Larry Norman

For the Canadian canoer, see Larry Norman (canoer).

Larry Norman
Born	(1947-04-08)April 8, 1947 Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Died	February 24, 2008(2008-02-24) (aged 60) Salem, Oregon, United States

Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008 ) was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who was worked with Christian rock music. Since Norman's first professional release in 1967, more than 100 of his own albums have been released through such commercial record labels as Capitol, MGM, Verve, and his own independent labels: One Way Records, Solid Rock Records, Street Level Records, and Phydeaux Records.

In January 1973 Cashbox named Norman as one of the Best New Male Artists of the year. In 1989 Norman was awarded the Christian Artists' Society Lifetime Achievement Award. On 27 November 2001 Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium, and was voted into the CCM Hall of Fame in January 2004 by the readers of CCM magazine. In 2007 Norman was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame, both as a member of People!, and as a solo artist. At that time Norman reunited for a concert with People! In 2009 Norman was among those honored in a tribute segment of the Grammy Awards.

Early life

Main article: Early life and career of Larry Norman

Larry Norman was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the oldest son of Joe Hendrex "Joe Billy" Norman (9 December 1923 – 28 April 1999), who had served as a sergeant in the US Army Air Corps during World War II and worked at the Southern Pacific Railroad while studying to become a teacher, and his wife, Margaret Evelyn "Marge" Stout (born in 1925 in Nebraska). After Norman's birth his parents joined the Southern Baptist church, which prohibited dancing, going to the cinema, and "almost everything that didn't occur inside [the Church]". Because of his religious convictions, Norman's father discouraged any interest in music by his children. Norman noted, "We were poor and I had no children's records in Texas. But I listened to my parents' radio whenever they turned it on. I developed an appreciation for swing music, big band arrangements and solo singers like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby". Also from an early age, he listened to the "blues and Negro spirituals on 78s his grandfather [Burl W. Stout] had collected". Other musical influences he later acknowledged included gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Belgian jazz musician Django Reinhardt, American concert singer Paul Robeson, and Black comedian Bert Williams. Norman was strongly influenced also by classical music, jazz, blues music, and black gospel music, but "didn't like country and western ... because of the nasal, twangy vocals", or "some kinds of fast-paced jazz".

In 1950 Norman and his parents moved to San Francisco, California where the family attended a Black American Pentecostal church, later they attended the First Baptist Church at 22 Waller Street where Norman became a Christian in 1952 at the age of five. He began composing songs around this time. He stated, "I started to write music when I was four or five and didn't realise I was composing tonally because I was simply using the piano". He recalled: "When I was five I wrote a song about the rain because I loved the San Francisco drizzles, and later I wrote about a dog because I couldn't have one, and a clown because my uncle was a circus performer, and when I was eight I wrote a song ["Riding in the Saddle"] about a cowboy in the desert watching the stars at night and thinking about God because I often looked at the stars and tried to picture Heaven", inspired by seeing Roy Rogers and hearing Dale Evans give her testimony at the civic auditorium. Among his earliest songs was "Lonely Boy" (1956), "The Man From Galilee" (1956) "inspired by Sunday School stories", the unreleased "Bopping With My Girl"; "My Feet are on the Rock" (1958), "The Thanksgiving Song" (1959); "Country Church, Country People" (1959), was written for his grandmother Lena.

From 1956 Norman was fascinated with the music of Elvis Presley. According to Norman, his father banned him from listening to rock and roll music on the radio. Norman frequently accompanied his father on Christian missions to prisons and hospitals. In 1959, he performed on Ted Mack's syndicated CBS television show The Original Amateur Hour. In 1960 his father accepted a teaching job in San José, California. The family lived in Campbell, California, Later, while a junior at Campbell High School, he was the youngest person voted into the Edwin Markham Poetry Society, and won first place in the Society's student poetry contest. Norman won an academic scholarship to major in English at San Jose State College. By the fall of 1965 Norman left the family home and rented an apartment in Downtown San Jose. After one semester, he "flunked out of college and lost [his] scholarship".

Career

Main article: Early life and career of Larry Norman

Back Country Seven (1964–1965)

The Back Country Seven

While still a high school student, Norman formed a group called The Back Country Seven, which included his sister, Nancy Jo; Mark A. Ebner (born 22 August 1948), and high school friend, Gene Mason, who was later to be (alongside Norman) one of the lead singers of People!. The Back Country Seven played at hootenannies held at Campbell High and throughout San José. After graduating from high school, Norman became involved in the local rock music scene in San José, opening for both The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

People! (1965–1968)

Main article: People!

Gene Mason and Larry Norman

People! September 1968 Back Row: (l to r) Robb Levin, Denny Fridkin, Al Ribisi, Geoff Levin; Front Row: Gene Mason and Larry Norman

In 1966 Norman opened a concert for People! at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove near Monterey, California

Norman became the band's principal songwriter, sharing lead vocals with Gene M. Mason (born 26 July 1947). Riolo soon left because as a senior high school student he could not commit to full-time involvement, and was replaced on drums by San Jose State College student Dennis Allen "Denny" Fridkin (born 16 December 1946 in Los Angeles), who had been recruited by Norman.

Capitol Records (1966–1968)

Carl Engleman, head of A&R at Capitol Records signed People! to Capitol Records at the beginning of 1966. As Norman was legally underage, he required parental permission and court approval to sign.

People! performed about 200 concerts a year, on except for Sunday and Tuesday. appearing with Van Morrison and Them, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Doors, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Moby Grape, and San Jose bands Syndicate of Sound, and Count Five.

Capitol Records (1967–1968)

In 1967 Capitol released People!'s first single "Organ Grinder/Riding High", with both songs co-written by Norman and Mason, and produced by their manager, Mikel Hunter "Captain Mikey" Herrington. While many considered "Riding High" to be about drugs, it was a Christian song "about survival and redemption", "about riding high above this world's cares through the power of the Holy Spirit". However, this single failed to chart, due to a lack of promotion by Capitol. Other songs written by Norman and Fridkin in 1967, but refused release by Capitol, were "Floor Talk", "The Ice Cream Man", and "The End of the Road" for an almost completed but unreleased People! album. In 1968 Norman wrote "I am the Six O'Clock News", but Capitol refused to release it as a single, as Alan W. Livingston, then "the head of Capitol was pro-Vietnam, like most middle-class Americans".

On 2 February 1968 Capitol released People!'s second single, also produced by Captain Mikey, an extended cover version of The Zombies' non-chart song "I Love You", written by Chris White, backed by "Somebody Tell Me My Name", a song co-written by Geoff Levin and Fridkin, for the rock musical Vox Populi. After extensive promotion by the band and its manager, and industry advertising by Capitol, including the creation of a promotional film that appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand on 27 April 1968, "I Love You" quickly became a hit single, selling more than one million copies, and reaching a peak of #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 June 1968, and reaching #13 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles Chart on 29 June 1968, and became a #1 single in several markets, including Italy, Israel, and Japan. After the release of their single "I Love You", People! toured extensively, appearing three times on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, including an appearance on 15 June 1968, and also on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Despite the success of "I Love You", People!'s heavy touring schedule, a promotional film of the group performing the song which aired on American Bandstand, and despite favorable reviews, the subsequent album, which was named after their hit single, was released by 13 July 1968, but only reached No. 138 on the Billboard album charts on 10 August 1968. In August 1968 Capitol released People!'s third single "Apple Cider (credited to People! and from the rock 1968 musical Alison), backed with "Ashes of Me" (written by Al Ribisi and from the 1966 rock musical Vox Populi), which was produced also by Captain Mikey, but it failed to chart.

Departure from People! (1968)

Multiple disputes resulted in Norman leaving People!. By the time the I Love You album was released and the band undertook its first major tour of the USA in the summer of 1968 Norman had left People!. Subsequently People! appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

Norman and Mason reunited in 1974 for a benefit concert for Israel at UCLA, later released in 1980 as the live album Larry Norman and People!—The Israel Tapes—1974 A.D. Norman, Fridkin and Mason came together in August 2006 for a People! reunion concert in the G. Herbert Smith Auditorium on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon.

Hollywood street ministry (1968–1969)

Soon after Norman left People!, he had "a powerful spiritual encounter that threw him into a frenzy of indecision about his life [and] for the first time in his life, he received what he understood to be the Holy Spirit". Norman moved back home to live with his parents, with no plans for his future. In answer to his father's inquiry, Norman responded: "My plans? Oh, I've got great plans. I'm going to sit down in the middle of my life and I'm not moving until God comes and gets me". Norman was offered a position with Youth For Christ, and a week later was invited by Herb Hendler to come to Hollywood to write musicals for Capitol Records. Norman recalled in 2007 that he "just prayed and prayed and prayed. And I had no peace about joining YFC. And a lot of peace about Hollywood. But God was silent".

In July 1968, Norman moved to Los Angeles and rented "a tiny, one-room, flophouse apartment, with the rent paid on a monthly basis and no lease, water or electricity costs required" at Apartment 406 at 1140 North Gower Street, Hollywood. near the corner with Santa Monica Boulevard, across the street from the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.

In 1969 Norman auditioned for a role in the Los Angeles production of the rock musical Hair, which was playing at the Aquarius Theatre at 6230 Sunset Boulevard, and which was directed by Tom O'Horgan and produced by Michael Butler and the Smothers Brothers. As co-creators James Rado and Gerome Ragni and half of the cast were leaving the production to join the Acapulco production, Norman and his friend, Teddy Neeley, were offered the replacement parts as George Berger and Claude Bukowski respectively. Norman indicated in a July 2007 interview, "When I got [to Los Angeles], there were auditions for Hair. And I thought, I'm going to try out for Hair just to see if I have what it takes. Because maybe I'm just some lame person and I shouldn't be in music at all. So I tried out for Hair, and they gave me a callback and they said 'You're it. Come down on Saturday, there's a contract waiting for you to sign'. Believing God had something more important for him to do, and that "Jesus is the only personal, social and political answer for this generation or any other", Norman rejected the role because "of its glorification of drugs and free sex as the answers to today's problems". Norman decided "I couldn't do it when I found out what it was about. I just didn't agree with what it had to say. So I turned it down". Neeley accepted the role of Claude, but the role offered to Norman eventually went to Ben Vereen. Norman, who was broke, went home to his apartment, locked his guitar in the closet, and cried.

