Engelbert Humperdinck once stopped a Beatles song from hitting No. 1. That was 40 years ago, and he's still performing.

"It has been a wonderful journey, and I hope it never ends," he says.

Humperdinck - the name comes from a 19th-century composer, chosen by a long-ago manager to make the singer Gerry Dorsey stand out from other acts - saw his first big hit, "Release Me," hit the charts in 1967 (beating out the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever"). He went on to become one of the hardest-working people in show business, doing two shows a night 300 nights a year at the height of his career in the '70s.

His popularity - particularly with female fans, who even today have been known to throw their bras and panties at the stage - won him the title of "King of Romance." (For the record, he does not encourage the lingerie-tossing: "It's such a waste. None of them fit me!" he tells interviewers.)

So with Valentine's Day on the way, Eons asked him about romance after 50.

"I think it gets better, because you've already been through the learning stages. When you're over 50, you're really professional. It only gets better. You've done your apprenticeship."

He should know - he and his wife Patricia have been together for 42 years, a marriage he describes as "not always easy, but it's been wonderful."

His advice for keeping a relationship together?

"When you're in love, it should be a bond that should never be broken... Talk about things and get it sorted out. An argument is like a problem, and a problem is not a big problem if it's shared."

To help one of his favorite charities, the Global Fund for AIDS, he donated a personalized Valentine bouquet.

"Every day of my life is a romantic day. I enjoy what I'm doing. When I walk on stage, when I walk on the street, I try to treat people with love and respect."

Still in demand

"Most people at the age of 70 have decided to take world cruises and play golf and enjoy a sit-down life, but I can't do that," he says. "My whole life is really based on walking on stage. And when I don't do that, then something's wrong. It's not about earning money. It's about enjoying life. And enjoying life to me is about entertaining and singing."

His forthcoming CD - his 77th album - is titled "The Best of the Brits," and features songs from the great British tradition of pop music, from the early 20th century up to rising young star James Blunt. It will be out in March.

He's also planning a tour, much anticipated by his fans.

"I have meetings with my agents and my manager and I say, 'Listen, I want to get in as many dates around the world as I can, because this is a very big celebration year. I don't know if I'll be doing that 10 years from now.' So we're trying to have a global celebration," he says.

Many of the questions that Eons members posted for him were about tour dates, and whether Humperdinck would be performing in their parts of the U.S. or world.

"I'm thrilled that people are wanting me to get to their part of the world and give them a show. Unless I clone myself, it's going to be very difficult to get to all these places!"

Questions from Eons fans

While we caught up with Humperdinck's current work, we also asked some questions from his fans on Eons. Here are his answers:

Will you ever be on "Dancing with the Stars"? - Mary Ann, New York

"Only if I'm singing. I'm a fan of that program, I really am, I enjoy watching it and being a home judge. If I have to sing for the people who are dancing, fine but as for dancing, I'm not that qualified."

Are you going to be doing another DVD? - Wendy, Arizona

"Maybe at the end of this year there might be a new DVD in the making. I hope it's going to be in Hawaii."

I used to sing your song, "Yellow Moon" to my children and now I sing it to my grandchildren. What songs did you sing to your children when they were young? - Cindy, Pennsylvania

"I used to sing lullabies, 'Lullaby and good night,' do you know that one?" (Here, Humperdinck treated Eons to a few bars of singing!) "If I didn't know the words I la-la'ed it."

I have always wondered whether you have been satisfied with all the choices you have made regarding your career, or has there been some one thing, that you would have liked to accomplish and have yet to achieve? - Adrienne, New York

"I've accomplished most things in my life. Only recently I've found out that I used to get scripts from Hollywood and they were all dumped [by a previous management team] because they didn't want me to be in the studio for six months.

"Most singers do make very good actors. When you're on stage and you change your emotions every three minutes or four minutes, it's a very difficult job.

"I don't mind playing any kind of role. First and foremost I'd like to play something outside of the musical field, like a gangster role or something like that."

Who sings to you? What is in your CD player? - Fannie, Pennsylvania

"I get all kinds of music. It's amazing who you can learn from, even from the person who's just got his first CD on the market. Because of the new project that I have, I've been listening to James Blunt. He's a very good writer, I like his music very much and the stories he tells are very real. I think (Michael) Buble's doing a very good job, it's nice. And I watch a lot of 'American Idol'!

How did you develop your voice and keep it over the years? - North Carolina

"To be honest with you, I was not going to be a singer. I found my voice at the age of 17. I think I just got lucky. I wanted to be a musician more than a singer. As far as the velvet tones are concerned and things like that, it didn't really find its true level until I was in my mid-20s. I'm very lucky - even at my age, people keep saying to me that I don't sound my age." (It's true. He doesn't.)

Can we ever expect to see an entire country album released by you? - Dorothy, New York

"That's strange, we'd been just talking about that with the producer. My very first hit was a country song, and I might be doing that as my next project."