Chris Norman

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Chris Norman

| image = Chris Norman 2020.jpg

| caption = Norman in 2020

| landscape = yes

| birth_name = Christopher Ward Norman

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1950|10|25}}

| birth_place = Redcar, North Yorkshire, England

| genre = {{hlist|Soft rock|glam rock}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|keyboards}}

| years_active = 1964–present

| label = {{hlist|BMG|Edel}}

| past_member_of = {{hlist|Smokie|Chris Norman Band}}

| website = {{URL|www.chris-norman.co.uk}}

}}

Christopher Ward Norman (born 25 October 1950) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the original lead singer of the English rock band Smokie{{cite book|last=Kohn|first=Michael|title=Dateline Mongolia: An American Journalist in Nomad's Land|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-UnWOmL1a48C&pg=PA87|access-date=7 August 2011|date=January 2006|publisher=RDR Books|isbn=978-1-57143-155-4|pages=87–}} (1964–1986), which found success in Europe in the 1970s. "Stumblin' In", a 1978 duet with Suzi Quatro, became a big hit in the United States and Europe. The single "Midnight Lady" also became an international hit. In the 1990-2000s, he toured the countries of Eastern Europe; he is most popular in the Baltic countries.{{Cite web |title=World premiere in Riga: legendary Chris Norman will present his new album |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/world_premiere_in_riga__legendary_chris_norman_will_present_his_new_album__junction_55_/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Baltictimes.com}}

Life and career

File:Chris Norman, inglise laulja Tallinnas 95.jpg, Estonia, in 1995]]

Norman acquired his first guitar at the age of seven. His early musical influences were Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Otis Redding, and Lonnie Donegan.{{Cite web |title=Interview with CHRIS NORMAN |url=https://dmme.net/interviews/norman |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=DMME.net |language=en-US}}

In these early years, Norman's parents moved around the country a lot, which resulted in him going to nine different schools, and living in various locations around England, such as Redcar, Luton, Kimpton, and Nottingham. By 1962, however, the family had moved back to Norman's mother's home city of Bradford. Approaching his 12th birthday, Norman started at St. Bede's Grammar School, where he met Alan Silson and Terry Uttley, future members of Smokie. As teenagers, influenced by the new era of groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and then folk singer, Bob Dylan, Norman and Silson began meeting up and spent nearly all their spare time learning new songs on their guitars.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-01-11 |title=Interview with Chris Norman {{!}} The original voice of Smokie |url=https://www.blackvelvetradio.gr/index.php/synentefkseis/512-interview-with-chris-norman-the-original-voice-of-smokie |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=blackvelvetradio.gr |language=en-gb}} They managed to persuade Uttley to join them and, along with a drummer friend called Ron Kelly, they formed their first band. The Yen, Essence, and Long Side Down were just some of a variety of names they called themselves before settling on "The Elizabethans". When Ron Kelly left the group in 1973, an old friend called Pete Spencer was asked to take over on the drums, and the group, which was to become Smokie, was complete. In 1970, Norman married his wife, Linda, and they have five children together. Since 1986, they have resided on the Isle of Man.{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Susan |title=Official Chris Norman Fanclub - Private |url=https://www.chrisnorman-fc.com/home-english/biographie/private/ |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=Chrisnorman-fc.com |language=de}}

Between 1974 and the early 1980s, Smokie enjoyed success touring all over the world, but the strain and pressure of constantly being away from home and family was beginning to tell on Norman. By the early 1980s, he decided to spend more time writing and working in the studio. Norman and Spencer then worked together on songs for other artists including hits for Kevin Keegan ("Head Over Heels in Love", a number-31 UK hit),{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 297}} and the England football team song "This Time (We'll Get It Right)".{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/England-World-Cup-Squad-This-Time-Well-Get-It-Right-England-Well-Fly-The-Flag/release/962888 |title=The England World Cup Squad - This Time (We'll Get It Right) / England, We'll Fly The Flag (Vinyl) |website=Discogs.com |year=1982 |access-date=26 January 2016}} He also worked with Agnetha Fältskog (on her solo album), Racey (co-writer of "Baby It's You"),{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Racey-Baby-Its-You/release/2493679 |title=Racey - Baby It's You (Vinyl) |website=Discogs.com |date=June 1978 |access-date=26 January 2016}} Donovan (backing vocals on Donovan),{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/donovan-mw0000204444/credits |title=Donovan - Donovan|publisher=AllMusic |access-date=26 January 2016}} and Heavy Metal Kids.

In 1978, Norman recorded a duet with Suzi Quatro, "Stumblin' In", which made number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sold over one million copies.{{cite book

| first= Martin C.