Years later Norman would recall that "It was a beautiful time of my life because it was just me and Jesus. And I had to depend on him, which I wanted to, because nothing else was happening. I wasn't performing, I'd given up music. 'Cause I wanted to be pure". In 2006 Norman recalled: "Even after one of my recordings had charted, I continued to live a spartan existence, slept on the floor, got my teeth fixed without a shot of Novocaine, chose to have no car and walked everywhere – trying to toughen myself for whatever vicissitudes the future might bring. I wasn't concerned with the ephemeral, wasn't really emotionally geared up for wide public acceptance; I was busy getting ready for the end of the world." According to Norman, about this time he wrote his most covered song, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready", "right after I gave up music completely so I could talk to people on the streets. I felt that rock music and love and peace was all a big lie". In a 2001 interview, Norman indicated: "The Bible says we should go into prisons and hospitals and witness to people and also bring them encouragement. ... I wanted to go out into the streets and witness to the people on Hollywood & Sunset Boulevard whether they were prostitutes or homosexuals or drug users and bring them into the kingdom. I remember getting a lot of irritated responses because they thought I wanted to turn the church into a half-way house. No I didn't – I wanted to turn the church into a house that brought people all the way through to the kingdom". Norman recalled: "One night I was singing on stage and Janis Joplin was sitting behind the front curtain watching the concert with a bottle of Southern Comfort in one hand and she was sipping whiskey from a paper cup. She was drunk and really unhappy. And every now and then, she would start yelling at me. I wrote "Why Don't You Look Into Jesus" about Janis. I felt really sad for her. I felt sad for all of them. They seemed so unhappy and so lost. I couldn't easily break through the haze of drugs by using music. I felt like the only time I had any real effectiveness was in personal conversations. At one point I even felt that maybe music was of no use at all. So I gave it up. All I did was street witness."

After Norman moved to Los Angeles in 1968, he "spent time sharing the gospel on the streets of Los Angeles", especially along Hollywood Boulevard. Norman described his street witnessing: "When I left my band in 1968 and moved to Los Angeles, I didn't feel awkward about witnessing anymore – I felt directed. I chose my ground and worked my beat. I walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard several times a day; at first alone, then with Richard Gerstle and later Sarah Finch, witnessing to businessmen and hippies, and to whomever the Spirit led me. I spent all of my Capitol Records' royalties starting a halfway house and buying clothes and food for new converts. Each Friday and Saturday I borrowed cars and drove almost 150 miles to pick up certain kids and take them to a church in a home in Santa Ana. Our meetings usually lasted five hours on Friday and eight hours on Sunday.

After he moved to Los Angeles in 1968, Norman was associated initially with the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California, and its Salt Company coffee shop outreach ministry, which operated in the upstairs loft of a converted apartment building located behind the Hollywood Presbyterian Church. Glenn D. Kittle believes that "rock-gospel music was born at the Salt Company Coffeehouse" by Norman. According to Don Williams, who founded the Salt Company coffeehouse in the summer of 1968, Norman "heard ‘The Agape,’ a hard rock Christian group, play songs about Jesus", which "convinced Larry that he could use his rock music to communicate the gospel".

After several months of musical inactivity, Norman began writing songs again. He recalled: "And months later the music started coming to me in my sleep. And I realized that somehow, perhaps because I was willing to give it up, the music had changed." One of those songs was "I've Searched All Around the World", which Norman says was "written in 1968 after walking up and down Hollywood Boulevard almost every day for a year talking to the runaways, pushers, bikers, prostitutes and homeless winos". According to Philip Cooney: "Norman's songs often contain a series of self-contained vignettes that (he hoped) would give the passers-by something to think about, or that might hook them in to hear more of the gospel message. The audience for these songs was not those already saved, it was those to whom church was a foreign language. He understood the ability of music to get behind people's gates, to draw them in with a beautiful melody and good words, to make people drop their defensive position to the gospel—even if for a short time—and allow God to speak to them in that moment....Norman's songs sought to have a relevance to life on the street, establishing a rapport with the musical and social culture around him, and leading his listeners to look to Jesus for the answers in their search for meaning."

Norman had a "passion for the pavement [and] he took his signature voice and his beat-up nylon-string guitar to festivals, coffee shops, and major theaters", including concerts at The Troubador and The Hollywood Bowl, "witnessing before and after the performances on the streets during the day and to the customers after the gigs." Norman appeared with the Salt Company band in a concert at the Vogue Theater in 1970.

Musicals (1968–1969)

Main article: The Musicals of Larry Norman

Continuing from earlier efforts to write rock musicals while with People!, during this period Norman wrote songs for several rock musicals. In 1968 Norman wrote several songs for Alison, (as in Alice in Wonderland), which was "about the sub-culture of the bohemian group referred to in the press as 'The Hippies'", which was staged first in Los Angeles, with a "cast of unknown actors", including Norman, Teddy Neeley, Richard Hatch and Kay Cole (born 13 January 1948).

During 1968 Norman was also involved in writing songs for Birthday for Shakespeare, another rock musical that, like Alison, "explored the hippie life of San Francisco, satirizing rather than celebrating the psychedelic counterculture". Birthday for Shakespeare was staged at the Oxford Theater (now the MET Theatre), a 99-seat venue, at 1089 N. Oxford Avenue, Los Angeles, and starred Norman, Gary Richard Tigerman, Teddy Neeley, Richard Hatch, and Kay Cole. Soon after Birthday for Shakespeare was performed, Norman decided to produce his own works.

In 1969 Norman was involved writing the rock opera Lion's Breath, described as a "surrealistic satire which examines our social, political, and spiritual ethics", which spoke "uncompromisingly of the need for America to reshape its priorities and turn to God". Norman's work on Lion's Breath "caught Capitol's attention and they lured him back in 1969, promising him total control over his next album, Upon This Rock". Norman's next musical was Love on Haight Street, which was written in 1969, and tells the story of The Flies, an anti-social hippie rock band, who, like many "flower people" of that time, despite claiming to be anti-materialistic and feigning indifference to applause, desire fame and wealth. Without Norman's prior knowledge, in 1969 Capitol Records released "I Got a Letter from the President", backed with "Blow in My Ear and I'll Follow You Anywhere" from the rock musical Alison, and credited it to The Flies, which included Norman, his sister Nancy, and some pickup musicians. However, this single failed to chart. Another project that involved Norman was Bailey; Some songs from these unreleased musicals appeared later on various albums.

Capitol Records (1969–1970)

Upon This Rock (1969)

In 1969 Norman returned to Capitol Records, now headed by Mike Curb, to honor his original 1966 contract with the understanding that he would have complete artistic control. Believing that "Kids just don't want to listen to God's empty songs anymore", in December 1969 Capitol released Norman's first solo rock album, Upon This Rock, "the first major label record to marry rock music with the gospel", "the Sergeant Pepper of Christianity", widely regarded as "the album that first recruited rock in the service of salvation", later cited as being "one of the roots of the current Contemporary Christian Music"; and now considered to be the first full-blown Christian rock album". Upon This Rock, whose music was "a blend of folk, psychedelic, and rock influences", combined "street language and gritty imagery".

While Norman was denounced by television evangelists like Bob Larson; Jimmy Swaggart, who called rock music "the new pornography"; and Jerry Falwell; and others within the conservative religious establishment, who considered the development of Christian rock-and-roll, "a sinful compromise with worldliness and immoral sensuality", his music gained a large following in the emerging counter cultural movements.

In February 1970, two months after Upon This Rock was released, Capitol dropped Norman from their label, as the album was deemed a "commercial flop" as it had failed to reach the sales target Capitol expected, telling Norman that "there is no market for your music." Norman analyzed its poor reception in a 1972 interview: "It was too religious for the rock and roll stores and too rock and roll for the religious stores." In April 1970 Capitol leased Upon This Rock to Heartwarming/Impact Records for two years a small sum. While Norman decided to leave Capitol Records in protest, because he had a different audience in mind, he cooperated with the re-release of Upon This Rock.

Upon This Rock received increased sales due to its distribution in Christian bookstores, and "became Benson's most acclaimed release", selling 23,000 copies when it was eventually released in England in 1972 through Key Records. In 1971 Upon This Rock was submitted unsuccessfully for Grammy Award nomination. By May 1970 Capitol released a single (Capitol 2766) with both songs from Upon This Rock: "Sweet Sweet Song Of Salvation" backed with "Walking Backwards Down The Stairs".

1969–1971

Norman continued playing Christian rock, mostly to audiences in California during this period. By October 1969 Norman was a regular performer at the Salt Company, "a combination of late Victorian and early Salvation Army", which held concerts on weekends in the upstairs loft of a converted apartment building in downtown Hollywood. Norman would frequently show up at the Hollywood Palladium unannounced and unscheduled on Sunday afternoons and sing to as many as 4,000 people at the Jesus People Festivals organized by Duane Pederson. At the "Rock of Ages Folk Festival" held on 26 February 1970 in Northridge, California, Norman appeared as part of the Larry Norman Experience. In March 1970 Norman performed at the Youth for Christ-sponsored Faith Festival, the first major Jesus music festival, at Evansville, Indiana, which attracted 6,000 people to hear him, Pat Boone and his family, Christian folk singer Gene Cotton, and Jesus rock artists Danny Taylor, Crimson Bridge, and e, a band that included Greg X. Volz. In October 1970 Norman and Randy Stonehill, who had only become a Christian in August, were among those who performed at an Earth Harvest concert at Thy Brother's House, a Jesus coffee house near the campus of California State University at Fullerton, California.

