as he fixed it. This minor pause affected his position in the lineup. As counting resumed, he narrowly missed being assigned to Cyprus by one person, ending up in Germany.
He later learned that those sent to Cyprus faced tragic circumstances, as many did not survive due to an ambush en route to Nicosia. Humperdinck expressed gratitude, believing he was saved from danger by the slight adjustment he made due to his shoelace.
His service in Mulheim, Germany was memorable, lasting an interesting couple of years. Upon returning to civilian life, Humperdinck achieved breakthrough success in the music industry in 1967 with his hit song, Release Me, which topped the charts in the UK.
Engelbert Humperdinck, born Arnold George Dorsey, boasts an impressive career with over 140 million records sold globally. His achievements include four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe Award for ‘Entertainer of the Year,’ and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Reflecting on his career, Humperdinck noted the challenge of sustaining long-term success. During a Billboard interview in June 2017, he emphasized the importance of releasing lasting material. Over his career, he has sold over 150 million records, citing music as his passport to the world.