India-born pop veteran Engelbert Humperdinck, dubbed the “King of Romance'', will represent the United Kingdom in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 26, the BBC announced on Friday prompting a mixture of delight, surprise — and hope that after 15 years Britain might finally be able to pull off a win.
At 75, Humperdinck whose real name is Arnold George Dorsey and who last had a top 20 hit in 1972, will be Britain's oldest contestant ever at Eurovision competing, among others, with Jedward, the young Irish hip-hop duo.
“It's an honour. I'm raring to go and I want the nation to get behind me,” said the famously “side-burned'' star of pop and affectionately known as “The Hump''.
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The BBC said it was “delighted'' with the choice.
“Not since the 70s have we had such an established international musical legend represent the nation. We couldn't be more delighted. Engelbert's experience leaves us in no doubt that he will be able to deliver a standout performance in front of 120 million viewers worldwide,” said BBC head of entertainment and events, Katie Taylor.
Derek McClean, BBC's creative director of entertainment, said Engelbert had “an incredible musical history and heritage, especially in the UK and Europe”.
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Engelbert, an Anglo-Indian, was born in 1936 in what was then Madras. His father, Mervyn Dorsey, was a British army officer and mother, Olive ,of Indian heritage. His family moved to Leicester when he was 10 and within a few years he had become popular locally for playing saxophone.
His imitation of Jerry Lewis earned him the nickname “Gerry Dorsey”.
A contemporary of The Beatles, Elvis, and Jimi Hendrix, Engelbert has sold more than 150 million records worldwide and won a string of awards. He was last in the Top Ten in the late 1960s with ballads like Release Me and The Last Waltz but remains a crowd-puller and tours regularly. He has an album out this year.
He will sing a song to be written by Grammy winner Martin Terefe and Ivor Novello-winning Sacha Skarbek.
Britain last won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997.