In a 1970 concert Norman wrote "The Tune", which one reviewer described as "probably ... Larry's finest achievement as a songwriter and recording artist", while improvising on the piano. While some claim "The Tune" was inspired by Bill Gaither and Gloria Gaither's 1969 song "God Gave the Song", Norman claims in a 1981 article in Contemporary Christian Music magazine: "Bill Gaither's music first came to my attention in 1973 when a friend played me 'God Gave the Song'. I was shocked; perhaps for personal reasons more than reasons of musical taste. 'God Gave the Song' seemed striking and yet very familiar." On the Phydeaux website, it reads: "'The Tune' was written by Larry in 1971 (sic). During the next two years an author, [Calvin Miller] from the town where Larry first performed this, wrote a book called "The Singer" and another book called "The Song." The books were gigantic sellers. And the biggest gospel artist [Bill Gaither] from the Southern gospel end of Christian show biz (who shall remain nameless) took "The Tune", kept the tempo and the flavor and re-titled it "God Gave The Song." It was one of the biggest hits the artist had up until that point. When Bill and Gloria Gaither created their 1973 musical Alleluia!: A Praise Gathering for Believers, "the first album from a Christian record company to achieve this honor", which was certified gold by the RIAA, and nominated in 1974 for a Dove Award for Gospel Song of the Year, their arranger Ronn Huff added the prefatory words to "God Gave the Song" that are similar to those in "The Tune". While "The Tune" was played frequently in concerts since its composition, it was first recorded in a studio in 1977, backed by 45 piece orchestra, and only released in 1983.

Norman, along with Pat Boone; Arthur Blessitt; Duane Pederson; Jack Sparks, a founder of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project; and other Jesus People leaders were prominent participants in the Spiritual Revolution Day march and rally in Sacramento, California on 13 February 1971. By 1971 Norman was playing at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa in Orange County, where other Jesus music pioneers (and future Maranatha! Music artists) Love Song, Chuck Girard, The Way, and Children of the Day were also performing.

One Way Records (1970–1971)

Main article: One Way Records

After receiving his only royalty check from Capitol in 1970 for songs he had written for People!, Norman moved from the "rat-hole" apartment at Gower Street and established a half-way house on North Beachwood Drive, Hollywood, where he "housed and fed various groups of people, supervised their Bible studies and drove them to church on Fridays and Sundays". However, after he "ran out of money", Norman negotiated to write songs on demand for Capitol and was paid $80 per month subsistence advanced against future earnings, for his work polishing and refining songs for H.R. Pufnstuf, Hawaiian singer Alfred Alpaka, and Tennessee Ernie Ford, and was even asked to write English lyrics for the Japanese song "Sukiyaki". Norman claims he contributed 87 songs the first year of this arrangement, but was never compensated

By August 1970 Norman had moved to a three room "little white cottage" at 6007 Carlos Avenue, Hollywood, near the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. About that time Norman was in negotiations to sign with Elektra Records, but "it fell through when the president of the label was confronted by someone who gave him a copy of the Hollywood Free Paper. He feared that I was part of an abrasive subculture and took back his offer". On 3 September 1970 Norman began writing a regular column called "As I See It" in the Hollywood Free Paper, an evangelistic newspaper founded by Duane Pederson, one of the leaders of the Jesus People in Hollywood and Los Angeles."

Seeking to make a "more earthy sounding album which I could hand out to the street people I talked to on Hollywood Boulevard", in 1970 Norman established One Way Records with his own money, which was described as "an underground experimental" label, which was headquartered initially at his rented home at 6007 Carlos Avenue, Hollywood. When Norman left Capitol he took with him "demos" of songs he had recorded between 1966 and 1969, some of which were released on his One Way albums. Norman recorded, produced and released two independent albums of his own music through his One Way Records: Street Level (1970) and Bootleg (1971). Both albums "would feature grainy, underground looking black and white artwork. Both would also be ... mixing live concert recording, studio demos of previously unreleased songs and future classics. These albums would also reveal the smart and piercing humor Norman would always be noted for. Norman concerts were part rock and roll show, part revival meeting and part stand up comedy. This facet of his life and ministry would be introduced on these two albums. According to Norman, One Way "used secular sub-distributors or "rack jobbers" and "one stops" to disseminate its records". Additionally Creative Sound, owned by Bob Cotterell, released and distributed Street Level, as well as Stonehill's Born Twice.

In 1970 One Way Records released Street Level, which had on side one "a [1969] live concert recorded at Hollywood's First Presbyterian Church which ran a nightclub called the Salt Company". As the first version of Street Level was "too confusing to the Christians", Norman recorded "a second version for the church kids" in 1971 that completely replaced side two with one recorded with a band called White Light. After its release in 1970, the Hollywood Free Paper described Norman as "a combination of lyricist, composer, performer, backwoods preacher [and] poet." In 1971 Norman produced an album (Born Twice) for Randy Stonehill, who had been converted in August 1970 in Norman's kitchen.

In 1971 Norman started Street Level Productions, Inc., a legal corporation with the mission to "reach intro the streets; to avoid the lofty climes and the commercial heights and to labor instead at street level." Street Level (and One Way Records) was headquartered at 7046 Hollywood Boulevard. Also headquartered at that address was New Generation Artists, which managed Norman at that time.

In early 1972 One Way Records released Bootleg, a double album retrospective covering the previous four years of Norman's career compiled from demonstration recordings made while at Capitol, private recordings from his friends, and various interviews and live performances. In 1999 Norman explained the unpolished nature of Bootleg: "Many songs which ended up being released on Bootleg, ... weren't really finished but I had to release the album immediately so it wouldn't violate the terms of my MGM contract which was soon going to be in effect. ... I just didn't have time to finish it. ... I didn't have the budget to make it a real album, I just used songs laying around to fill it up, which I regretted".

MGM/Verve (1971–1974)

Despite the offer of a revised contract from Capitol Records, in 1971 Norman decided to sign with MGM Records, who had decided to sign Norman on the basis of his work on Street Level and Bootleg, but Norman accepted a publishing agreement with Capitol. By 1971 Norman was associated with Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. By 1973 over 200 "covers" had been recorded of Norman's songs, including by Cliff Richard, Jack Jones, Petula Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pat Boone, The Imperials, and The Oak Ridge Boys.

In November 1971, Norman recorded "Without Love You Are Nothing" (also known as "Righteous Rocker") and "Peace, Pollution, Revolution" in Los Angeles for MGM.

In 1971 Norman visited England for the first time, and lived in a house at 153 Park Lane, Carshalton, where he wrote a number of songs including "The Great American Novel", and the as yet unreleased "Living on Park Lane". Norman had an influence on the emerging English gospel music scene. Early in 1972 Upon This Rock was released in England, and sold 5,000 copies in its first three months, making it the top selling religious album in England. In March 1972 Norman performed 38 concerts in 35 days, including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in the Spring of 1972, for which he claims he was only given about $700 by the tour promoter. His song "Stop This Flight" describing the vicissitudes of touring and record companies was inspired by this tour.

In June 1972 Norman was one of the featured performers at "probably the high-water mark of the Jesus Movement", Explo '72, the "Jesus Woodstock", "Godapalooza", or "Godstock", which attracted 80,000 young people to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, On 17 June, the final night of Explo' 72, with "the thousands who showed up included everything from short-hairs out of conservative Bible colleges to hair-to-your-waist devotees of Larry Norman, Christian rock, and the Jesus People". Norman performed a fifteen minute set before his largest ever crowd at the eight hour Jesus Music Festival that attracted an estimated 180,000 people to a speedway at the uncompleted Woodall Rodgers Freeway near Dallas, Texas. At the conclusion of his set, which included "I Wish We'd All Been Ready", the "laconic lament" of the Jesus Movement, Norman encouraged those attending: "Don't let this week of love pass away – let it be for a lifetime". Norman is included on the subsequent commemorative album, Jesus Sound Explosion, which was sent free to 170,000 viewers of the television program, singing his "Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation". On 21 June 1972 Beware! The Blob (also known as Son of Blob), in which Norman appeared briefly, was released in the USA.

On Saturday, September 2, 1972 Norman also performed at the Festival of Light-sponsored Festival for Jesus held in Hyde Park, London, which was filmed and released as a 50-minute documentary Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?, which featured Norman's 1972 song of the same name, which was written in response to the criticisms of Christian Rock music by American evangelist Bob Larson, whom Norman regularly lampooned at his concerts. Norman's 1969 apocalyptic song, I Wish We'd All Been Ready”, was also featured in the 1972 Christian end times film A Thief in the Night, which was watched by an estimated 50,000,000 people, but sung by an obscure group known as The Fishmarket Combo.

Only Visiting This Planet (1972)

On 8 September 1972 Norman began recording his second studio album, Only Visiting This Planet, the first album in a projected trilogy, in George Martin's London AIR Studios. Only Visiting This Planet, which was "Initially coordinated by George Martin", and was produced by The Triumvirate of British producers Rod Edwards, Roger Hand, and Jon Miller, often ranked as Norman's best album, "mixed his Christian message with strong political themes", and "was meant to reach the flower children disillusioned by the government and the church" with its "abrasive, urban reality of the gospel". In 1990 CCM magazine voted Only Visiting This Planet as "the greatest Christian album ever recorded".

On January 6, 1973 Norman was one of three named as Best New Male Artist of the year by Cashbox. and performed in two sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. After a tour of South Africa in June and the UK in July, and the release in July of his "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?", a songbook featuring some of Norman's songs from both Upon This Rock and Only Visiting This Planet.

So Long Ago the Garden (1973)

On 7 August 1973 Norman entered AIR studios in London to record his favorite album, the second album in his Trilogy, So Long Ago the Garden, which was produced again by Edwards, Hand, and Miller. According to John J. Thompson, "lyrically, as the title suggests, the album reflects on the nature of the human condition. The songs deal with characters ... knee deep in the madness of life without God". By 1 October 1973 these recording sessions were completed and the recordings were submitted to MGM. However, financial problems at MGM, which would result in its collapse within fifteen months, "couldn't adequately promote or advertise the album. The corporate attention was focused on more pressing things like survival and solvency". According to Norman, the record company dropped several Christian songs, including "Butterfly," "If God Is My Father," "Kulderachna", and "I Hope I'll See You In Heaven", in favor of more lightweight love songs like "Fly, Fly, Fly," the album's opening track", and "Christmastime', both previously released as singles.

