The
Singer
The
Singer
Who basically would be more appropriate than Chris himself to write about what his likes or dislikes are.........?!
Chris was born on October 25th 1950 in Redcar. His
parents both had been in the show business, too - his mother as singer and
dancer, his father Pip Norman belonged to a comedy group called "The three
jokers" which had been quite famous all around England. So it's certainly
not been surprising that Chris 's heart and soul also went out for a career
on stage already as a little
boy.
Together with his school friends Alan Silson and Terry Uttley he founds his first school band already in 1965, and when they all finished school a little later, they start travelling Yorkshire and other parts of England playing live in working men's clubs and pubs under the name of "Essence" and with their drummer Ron Kelley.
In 1968 they change their name into "The Elizabethans" and it's also the year when first demo-recordings are done and sent to different record companies by their manager Mark Jordan.
1970 they sign a record contract with RCA and under the new name "Kindness" their first single "Lindy Lou/Light of love" is released - unfortunately only with little success.
In 1971 Dave Eager becomes their new manager. Once again demos are sent to different record companies and a little later (in February 1972) three more Kindness-Singles are released under DECCA: "Let the good times roll", "Oh yeah" and "Make it better". But also these don't bring the success the four boys had hoped for.
Together with Peter Noon, Ex-singer of Herman's Hermits Kindness are touring as backing group all around England and that's when they're seen by their later manager Bill Hurley who makes a new contract with them in 1973. The same year Ron Kelley leaves the band and Pete Spencer, a former school friend of Chris, Alan and Terry joines them. A little later Bill Hurley organises a meeting with Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, one of the most famous writing team in the music business at that time, and they're enthused of the group's musical abilities.
A new contract is signed, Kindness change their name into "Smokey", not at least due to Chris's rough voice, later on changed into "Smokie" to avoid similarity with the singer Smokey Robinson, and the cooperation with Chinnichap takes its course........
At the beginning of 1975 Smokey's first single release "Pass it around" as well as the first album with the same title comes out under RAK records, and in July 1975 they have their international break-through with "If you think you know how to love me" from the "Changing all the time" album which comes out a little later. For the first time Smokie are in the British Charts and also very popular all over Europe.
Between 1975 and 1982 Smokie releases 23 singles which all become big hits in the charts, such as "Don't play your Rock'n'Roll to me" (1975), "I'll meet you at midnight" (1976), "Living next door to Alice" (1976), "Lay back in the arms of someone" (1977), "It's your life" (1977), "Needles and pins" (1977), "For a few dollars more" (1978), "Oh Carol" (1978), "Mexican girl" (1978, first single release written by Chris and Pete themselfs), "Do to me" (1979), "Run to me" (1980), "San Francisco Bay" (1981) and 9 albums:
Bright lights and back alleys 1977
The other side of the road 1979
During the seventies Smokie are touring all over Europe and Australia celebrating one success after the other, but they're also doing some other projects:
1977 they're singing the back-ground for Donovan's album "Donovan" and in 1983 they're doing backgrounds for Agnetha Fältskog on her album "Wrap your arms around me".
In 1978 Chris records a duet with Suzi Quatro called "Stumblin' in"/"A stranger with you" which also hits the American Charts for the first time. Also in 1978 Chris and Pete write and produce the single hit "Head over heels in love" for their friend and football player Kevin Keegan. In 1982 Smokie split up.
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Interested in more information about SMOKIE? Click here: http://www.smokie.de
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In the same year (1982) Chris releases his first solo album "Rock away your teardrops" as well as his first solo single "Hey Baby" on the German market.
Besides Chris is writing and producing also for other artists or projects as e.g. for the English Football World Cup Team the single and album "This time". In 1984 two solo singles come out: My girl and me" (only on the English market) and "Love is a battlefield" which at the same time is also released by Pat Benatar.
1985 Chris is once again playing live together with his "old" Smokie friends: there is a big charity concert in aid of the victims of the Bradford football stadion fire disaster featuring lots of musicians living in the Yorkshire area. Smokie enjoy playing live again that much that they decide to start touring again, e.g. in Germany.
