THERE is no doubt that Engelbert Humperdinck is a tricky man to get hold of.

The first interview is abandoned after the internationally- famous crooner with the ridiculous name runs into a traffic jam on the M1 outside Luton. When I finally track him down he's in the more becoming surroundings of a top Michigan Hotel - although it's slightly unsettling for a man who soundtracks the stereotypical lounge lizard the world over to inform me that he's still in bed.

Well, he probably deserves the rest. The man born in Leicestershire as Tommy Dorsey has now been serenading the world's concert halls for almost 40 years, and brings the melodramatic brand of balladeering he made his trademark to the Bournemouth International Centre tomorrow.

Humperdinck personified a new generation of crooners, rising to fame in the mid-Sixties after the initial shock of rock 'n' roll was wearing off and the older generation began to look once again to their own stars.

Indeed his reputation, sealed by 1967 chart-topping hit Release Me, was as much secured with the record that he kept off the number one spot - The Beatles' revolutionary double A-side Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever. Fab Four fans have never forgotten the supposed injustice - and neither has Humperdinck, who cheekily includes a cover of Penny Lane on his new album.

"Personally I liked the song, and Universal said 'Why not - it's a great selling point.' But at the time The Beatles just chalked up number one after number one, so I simply didn't imagine that I would beat them."

This kind of light-heartedness hasn't always worked entirely in Humperdinck's favour, with his last record an ill-advised attempt at setting some of his hits to dance beats. Suffice to say it didn't work, so his new record sees him returning to more familiar territory. "I try and do a record regularly and keep touring, so while the audiences keep coming I'll keep singing," he says.

The concert is Humperdinck's first in Bournemouth for almost ten years. A transatlantic lifestyle, marital and parental complications have conspired to keep him away from England, but he still intends to return to his native Leicestershire one day. Whether he chooses to return as Engelbert, or plain old Tommy, only time will tell.