The release of So Long Ago the Garden in November 1973 caused controversy in the Christian press primarily due to its album cover, which some insisted featured a naked Norman, and that this was proof he had fallen away from God. As John J. Thompson explains: "The cover featured a seminude Norman with a photo of a lion superimposed on his skin. The symbolism (an Old Testament prophecy referred to the Messiah as 'the lion of the tribe of Judah,' and C.S. Lewis' Narnia series made a Christlike figure out of a lion named Aslan, as well as the obvious insinuation of Adam in the Garden of Eden, flew over the heads of many people, who focused on a patch of grass covering Larry's nether parts". Steve Turner adds: "The songs which examined the fall were mostly written from the perspective of the scarred and his public just could not take the idea of an artist taking another persona to make a point. To them he was a backslider who had broken with his wife and was seeking fame (the ideas being taken from his songs)". Turner indicated that Bible bookstores, especially in the southern and midwestern States of the USA, refused to sell his albums, and that all of his concerts were canceled until Noel Paul Stookey invited him onto stage during one of his concerts eighteen months later.

However, believing that MGM was interfering with the subject matter of his records, by 1974 Norman left MGM due to "a squabble with MGM over song choices for his next album, ... So Long Ago the Garden". Not long after this decision, MGM Records folded due to economic difficulties.

Comedies (1971–1973)

During this period Norman wrote at least three comedies: X-Mass (1971), Also Sprach Kazoostra (1972) and The Gospel According To Moresell, Moresold (1973).

Street Level Artists Agency (1974–1980)

Norman was described as "a stubbornly independent artist for three decades." During this time Norman saw the need for a booking agency to manage and book Christian artists that "could really be much more Christian. It could be much more free of financial motives and goals", and so started Street Level Artists Agency in 1974. At this time Norman and his manager Phillip F. Mangano (born 30 November 1947), "came up with a vision to raise up artists to be truly creative and take the message of Christ into a mainstream environment." Some of those he felt led to help "were on drugs so he spent time helping them with their personal life and bringing them to a converted lifestyle".

Solid Rock Records (1974–1981)

Main article: Solid Rock Records

In 1974 Norman founded Solid Rock Records to produce records for Christian artists who, like himself, had "no commercial value." Norman intended Solid Rock to be "a "musical L'Abri", and "more than business though, it was community." "Solid Rock became an important moment in the history of Christian rock music since it was the first truly artist-driven label". According to Norman, the purpose of Solid Rock was "to help other artists who didn't want to be consumed by the business of making vinyl pancakes but who wanted to make something 'non-commercial' to the world".

In 1974 Norman and Kenn Gulliksen started a Bible Study in the living room of Norman's apartment at Doheny and Sunset in Los Angeles that was only for musicians and actors, including regulars Jerry Houser and Julie Harris, which after six months, was named "The Vineyard", and later, with another Bible study at the home of Chuck Girard, became part of the founding congregation of the Association of Vineyard Churches. This Bible Study met at his home until 1977, when Norman and his wife left on a seven-month world tour. By March 1975 Norman was attending the Little Brown Church in Studio City.

ABC Records (1974–1976)

In 1974 Norman signed to the mainstream label ABC Records, who agreed to distribute Solid Rock's records. According to Norman, Orphans From Eden, his first album submitted to ABC, which included collaborations with his sister, Kristy, was never released. Another album recorded in 1974 that was rejected by Word Records was Streams of White Light Into Darkened Corners, a documentary album that took "a satirical look at the early 70's 'religious pop music' trend from 1970 to 1974", written by celebrities who had "jumped on the `70s spiritual bandwagon", and featured Norman singing covers of religious songs by Norman Greenbaum, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Randy Newman, Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, and the Rolling Stones, and was not released until 1977 by AB Records.

In Another Land (1976)

In 1975 Norman recorded In Another Land, the third album in his trilogy, which was released in 1976 through his own Solid Rock label and distributed through Word Records, making it "the first of his albums to be released on a Christian label". However, according to Norman, "In Another Land, was executorially censored by the "mother company" which insisted on removing any music they felt was "too negative" or "too controversial." In Another Land was Norman's best-selling album ever, and had the best reception of any of his albums from the Christian establishment. By 1985 In Another Land had sold 120,000 copies in the USA alone, compared with average sales of less than ten thousand for other gospel albums,

Word Records (1976–1981)

In 1976 ABC Records bought Word Records, and they switched Norman to its Word subsidiary. infusing it with $17 million in capital. Until 1980 Solid Rock records would be distributed by Word, giving them a more direct distribution into Christian bookstores. After In Another Land, Norman had completed his first cycle of seven albums, and wanted to change musical directions, but, according to Norman, "the record company was not interested in anything less than Part Four of The Trilogy; an impossibility, conceptually and emotionally". Norman indicated in 1991 that he had wanted to postpone Something New under the Son, the first album in a projected second cycle of seven albums, but to record:

"a more street-orientated, guitar based, trash can orchestra of angry and honest songs I was writing and recording."

However, Le Garage Du Monde was "considered too far over-the-edge for the American youth gospel market and never released". In 1976 Norman recorded songs for his proposed Red, White and Blues trilogy, a projected American anthology of three albums for the United States Bicentennial, that would focus on the roots of American music. Known as the "Black and White" sessions, because they "explored both American black music from Slavery to the present, and American white music from early traditional music to modern folk songs". Norman revealed that "I recorded "This Land Is Your Land" and "They Laid Jesus Christ in His Grave" with a guitar I borrowed that was Woody Guthrie's; found broken in a field with a bird nest inside. I included a song of my own called "When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine" along with other songs like "Turn, Turn, Turn", and "The Eve Of Destruction". ... Neither the album of black music nor white music was approved for release on Solid Rock Records and I finally resolved to abandon both albums. Some of the Bicentennial music was later gathered together with other unreleased songs under the title Rough Mix 2", which covered material from 1972 to 1978, and which also contained "other projects which had been censored, rejected, or never heard for various other reasons", was only released officially in April 2011.

Something New Under the Son (1976–1981)

In 1976 Norman acquiesced and recorded Something New under the Son, a blues-rock concept album that some regard as his tour de force, and as "one of the roughest, bluesiest, and best rock and roll albums of his career or the whole industry", that took its title from "an ironic inversion of a phrase in Ecclesiastes", namely: "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9b). While Norman explicitly denied this album was autobiographical in the accompanying lyric songbook, many years later some critics challenged this claim, arguing "Norman was struggling through his own divorce and identity crisis at the time". In 1999 Norman responded by arguing that when he completed the album in 1976, he was married happily and that several of the songs were written before he had met his wife. Norman indicated that the songs chronicled "Pilgrim's" journey into faith.

Norman had intended to release this as a double album with his 1971 song "The Tune" on the second album (and a blank fourth side or a side with a lengthy version of "Watch What You're Doing"). However, Word rejected Norman's wishes as they believed two separate albums would be more profitable, censored some of the songs, and delayed the album's release until 1981. The full length (almost 12 minutes) version of "The Tune" was recorded in Hollywood in 1977, but not released until 1983 on the album The Story of the Tune, which is called "the continuation of Something New Under The Son on the back cover".

By December 1976 Norman had signed a one-year agreement to allow four albums to be manufactured and distributed through Sonrise Manufacturing Co,, which was owned by Bob Cotterell. In 1977 Norman signed an agreement to release some Solid Rock Records through AB Records of Hollywood, an affiliate of Bob Cotterell's Sonrise Records, which released Streams of White Light Into Darkened Corners in 1977, and Mark Heard's On Turning to Dust in 1978.

World Tour (1977–1978)

Frustrated by resistance and censorship from Word, after May 1977 Norman left the studio and commenced a seven-month world tour, that included concerts in the USA, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, United Kingdom, Israel, Lebanon, India, Hong Kong, and Japan. During this tour, Norman wrote and recorded another album, Voyage Of The Vigilant, which was a combination of live recordings with hotel tapes and studio stopovers, but was not released by Word as with "songs like "Three Million Gods," and "Cats Of The Coliseum," discussing the Hindu religion and the early martyrdom of Christians in Rome, this album was not acceptable because it was considered too "avant garde". Another song written for Voyage of the Vigilant was "Letter to the Church", which Norman said was "a Letter to the Church of Mass Media and Prosperity....It's a letter to the Me-Generation, the Upwardly Mobile, and especially to those who think of themselves as Christians". While Norman acknowledged that others saw it as being about "a certain televangelist ... [or] about a certain Christian artist or celebrity, ... it was written about all kinds of things that were happening in the American church, in the gospel music industry, and what I was seeing around me as I toured and performed in 1977". During this tour, Norman encountered the ministry of the Calcutta Mission of Mercy in India, and began to support them.

During his September 1977 tour of Australia, an eponymous compilation album (also known unofficially as Starstorm) that contained unreleased versions of previously released songs, was released by Starstorm Records, and distributed by Rhema Records, which was owned by his then Australian promoter, David Smallbone, the father of CCM singer Rebecca St. James. In 2005 Norman released an album called Snapshots From The '77 World Tour, which contained recordings of some of his performances on the world tour. At this time, Philip Mangano organized three book deals for Norman: a biography by English journalist Steve Turner, which would be published by Word; a book of Norman's photographs; and another with photographs of Norman. Turner accompanied Norman for part of the world tour, but Norman eventually rejected the projects.

In 1978 Norman started Street Level Records as an alternative label to release albums which Word had no interest in distributing. Paul N. Lindner's Consolidated Gospel Inc. distributed Street Level Records to stores in America and Europe. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release of I Love You, in 1978 Street Level Records advertised the release at Christmas of The Compleat Trilogy, containing all forty songs intended for Norman's Trilogy, making it the "unedited, uncensored, unexpurgated, complete" version. The Compleat Trilogy as advertised still has not been released.

Plane accident

In 1978 Norman was getting ready to sign with Warner Brothers, when he was injured in an accident as United Airlines flight 215 landed at Los Angeles International Airport at the end of his world tour. In later years Norman claimed in concerts that "part of the roof of the cabin hit him with such force that he suffered mild brain damage and that this accident stopped him from working coherently after the late '70s". Philip Mangano, who was then Norman's manager, who considers Norman "a genius, no doubt, who changed the direction, the content, and frame of "Christian" music", who was seated in the next seat to Larry, denied that it was that serious. However, Norman believed that the subsequent damage to his brain left him unable to complete projects and focus artistically. In a 1989 interview Norman indicated that it was several years before his condition was diagnosed: "At the time they didn't call it anything. They didn't know what it was I didn't think to have X-rays because I thought I was okay. Now, what they have isolated it as is a bi-polar trauma, which means the accident caused an interruption in the information from one side of my brain to the other the neurons spark but sometimes don't make a connection." William Ayers wrote in 1991: "As family, friends and fans watched, his life spiraled downward. He was unable to record a bonafide album from the time of his airplane accident in 1978 until, with the help of therapy and chemical treatment to increase electro-neuron brain activity, he attempted to release the badly produced Home At Last. He never expected to be healed and thought he would have to continue chemical therapy until the day after John Barr came into his life and layed hands on him.