But in 1986 Chris finally leaves the band: it's the year of his international break-through with his solo career! With the "Tatort" song "Midnight Lady", written and produced by Dieter Bohlen, he's celebrating a fantastic comeback all over Europe and topping the Charts in Germany for several weeks. For the "Comeback of the Year" Chris is rewarded with the "Golden Europe" of the German TV station SWF. The same year his solo album "Some hearts are diamonds" is released as well as the second single of this album.
1988 Chris is recording another duet: together with Shari Belafonte he's singing "I want to be needed" and in 1992 he's repeating his cooperation with Suzi Quatro: the single "I need your love", written by Chris himself, is released.
Between 1986 and February 2000
24 singles have been released in Germany,
a lot of them also in Scandinavia, Belgium, the Baltic States or the U.K.,
among them hits such as "Midnight Lady", "No arms can ever hold you", "Sarah",
"Broken heroes", "Back again", "Keep the candle burning", "If you need my
love tonight", "Goodbye Lady Blue", "As good as it gets", "Obsession" and
his latest one "Oh
Carol".
Chris also releases 9 albums between 1986 and February 2000 in Germany, which have been also released in several European countries as well as in Australia.
In the beginning of 1995 Chris is chosen as "Video Artist of the Year" by the American music channel CMT for his videos for "Jealous hearts" and "The growing years" (both singles released in the U.K.). Also in 1995 he's producing the song "Those were the days" and his own one "Walking in the rain" for Cynthia Lennon which comes out under his own record label DICE Music Ltd. in the U.K..
In 1986 Chris is singing "Fearless hearts", the title song for a German TV series which is called "Alarm-Code 112".
Since his tremendous success with "Midnight Lady" Chris is also touring all over Europe: in 1987 he's doing his first solo tour through Germany, followed by several other ones in 1988, 1994, etc....Since 1994 he's performing live now with his own steady band, the "Chris Norman Band", and their most impressing performance certainly has been the one in the Cremlin in Moscow in 1995 about which even the English press reports.
In 1999 Chris signed a record contract with BMG where he just recently released his newest album "FULL CIRCLE".
As
already written above, Chris was born on October, 25th
1950 in Redcar. He was an only child and due to his parents' activities
as professional artists he's been moving frequently during his childhood,
although he mainly grew up in the cities and villages of
Yorkshire.
Chris attended the St. Bedes Grammar School in Bradford, and although he was very good at school, he always had been much more interested in music and jamming around with his schoolfriends Alan and Terry, and so he left school at the age of 16. As his parents wanted him to learn a decent job, Chris tried several jobs, working e.g. as electrician or salesman, but still it was only music he wanted to do, and so he started travelling around England with his band already in the late 60ies.
It was in 1967, when Chris and his band were playing live in the little Scottish town Elgin, when Chris discovered a blond girl in the audience he directly fell in love with. He met the girl afterwards and it didn't take long that Linda, that was the girl's name, gave up her job and followed her new friend all around England. And it was already in 1968 when Bryan was born on July 28th, and in 1970 the two decided to marry which was on March 16th then.
Chris and Linda are happily married for more than 27 years now which certainly is very rare to find, especially in showbusiness. The two have 5 kids whose names are:
* Bryan, born on July 28th 1968 (meanwhile Bryan
himself
is already father of a little girl called
Danielle) 
* Paul, born on May 25th 1972 (Paul is also very interested in music and following his father's steps in the music business, playing in his own band)
* Michael, born on January 20th 1984
* Steven, born on April 27th 1986 and their little one
* Susan Jane, born on April 4th 1991.
Since 1986 Chris, Linda and their three youngest kids are living in the Isle of Man, a beautiful little island in the Irish Sea just between England and Ireland, where Chris has also built up his own studio in his house, where he's working on own songs or writing and producing for other artists.
Chris is a real family man who enjoys nothing more than being together with his family. He likes reading, watching football on TV and playing with his kids.
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