| last= Strong

| year= 2000

| title= The Great Rock Discography

| edition= 5th

| publisher= Mojo Books

| location= Edinburgh

| pages= 785–786

| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 444}}

Norman's solo career took off in 1986 with the song, "Midnight Lady", which was a hit throughout Europe, holding the number-one spot in Germany for six weeks (where it sold 900,000 copies).{{cite web |url=http://ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~topsi/deu1986/deu_may86.html |title=INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20 |publisher=Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326141436/http://ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~topsi/deu1986/deu_may86.html |url-status=dead }} Further success followed by the songs "Some Hearts Are Diamonds", "No Arms Can Ever Hold You", "Broken Heroes", "Fearless Hearts", "Sarah", and "Baby I Miss You".{{cite web|first=Jason |last=Birchmeier |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-norman-mn0000754804/biography |title=Chris Norman | Biography & History |publisher=AllMusic |date=25 October 1950 |access-date=26 January 2016}} In 1994, Norman was honoured by CMT Europe as their International Video Star of the Year. In 2004, he took part in the Comeback Show on the German TV station ProSieben, and he performed "Stumblin' In" as a duet with C. C. Catch. In the final episode of the show, he was joined by Smokie for the final song.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr8xQ3hv_6s |title=CC Catch & Chris Norman - Stumblin In (Comebackshow 2004) |date=2022-07-02 |last=OfficialCCCatchtube |access-date=2024-08-05 |via=YouTube}}

On 2 June 2007, Norman performed at the Peel Bay Festival, Isle of Man.[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-183080654.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073254/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-183080654.html|date=11 June 2014}}

In July 2017, he performed at the Rendezvous music festival in Jūrmala.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-13 |title=Победитель Евровидения Сальвадор Собрал выступит на фестивале "Laima Rendezvous Jūrmala" |url=https://www.titanium.lv/pobeditel-evrovideniya-salvador-sobral-vystupit-na-festivale-laima-rendezvous-jurmala/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=TiTANIUM - International lifestyle magazine |language=ru-RU}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO9183GibO4 |title=Chris Norman - Gypsy Queen (Laima Rendez Vous Jūrmala 21.07.2017) |date=2017-08-16 |last=Laima Rendezvous Jūrmala |access-date=2024-08-05 |via=YouTube}}

In 2019, he was the headliner of the White Nights music festival in St. Petersburg, the festival was a tribute to the 50-year career of Alla Pugacheva. Also headlining were Level 42, Bonnie Tyler, and Svetlana Loboda,{{Cite web |date=2019-07-16 |title=Бонни Тайлер, Крис Норман и Лобода: как звёзды "зажгли" на "Белых ночах Петербурга" |url=https://www.metronews.ru/novosti/peterbourg/reviews/bonni-tayler-kris-norman-i-loboda-kak-zvezdy-zazhgli-na-belyh-nochah-peterburga-1565476/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=metronews.ru |language=ru}}{{Cite web |title=Светлана Лобода, Григорий Лепс и Тимати на фестивале «Белые ночи» Санкт-Петербурга |url=https://lisa.ru/zvezdy/567642-svetlana-loboda-grigorij-leps-i-maksim-galkin-na-festivale-belye-nochi-sankt-peterburga/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Lisa.ru |language=ru-RU}}

Discography

File:Chris norman 20081129.jpg

Rock Away Your Teardrops (1982)
Some Hearts Are Diamonds (1986)
Different Shades (1987)
Break the Ice (1989)
Interchange (1991)
The Growing Years (1992)
The Album (1994)
Reflections (1995)
Into the Night (1997)
Christmas Together (1997)
Full Circle (2000)
Breathe Me In (2001)
Handmade (2003)
Break Away (2004)
Million Miles (2006)
Close Up (2007)
Time Traveller (2011)
There and Back (2013)
Crossover (2015)
Don't Knock the Rock (2017)
Just a Man (2021)
Junction 55 (2024)

Industry awards

|1986

|"Midnight Lady"

| Goldene Europa{{cite web |url=http://web.ard.de/ard-chronik/index/2061?year=1986 |title=ARD Goldene Europa |website=Web.ard.de |access-date=6 April 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Comeback des Jahres

| {{Won}}

|1986

|Best Male Singer

| Bravo Otto - Best Male Singer (Bronze){{Cite web |title=Die Otto-Sieger 1986 |url=https://bravo-archiv.de/auswahl.php?link=ottosieger1986.php |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=Bravo-archiv.de}}

| {{Won}}

|1986

|Himself

|Löwe von Radio Luxembourg Silver Award{{cite web|url=https://www.rtlradio.de/ |title=Silver Lion|website=Rtlradio.de |access-date=6 April 2020}}

| {{Won}}

|1986

|Male Singer

|Gold Hammerschlumpf - Pop/Rocky{{cite web|url=https://poprocky.net/|title= Pop Rocky|website=Poprocky.net|access-date=6 April 2020}}

| {{Won}}

|1994

|"Jealous Heart"

| CMT Europe International Video Star of the Year{{cite web|url=http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/otherchannels/cmt_europe.html|title=CMT Europe|access-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219181409/http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/otherchannels/cmt_europe.html|archive-date=19 February 2012|url-status=usurped}}

| {{Won}}

|2001

|Himself

|Gala zur Verleihung des Internationalen Schlagerpreises{{cite web|url=https://www.rpr1.de/webradio/schlagerhits|title=RPR.1|website=Rpr1.de |date=9 August 2016 |access-date=6 April 2020}}

| {{Won}}

|2004

|Himself

|Radio Regenbogen Award{{cite web|url=https://www.regenbogen.de/|title=Radio Regenbogen|website=Regenbogen.de |access-date=6 April 2020}}

| {{Won}}

Billboard Year End Charts 1979

class="wikitable unsortable plainrowheaders" style="border:none; margin:0;"

! scope="col"| Nominee/work

! scope="col"| Year End Charts

! scope="col"| Result

"Stumblin' In"

| Top Singles