Roll Away the Stone tour (1979)

In 1979 Norman began his Roll Away the Stone tour. In August 1979 Norman made his first of his four appearances at the Greenbelt Festival, a British Christian festival of "arts, faith and justice" held annually since 1974, that was held that year in the grounds of Odell Castle in Bedfordshire, Norman took Randy Stonehill with him, and introducing him to his own established audiences. Greenbelt 1979 attracted 16,000 people, and made Stonehill "a major Christian Artist in Europe". After seeing Norman perform, British festival promoter Tony Tew, said, "The pioneering music of Larry Norman has crossed the water, and we've learnt that it really is possible to be a Christian and a rock 'n' roll singer." Norman subsequently appeared at Greenbelt in 1980, 1981 and 1984.

On 9 September 1979 Norman performed for US president Jimmy Carter and about 1,000 guests at the Old Fashioned Gospel Singin' concert held on the south lawn of the White House. During the concert, which also included veteran gospel singers Barry McGuire, The Archers, The Happy Goodman Family, The Speer Family, James Blackwood, James Cleveland, Doug Oldham, Mighty Clouds of Joy, and Shirley Caesar, Norman sang his "The Great American Novel", "a Dylanesque protest song", which he admitted "wasn't received with much enthusiasm". Norman explained this choice of song:

"I wanted us to feed the poor, and to stop worshipping the space program thinking this proved that God was on our side and not the Russians' because we were superior in the space race to the moon. And to realize that our government was taking over countries in the same way that Russia was, creating satellites, but we call their communism "evil" and our democratic appropriations of foreign governments "righteous."

Daniel Amos

In December 1978 Norman signed Christian rock band Daniel Amos to Street Level Productions and also to his Street Level Artists Agency. Daniel Amos had almost completed Horrendous Disc, their third album, co-produced by Mike "Clay" Stone, when under contract to Maranatha! Music. When Maranatha! released them, as it was changing direction to children's and praise music, Horrendous Disc still needed to be mixed. Norman asked the band to replace two songs, had the album mixed and took new photos of the band for the album's cover to replace those he deemed too controversial for the Christian market, and in September 1979, Norman released a test pressing. In mid-May 1980 Norman released Daniel Amos from their management contract with Street Level Productions, resulting in an estrangement in their relationship. Just before the finalization of his divorce from Pamela, in August 1980, Norman performed at the Kamperland Youth for Christ Music festival (now the Flevo Totaal Festival) in Zeeland the Netherlands with Daniel Amos band backing him. Due to the laryngitis of Terry Scott Taylor, lead singer of Daniel Amos, Norman sang their songs from Horrendous Disc with the rest of Daniel Amos backing him so that Daniel Amos could be paid.

At the Greenbelt Festival held a few days later, Daniel Amos refused to back Norman as previously agreed due to their unfolding legal action against Norman, forcing Norman to recruit another group of musicians. During this performance, Norman sang for the first time, "May Your Feet Stay On The Path", as a beatific benediction to the Solid Rock artists he had released. Norman explained in 2001: "It's a song I wrote for all my artists because I wasn't going to work with them any more. So I stayed up one night praying all night and working on this song asking God to help me bless the artists one more time so that they would know that I loved them even if I didn't want to work with them". Despite being advertised as soon available in November 1979, Horrendous Disc was not finally released by Solid Rock until 10 April 1981, ten days before the band's follow-up ¡Alarma!, was released on Newpax Records. In 2000 Norman sang "Hound of Heaven" on the Daniel Amos tribute album, When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos.

In addition to his own recordings, Norman produced music on his Solid Rock label for Randy Stonehill, Mark Heard, Tom Howard, Pantano/Salsbury, David Edwards, and Salvation Air Force. Norman also produced a artists who were signed to other labels, such as Malcolm and Alwyn, Bobby Emmons and the Crosstones, and Lyrix. While Norman received production credits for two songs on Sheila Walsh's first album Future Eyes, he remixed several songs that were already recorded. In 1977 Norman signed James Sundquist to Solid Rock, which produced some of the songs on Sundquist's Freedom Flight, an album that blended ragtime and ballads, that was later released by Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion label. About 1978 Norman produced an album, Moving Pictures, for British poet and musician Steve Scott that was never released.

Implosion of Solid Rock

In June 1980 the Solid Rock community imploded due to concerns about delays in releasing albums, concerns about royalties and publishing rights, and rumors that Norman was not only unfaithful to his wife, Pamela, but involved in an extra-marital relationship with Stonehill's wife, Sarah, while Stonehill was on tour. One of the areas of disagreement within Solid Rock was over their philosophy of ministry. The concerns of Stonehill, Taylor and Howard and other Solid Rock musicians led to an intervention on June 17, 1980 with Norman organized by Philip F. Mangano, the Solid Rock business manager. According to Rimmer, Fallen Angel claims that "it was at this memorable meeting that Larry, rather than bowing to the concerns of his fellow artists and the Solid Rock family, chose to strike out. With accusations against his co-workers, he began the process of winding up the Solid Rock operation and the dreams of the artistic community came crashing down."

Norman and Mangano severed their business association, with Norman selling his interest in Street Level Artists Agency to Mangano, who subsequently resigned in October 1980 to start a new career in working to help the homeless, and becoming the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for seven years from March 2002,

American Christian rock historian John J. Thompson identifies several factors in the collapse of Solid Rock, including possibly an over reliance on Norman's celebrity; Norman's confrontational lyrics and music, which alienated both the Christian and mainstream music industries; Norman's over-commitment, including producing almost all of the Solid Rock albums, contributing songs, and singing backing vocals; and "by releasing high-quality music by the best bands, Norman doomed his label to almost certain failure. He was simply way ahead of the curve". American professor of religious history Randall Balmer believed that the causes of the demise of Solid Rock were "Idealism, marital difficulties, and financial naivete — as well as changing musical tastes". Norman acknowledged in a 1984 interview: "I've never been really good in the business side of it. I haven't had a problem with creativity but I've never had the business side of it together." In a 1998 letter to Randy Stonehill, Norman indicated:

"I DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT: You know I never cared about money, so it's something I never worried about. Which was probably not helpful to running a record company and keeping track of everything to the artists' satisfaction. ... I couldn't run the label without competent assistants. I trusted Philip [Mangano] to keep track of royalties, gave him an open checkbook, and never looked over his shoulder. I thought he was my other half. And Philip just wasn't that man. He made a lot of money ... and I'm sorry about your royalties, but I ran the musical side and Philip ran the business side".

By October 1981 Norman was still represented by Word and the only artist signed to Solid Rock. In a 1982 interview with British Christian musician Norman Miller, then Executive Director of Word Europe, Norman discussed both the original purpose for Solid Rock and its future:

I have very few plans for Solid Rock at all. Originally, I started Solid Rock as a way of helping other young artists become established. My plan has always been to provide them with an intense education, support their efforts with concerts and record production, and then graduate them into the mainstream where they can stand on their own feet. I've been able to get Randy Stonehill to the point where Myrrh Records has signed him directly, while others, like Mark Heard, Tom Howard, and Daniel Amos have all signed with different American companies like New Pax. I've helped about fifteen people get contracts so far, and all the old Solid Rock crowd has graduated and I'm working with new and younger artists now.

Phydeaux Records

After the demise of Solid Rock, and his 2 September 1980 divorce from his first wife, Pamela, after almost nine years of marriage, Norman moved to England, where he was based until 1985. After fulfilling his contractual obligations, and two more years of musical censorship and unreleased albums with WORD, in 1980 Norman and his father, who had just retired from teaching after a heart attack, started Phydeaux Records (as in 'Fido'). Norman joked that "if Christian music was going to the dogs, then he wanted to remain on the cutting edge." Phydeaux was started in order to compete with a market of bootlegs of his own music. Norman reported that some his vinyl albums had sold for up to $400(USD) among collectors. According to Norman's liner notes,

"Phydeaux was not a counter-measure to, but a step-in-sync with, all the bootleg tapes of his material that had been circulating. In response to illegal bootlegs like Leyton's (sic) Live At The Mac, Larry decided if collectors wanted "bad-sounding" live recordings he would pick some rarities from his own archives. He chose Roll Away The Stone – And Listen To The Rock and The Israel Tapes. He had many better sounding live recordings but thought kids wanted something more rough for their bootleg collections. He also released several high quality studio compilations but was unwilling to release a "proper record" to the stores. He was standing as far away from the industry as possible and was also enjoying the distance. Basically, he was ignoring the American distributors who had for many years ignored him. Phydeaux helped distribute Street Level Records on behalf of Street Level Prod., Inc. to stores in Europe and America and also by direct mail. Through the mail he found that he could go directly to the people who well and truly understood music and his ministry.

In March 1981 Norman was featured on the cover of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine, and was the subject of an extended interview by CCM magazine founder John A. Styll entitled "Trials, Tribulations and Happy Endings".

Chapel Lane

Norman signed a distribution deal with Chapel Lane, a British label founded by Norman Miller. By the time of his fourth appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on 6 February 1981, Larry was renting a small room for £7 a week next to both the Bunch of Carrots pub and the Chapel Lane Recording studio in Hampton Bishop after the break up of his first marriage. As Chapel Lane was unable to pay royalties to Norman at one time, Norman was given free studio time, in which he was able to record thirty new songs in a fortnight, and eventually had recorded seventy songs.

While at the Chapel Road studio, in about 1981, Norman, backed by the Barratt Band, recorded songs for Before and After, a tribute album of Bob Dylan covers scheduled to be released in 1982 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dylan's recording career. One of Norman's musical influences was fellow American singer songwriter Bob Dylan, whom he knew personally but not well. After Dylan's conversion to Christianity in 1979, In 1984 Norman praised Slow Train Coming: "I thought Slow Train Coming was the finest gospel album ever written. I'll never write one as good as that, He'll never write one as good as that, – nobody will. It touched me in every area. You know men in conflict, like Dylan was when he was dying to self and becoming a Christian are very interesting. And because he wrote that album when he was a baby in his crib, but he had a lot of knowledge from the world, it was an album that he can never reproduce. He can never re-experience those songs. I first heard it over here in '79 and all weekend I was on a cloud. I thought This is the greatest album I've ever heard. We were all afraid that he would be overly affected by the evangelical simplicity of American mindlessness and write an album that wasn't really worth his gift for poetry. That album is like a prayer, it's a beautiful prayer, a social communion. It's a communion for all the disenchanted people that are angry." When asked to identify his favorite Christian singers, in 1985 Norman indicated: "For music, I would say that Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming is the best Christian album ever recorded. I've certainly never written anything that says as much and I'd be most impressed if he ever surpasses it himself. I wish every Christian who likes modern Gospel music would buy a copy of "Slow Train". Then they'd have an idea of what Christian music is capable to communicating".

On 9 May 1981 Norman performed at the Dominion Theatre in London, "one of the defining moments in his career", which was recorded and released later that year as Larry Norman And His Friends On Tour. About the same time Barking At The Ants, containing four Norman songs, plus songs from British musicians Steve Scott, Alwyn Wall, Sheila Walsh, Mark Williamson, The Barratt Band, and Bryn Haworth was released. While in England in 1981, Norman wrote "A Woman of God" based on Proverbs 31.

The Calcutta Mission of Mercy was one of the causes to which Norman was committed, as result of his visit to India on his 1977 world tour. In 1983 Norman released two albums with all royalties for the benefit of the Calcutta Mission: The Story of the Tune, and Come As a Child, which was an acoustic live solo album.

Third World Tour (1984)

From 1984 Norman & the Young Lions, which comprised his brother, Charly Norman, Ken "Kenny Bam Boom" DeRouchie, Jon Linn, and Bill Romansky, commenced the Third World Tour, which continued until his return to the USA in 1985. In 1984 Norman released Quiet Nights, an album that included eight songs composed by Tom Howard (including 2 co-written by Randy Stonehill), 2 by Norman, and 2 instrumental études also by Norman, through Stress Records, which was a division of Phydeaux, Inc., and distributed through Gospel Media in the USA. and through David Smallbone's DTS Records in Australia. On 15 June 1984 Norman performed a concert at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne, Australia, which was recorded and released as his 1985 album Stop This Flight, with all new songs. In 1985 Norman was profiled in Manna Music Australia, an Australian Christian magazine. In 1984 Norman recorded songs for Behind the Curtain, the as yet unreleased first album in a projected Second Trilogy, which he described as "a personal triptych. It deals with the body, soul, and spirit".

At the beginning of 1985 Norman announced that he and his second wife, Sarah Finch, who was now pregnant with their son, Michael, would return to the US to live, and that he and the Young Lions would undertake a 200 city tour of all fifty of the United States during 1985 and 1986. On 7 April 1985 Norman appeared on Rockspell, a BBC television special hosted by Cliff Richard, with whom he sang "The Rock that Doesn't Roll".

Thirty Years 1956–1986

About 1986 Norman conceived the idea of creating Thirty Years 1956–1986, a multi-volume collection of his music written between 1956 and 1986 to celebrate three decades writing Christian music, which would also feature videos, soundtracks, and t-shirts. To facilitate the distribution of these albums and the other thirty year commemorative merchandise, as well the albums of his other Solid Rock Imports artists, including Swedish band Edin-Adahl, South African Victor Phume, and Swedish white metal band Leviticus, Norman signed an agreement with Royal Music of Sweden to distribute in Europe, and with a newly established Christian distribution company for North American distribution.

Included in this Thirty Years collection was Norman's 1986 album Down Under (But Not Out), which was a retrospective of "thirty years of artistry", through both Phydeaux and Royal Music. A cassette version had earlier been given free to new subscribers to On Being, an Australian Christian magazine. This album, which included songs from his years with People! through to the mid-1980s, contained the autobiographical song, "Why Can't You Be Good?", which references the difficulties in his first marriage.

White Blossoms from Black Roots: The History and the Chronology: Volume One, was planned to be the first of five albums that would a chronological retrospective that would showcase the evolution of Norman as a songwriter, featuring a juxtaposition of styles from 1956 to 1986. However, soon after the CD pressings of White Blossoms from Black Roots had been sent to the distribution company, "the FBI arrested the head of the company for check forgery and seized all of the merchandise", resulting in loss of access to his artwork, and digital tape masters, as well as to the material prepared for other Solid Rock Imports artists. The collapse of the distribution company affected other Christian artists and smaller gospel labels. While White Blossoms was released in 1989, it would be re-released in 1997 as part of a 40th anniversary The Best of Larry Norman project, with some songs removed and others added.

Also in 1986, Royal Music released Rehearsal For Reality (also known as Rehearsal 4 Reality), a compilation album that included some previously released songs, but also six new songs, including three instrumentals, and "More than a Dream" written by British poet Steve Scott.

Benson Records (1989)

Later in 1986, Norman was signed to Benson Records, and made a cameo appearance in a music video with Christian artist Geoff Moore and the Distance for a cover version of his song "Why Should the Devil (Have all the Good Music?)". Norman "almost found belated American CM acceptance", and attended the conservative Dove Awards in 1987. In August 1988 Norman toured the USA with Swedish Christian metal band Leviticus opening for him.

During 1986 Norman recorded Home At Last, which was not released until 1989, due to legal problems (which Norman described euphemistically as "transitional circumstances" in 1989). In 1989 Norman explained why Home at Last, the third album in his Second Trilogy, was released before the other two albums: "When it was suggested that my "comeback", after ten years absence, might be a difficult passage back into the public arena, it was decided that Stranded in Babylon might be too radical a message for the first release. Behind the Curtain was perhaps too chilling a look at the modern church, social conditions, and personal dilemmas". Home At Last, Norman's first album on a major US CCM label, was a double album that was promoted by its distributor, Benson Records, as Norman's "comeback album", announcing "Larry Norman's Back". Rather, it was a personal and "autobiographical album" that contained "a loose collection of songs written between 1956 and 1989...[that] covered the years of ground between his childhood, career, divorce, and dysfunctional family life", including several previously unreleased songs that focused on his family and his sense of home, which was distributed through Benson Records. Recorded in 1986, Home At Last featured Norman singing "Letters to the Church" with his then wife, Sarah Finch, which was a retitled version of "Letter to a Friend"; two other songs about his relationship to Randy Stonehill: "Queen of the Rodeo" and "He Really Loves You". In response both to televangelist Jimmy Swaggart's June 1987 book Religious Rock 'N' Roll: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, which had criticized the music of Norman and other Christian rock artists, and Swaggart's February 1988 admission of adultery with a prostitute, Norman wrote the song "Selah", which had its last verse censored by Benson, which was: "My songs are spiritual fornication,/ that's what this television preacher said./ I guess he knows a lot about fornication,/ I heard he wrote some sermons in a prostitute's bed." The song "Somewhere Out There", which was written for his infant son Michael, reached #12 on Christian radio charts in 1989.

Despite extensive promotion by Benson, Home At Last generally received negative reviews, including that of Rupert Loydell who described it as "a disorganised, half-produced, and ultimately unsatisfying hotchpotch of songs". It was also criticized for its lack of political statements. Norman himself later dismissed this album in a Belgian press conference as "just a collection of tapes I had... some were even recorded before the plane accident." In 1989 Norman wrote that he was "extremely happy with Benson. I've never had so much support and commitment from a record company before".

Health issues (1988-1991)

Just before the beginnings of the fall of the Soviet Union, after a concert in Tallinn, Estonia, on 15 November 1988, Norman and his brother Charles, and the Finnish band Q-Stone were scheduled to play a show in Leningrad. Norman relates that he and his brother became ill after eating a meal that had been prepared as a "special menu" for them. Shortly afterwards, a trio of nurses ("built like football players") appeared in his room and wanted him to go to the hospital. Norman became suspicious and refused. The concert was canceled by (Soviet) army personnel twenty minutes after the band began to play. After this incident, Norman and Charles were ill for a year. When they had recovered, Norman returned in April 1990 and sold out four concerts in the private military hall in Kiev and seven concerts at Moscow's 35,000 seat Olympic Stadium. After these successful shows at the stadium, Norman decided to open a branch of Solid Rock Records in the city.

In February 1989 Norman collapsed during the JAM (Jesus and Music) '89 Festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia. In 2008 the tour promoter Australian Kevin Cooper recalled that Norman "collapsed on the stage mid-song, and most of the audience thought that he was playing around. When I called out from the back that he needed help, the stage crew and other artists were quick to get to him with some drinking water and they were able to revive him. He was never well on that tour, and on that very hot day, I think he had heat exhaustion to contend with, on top of his other health issues". After Cooper took Norman to the hospital, and after he received the correct medicine, Norman recovered, but Cooper indicates that he was still concerned at whether the tour could continue.

In 1989, Norman said: "I love the church and my sisters and brothers, but I didn't always feel welcome. And the church never felt like home". In 1989 Norman was awarded the Christian Artists' Society Lifetime Achievement Award in a surprise ceremony at Estes Park, Colorado.

Spark Music

In 1989 Norman began a distribution arrangement for Europe with Spark Music, a small Dutch indie label," that was owned by GMI Partners, which was headed by Hans Groeneveld, that would last until 1998. In August 1989 Norman appeared with his brother and the Finnish band Q-Stone at the Flevo Totaal Festival in the Netherlands in front of an estimated 10,000 fans, which was recorded and released by Spark in 1990 as Live at Flevo with Q-Stone. According to Norman, within a month of its release "it was already the biggest-selling live Christian album ever released". In 1998 Norman performed at Flevo backed by Beam, a young Dutch band, to a mixed reception as Norman's label wanted a new set of songs to be released on another live album, Shouting In The Storm, which sold poorly in Europe, and led to GMI dropping Norman from the label. In 2007 Norman wrote that GMI had become difficult to work with, and that his release from the label was an answer to prayer: "Being lied to was more discouraging than never receiving any royalties and never having received accurate sales statements and I wished I were out of the contract".

Faith healing

At the close of his February 1991 British tour, in the Surrey home of Ze and Dave Markee, who had been the bass player in Eric Clapton's band, Norman received prayer for his long-term health problems from Pastor John Barr (died January 2001), the Senior Pastor of the Elim Way Fellowship in Canning Town, London, and the Director of Freedom Road Ministries. Norman maintained that through this prayer God repaired the damage to his brain and he was able to function again. In 1993 Norman stated: "A man prayed for me. I heard a lot of noises in my head, a lot of heat and from that day the man prayed for me my brain has become so clear, so I've been excited, wondering how quickly can I make a new record now I have my old brain back, it's a good brain, not the damaged brain that I had. That's also a comparison that now my brain is healed so I can make music like I used to make." William Ayers described Norman's healing in 1991: "He felt like twelve years of his life had been spent at the bottom of a black hole. He tried hard to climb out of it, watching it engulf and destroy his private life and diminish his personal ministry. Now, after meeting John Barr, he feels like he is back from the dead. He doesn't need medicine. He's been healed."

Stranded in Babylon (1991)

The creative rush that followed Norman's healing was expressed on Stranded in Babylon which saw him collaborate with his younger brother Charles "Charly" Norman. After four months in the recording studio in Sweden, and overdubbing in Norway by the Albino Brothers (Norman and his brother, Charly), in 1991 Norman released through Spark Music the European version of Stranded in Babylon, an album which was recorded in Sweden in 1988. Hailed by both critics and fans as one of his best albums, it was praised as "a superb new album which sees a return to the form he showed to full effect on those classics like 'Only Visiting This Planet' and 'So Long Ago The Garden' back in the mid seventies" with 13 new "songs [that] are cleverly arranged and produced, with plenty of pertinent lyrical imagery and the sly wit of yore amongst the electric guitar solos and breezy (sampled?) saxophones" by Norman and his brother, Charly, who share all of the musical duties. Stranded in Babylon was named Album of the Year by Christian rock journals. Stranded in Babylon was conceived as the second album in a projected Second Trilogy that was planned to include (in order) a still unreleased Behind the Curtain, and the previously released Home at Last. Included on this album is "God Part III", which draws on John Lennon's "God" and the U2 riposte ("God II"); "Come Away", written about his 1973 meeting on the streets of Shepherd's Bush with prostitute Holly Valentine, who later became a Christian; and the autobiographical "Under The Eye", "which tells how Larry has, despite the last decade, always been watched and cared for". "Under the Eye" references "all the trouble and strife/And the things which went wrong and lasted so long", and "The mystery of love, the push and the shove/ Of friendship betrayed, of plans I mislaid,/ The oceans I crossed, the things that I lost/ And the world in my hand as dreams turned to sand", including his 1978 plane accident and his subsequent brain damage: " I crashed in a plane, I really damaged my brain/ And then I layed in my bed with all this music in my head./ The years have rolled by, I've watched the past die/ But feelings remained like mercy much strained./ Like a seed left unsown, like a leaf that was blown/Like a man who was blind, there was a lock on my mind", but also his 1991 healing: "Then a man came to me and he held out the key/ And the lock hinge was blown, I had never been alone". Norman's February 1992 heart attack delayed the release of the US version of this album until 1994.

After the release of Stranded in Babylon in Europe in 1991, Norman and his band toured Europe on the "Babylon Tour", performing concerts in Sweden, Finland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Belgium, USSR, and Poland, before returning to the USA.

Later years

About 1992 Norman's father retired and sold Phydeaux to Bill Ayers, a family friend of Joe Norman, who was previously employed to facilitate the distribution of both Phydeaux and Street Level Records. At that time Street Level Records came under the umbrella of Christian Community Placement Centre (CCPC), which undertakes foster care programs in Salem, Oregon. In 1991 Norman recorded a live concert he gave to raise funds for CCPC, which was released in 1994 as Children of Sorrow, which featured cover art drawn by his son, Michael Norman.

Heart attack (1992)

Norman's creative resurgence was cut short by a nine hour heart attack on 28 February 1992 in Los Angeles, which was initially misdiagnosed as esophagitis by the staff at Cedars Sinai Hospital, and resulted in a near fatality and permanent heart damage. As his medical insurance had been canceled in 1988, Norman sold Solid Rock to help pay for his medical bills. Norman did not perform again until June 1992, when, still needing to raise funds for his medical expenses, Norman performed an acoustic "unplugged" concert in Texas (where he had been born) what he then believed might be his last ever concert. This concert was recorded and released in 1994 as Totally Unplugged Two days after the concert, Norman collapsed on the sidewalk, and was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was hospitalized for almost two weeks. According to the 1995 Phydeaux Newsletter: "It was discovered that some of the medicine prescribed for him during the first hospitalization, like Prilosec, was actually weakening the beat of his heart. He had suffered heart failure. After it was felt that he had recovered sufficiently, he was released back into the care of a Los Angeles physician. He was advised to do no more concerts unless the change in medicines improved his ability to breathe and helped him regain the strength to walk without feeling faint.

After these coronary events, Norman struggled to perform live. At the April 1993 Ichthus Music Festival in Wilmore, Kentucky, Norman announced that he would be soon be unable to perform future concerts due to his declining health. On 19 June 1993, after a concert in Drachten, Holland, Norman was hospitalized for ten days. costing him his entire tour fees of $10,000. Norman indicated at this time: "I've had three different types of heart attacks. I've had the first kind, which was myocardial infection (sic) where my heart stopped and I lost forty per cent of the tissue, it's dead. The next time I had problems with congestive heart failure, and this time I had ventricular arrhythmia tachycardia which is where the heart beats very fast. It gets confused and pushes the blood away from the heart so you can't breathe very easily, you're not getting enough oxygen, and you're not getting enough blood." On 16 July 1993 Norman performed his first concert since his most recent hospitalization in the Netherlands, which again Norman believed would be his last with a band, in an outdoor area in the forests of Sweden with a group of local musicians that Norman recruited and named the Judaic Vikings. Among the songs performed, was a recently composed "Goodbye Farewell', which addressed his health concerns but also expressed his faith in God: "The light grows dim but in this hour/ I have no tears to cry./ My heart is full, my joy complete. /Goodbye, my friends, goodbye./ I feel no loss of hope as I've grown older./ Only this world's weight upon my shoulder./ My heart beats to a slower song,/ So softly in my veins./ The night is warm, but in my sleep/ I dream of heaven's reign". In 1994 this concert would be released as the album Omega Europa, and sold as "Larry's farewell rock and roll band concert".

The Simpsons parody comic of Larry Norman

In February 1994 Norman was hospitalized in Los Angeles. After his discharge, and as a consequence of the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, which damaged his Los Angeles apartment, Norman moved into a small room in his parents' house in Salem, Oregon so that he could help take care of his father who had developed Alzheimer's disease, and who would eventually require admission to an adult care facility. Soon after Norman moved to Oregon, Norman campaigned to raise votes for the Stop Child Pornography issue on the Oregon State Ballot, and "celebrated his seventh year of ministry to the runaways and abused kids who are helped through the proctor homes and foster care of the CCPC outreach".

Despite his physical limitations, during 1994 Norman did "a handful of concerts to try and raise money for his heart operation", According the 1995 Phydeaux Newsletter, Norman "had to fly in two or three days early, to rest – then do the concert, and stay an extra two or three days to rest. Even with rest, these trips were very hard on him but he felt he had no choice but to try and raise money for his operation." In addition to his Children of Sorrow album, on 12 June 1994 Norman released A Moment in Time, a concept album which contained rough mixes of ten new songs (including "Long Hard Road" co-written with Dizzy Reed) written while he was in hospital and recorded in the studio for the as yet unreleased Pushing Back the Darkness album, that also raised funds for CCPC to fight child pornography.

In 1994, a limited edition lithograph print of a "Simpson-ified" Larry Norman performing "Why Should the Devil Have all the Good Music?" was drawn and signed by Bill Morrison, the illustrator of the Simpsons comic books, to raise funds for Norman's medical fund. In addition to the Simpsons Comics release, a Simpsons watch was also produced featuring the yellow, three-fingered likeness of Larry Norman.

In the aftermath of Cornerstone magazine's 1992 exposure of popular Christian comedian Mike Warnke, who had claimed falsely to be an ex-Satanic priest, in 1994 "a certain journalist speculated that Larry probably hadn't been in an airplane accident in 1978, and inferred that he also probably hadn't really suffered a serious heart attack. There was a lot of confusion. This started a series of rumors. Then the rumors began to snowball into different variations and people were confused about sending a donation for his heart operation." In a 1995 interview in Visions of Gray magazine, Norman addressed these rumors, with specific details about both his 1978 accident and his heart problems. In answer to the allegations, Norman responded:

"unless certain people in the journalistic community believe I'm gifted enough to fake my E.K.G. ... If I can display my medical files and x-rays and prove my airplane accident and heart attack, then the millionaires in the Christian media, who seemed to have implied that I'm a liar, can buy me the defibrillator which I need to help me stay alive. I've been in the hospital many times in the last three years. So if by heart attack you mean one of the more recent problems you can examine my E.K.G. on the back of the Totally Unplugged album".

By early 1995, Norman had been hospitalized thirteen times. Norman had a defibrillator implant inserted in his chest, which enabled him to perform occasional small concerts. However, Norman was accused of occasionally exaggerating the truth to get attention. During an interview, Christian reporter Bob Gersztyn expressed his skepticism to Norman about him having a defibrillator: "I started to doubt that he really had a defibrillator. But when I voiced my concern, he opened his shirt in the middle of the restaurant we were sitting in, to reveal the implant in his chest. I felt like Thomas, in the 20th chapter of John".

In August 1995 ForeFront Records released One Way: Songs of Larry Norman, a tribute album that included covers of 14 Norman's classic songs by ForeFront artists, including dc Talk; Audio Adrenaline, Grammatrain; and Rebecca St. James, whose father , David Smallbone, booked and promoted Norman's first concerts and distributed Norman's early records in Australia, including his eponymous 1977 album, (which is also known as Starstorm). In April 1998 Norman indicated he was a member of Andrae Crouch's church, the Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ then located in Pacoima, California, although he did not attend regularly since he moved to Salem, Oregon.

Tourniquet (2001)

The creative collaboration with his brother bore more fruit on his 2001 album Tourniquet, an album of all new songs, which was produced by the Albino Brothers (Larry and Charles Norman). Of the nine songs "Turn" was written by Charly Norman, with two others being co-written by him with Larry, and Charly's band, then called Softcore, providing the musical backing. Intended to be a pre-release to Behind the Curtain, the as yet unreleased first album in Norman's Second Trilogy, first mentioned in 1983, Tourniquet was described by Dougie Adam as "perhaps Larry's deepest, most articulate album ever ... [and] even more hard hitting than 'Only Visiting This Planet' or 'Stranded in Babylon'". In his latter years whenever Norman made rare live performances, it would often be accompanied by his brother's band, Softcore (later renamed Guards of Metropolis).

In November 2001 Norman underwent a quadruple-bypass heart surgery. On 27 November 2001 Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in a special ceremony held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, along with Elvis Presley, Keith Green, Kurt Kaiser, Doris Akers, The Rambos, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, and Albertina Walker. As Norman was still in hospital and unable to attend the ceremony, his son Michael accepted the honor on his behalf. The Gospel Music Association said:

Larry Norman's music – an unlikely mix of love songs, the Gospel message, and wry commentary on American culture – exemplified the goals, ideals, and standards of everything the original architects of contemporary Christian music intended for it to be.

The Essential Series (2002–2004)

Norman's illness resulted in an accelerated number of releases (or re-releases) of his recordings to raise funds for his medical bills. In order to meet Norman's hospital bills, in November 2002 Solid Rock Records began releasing the Essential Series on CD-R, a set of seven Norman albums, with 142 songs (including 16 previously unreleased songs), which comprised: Instigator, which included rough mix versions of two previously unreleased songs, "Butterfly" and "Kulderachna", both removed from 1973's So Long Ago the Garden; Agitator, which included three unreleased bonus tracks, "Sweet Silver Angels", "God, Part 2", and "People In My Past"; Liberator, which included songs that were aimed at "liberating Christians who felt trapped inside the church and also providing a cultural doorway to allow those who felt dismissed and isolated by Christianity to find their way into fellowship with Christ regardless of the church's response toward them"; Collaborator, which featured songs representing "the combined efforts of Charles and Larry [Norman] from lyrics and melodies to arrangements and production", including three unreleased songs: "Perfect World", "Don't Wanna Be Like You", and "Jesus Is God", recorded about 2000; Emancipator, included two unreleased songs of Norman singing with Randy Stonehill: a Christian version of the folk song "He Was a Friend of Mine", which had been popularized by The Byrds and Bob Dylan, which was re-titled "He is a Friend of Mine", and "I Love You", the song Stonehill and Norman co-wrote in 1971 for Stonehill's Born Twice album; Infiltrator, which sees love as "the most powerful infiltrator in the world", is a collection of Norman's love songs, and includes two new releases: a cover of David Noble's "Waves of Grace", and "Stranger, Won't You Change"; and Survivor, included the full 8-minute version of "Dark Passage", an unreleased third verse of "Baby Out of Wedlock", and "One Star Remains", which is Judee Sill's "My Man On Love" from her 1971 eponymous debut album.

Larry Norman playing after being inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2002 Norman continued to request prayer and financial assistance from his fans. Billed as "Larry Norman's Last Concert", on 18 October 2003 the Church of the Nazarene in Beaverton, Oregon organized a concert to celebrate Norman's 45 years in music, and to raise funds for Norman's medical bills. At the concert, his first in two years, "a very thin and frail" Norman performed "stripped down versions" of his classic songs in a solo set, followed by a set backed by Charles Norman, Jason Carter, Kristin Blix and Karson Swedberg. Additionally, his sister, Nancy Jo Norman-Overmeyer, sang with him on two songs, and his son, Michael Norman, also sang along. The concert was recorded and released as The Final Concert in 2004, but re-released later in 2004 as 70 Miles From Lebanon, as well as with a DVD of the same name. In January 2004 Norman had a new defibrillator and pacemaker installed. The 2004 Sessions album, which had six previously unreleased Norman songs (including covers of an old hymn, a traditional folk song, and songs by Bob Dylan, and Emmy Lou Harris) that were backed by Mark Lemhouse and Charles Norman's Softcore, as well as rare songs by Jesus Music veterans Dave Mattson, Randy Stonehill, Tom Howard, Keith Green, Steve 'N' Stonebrooke, and Daniel Amos, was sent to those who contributed $100 or more to his medical fund.

By 2006 Norman was almost blind in his right eye due to dozens of retinal hemorrhages, causing him to crash his car on 31 October 2006.

Norman performed his last official solo concert on 4 August 2007 in New York City, which was recorded and released as the FINALé DVD.

Among the last songs Larry Norman recorded were two (Back To The Dust and Walking Backwards) with the German Christian singer/songwriter Sarah Brendel for her record "Early Morning hours". Brendel has long adored Larry Norman for his unique and unblemished style. She was able to meet him in the summer of 2007 in Berlin and talked with him about a record session together. At the end of July 2007 Larry recorded a song called "Ya Gotta Be Saved" with The Crosstones, which was released in January 2010.

Death

After an extended illness, Norman died at 2:45 AM on February 24, 2008, aged 60, at his home in Salem, Oregon with family and friends present. The previous day he had posted a message regarding his illness on his website: "I feel like a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home. I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. [...] I want to say I love you. I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. [...] Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again". After a public memorial service held March 1, 2008, at The Church on the Hill, Turner, Oregon, Norman was buried in Salem's City View Cemetery, and his tombstone reads: "Larry Norman Evangelist Without Portfolio 1947–2008 Bloodstained Israelite".

Awards and honors

In 1989 Norman was awarded the Christian Artists' Society Lifetime Achievement Award. On 27 November 2001 Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium, and was voted into the CCM Hall of Fame in January 2004 by the readers of CCM magazine. In 2007 Norman was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame, both as a member of People!, and as a solo artist. At that time Norman reunited for a concert with People! In 2009 Norman was among those honored in a tribute segment of the Grammy Awards.

Personal relationships

Norman was married twice with both marriages ending in divorce.

Pamela Fay Ahlquist

In the summer of 1971 Norman met Pamela Fay Ahlquist (born 22 October 1949 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota), the daughter of Virginia Carlson and Albert Ahlquist. She had been a finalist in the 1971 Miss Minnesota Universe Pageant, then a stewardess for Northwest Orient Airlines. Pamela indicated in September 1972 that she had been involved in "the fast life of the jet set" which included illegal drug use.

After "a brief whirlwind courtship", Norman and Pamela Ahlquist were married on December 28, 1971 in Minnesota. During their honeymoon, Norman and Pamela stayed in a barn at the Love Inn (now called Covenant Love Community), a ministry started in 1967 by Scott Ross and his wife Nedra, formerly of the Ronettes, in Freeville, New York. Other stops on their honeymoon included L'Abri, a Christian community started by Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer, who had a profound influence on Norman.

After their wedding, Pamela worked as both a model and actress in commercials. In 1978, Norman and Pamela separated, and on 2 September 1980 they were divorced. Norman discussed his first marriage in several interviews: Buzz Magazine (1981); Australian Christian magazine On Being in 1985; and in a June 1989 article. Norman attributed his marital problems to Pamela's frequent infidelity, her pre-existing drug addiction, and deception. According to Norman, they were divorced because "My wife had decided she wanted to marry somebody else." In Fallen Angel Pamela shifts blame for their divorce to Larry, and confirms that it was Larry who served divorce papers on her. On 7 November 1981 Pamela married musician Joey Newman. Pamela subsequently appeared as an actress in several television programs. She has one son, Michael, and lives in Carmel, California with her husband, Joey, and runs a modeling agency.

Sarah Mae Finch

Norman married Sarah Mae Finch on April 27, 1982 at Santa Barbara, California, the sister-in-law of Stephen J. Cannell. She had previously been married to Randy Stonehill from 1975–1980. They first met at the Los Angeles First Congregational Church's Cedar Lake Camp at Big Bear, California in 1969, and later dated her when she was still a high school student at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles.

Norman described his marriage to Sarah in an interview in On Being magazine in 1985:"In April I married a wonderful Christian woman. ... She was raised in a wealthy family and privately educated. She's a really creative musician from a family of artists. ... When she became a Christian she turned her back on that world and began working with troubled children at a Montessori school. She was married to a man who liked his liquor and other women more than her. He squandered her life's savings and then left her for another woman. He got remarried two months after his divorce. She's been mending a broken heart for years. She refused to date anyone because she wasn't interested in ever getting married again, and I felt the same way. I just couldn't imagine starting a relationship with anyone ever again.

On August 17, 1985 Norman and his wife Sarah had their only child, Michael David Fariah Finch Norman, who was born ten weeks prematurely in Los Angeles, After Michael's birth Sarah was diagnosed with post-partum depression, which inspired Norman's song "Baby's Got the Blues", which was released on Stranded in Babylon in 1991.

By 1995 their marriage ended in divorce. Sarah subsequently re-married.

Norman was engaged briefly to Heidi Bartruff in the 1990s.

Randy Stonehill

Main article: Relationship of Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill

The relationship between pioneer Christian rock musicians Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill, sometimes described as the Lennon/McCartney of Christian rock, was a controversial one during its more than forty years from its inception in 1967 until Norman's death in February 2008. For over a decade Randy Stonehill was Norman's protégé, colleague, collaborator, and one of his best friends, but disagreements about finances and relationships resulted in a twenty-year estrangement, and a brief reconciliation.

Postmortem developments

On 24 April 2008 Norman was honored at the 39th GMA Dove Award ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, which was broadcast live on the Gospel Music Channel. On 8 February 2009 Norman was among those honored in a tribute segment of the 51st Grammy Awards broadcast on the CBS television network.

Anthology

While the project was conceived and initiated before Norman's death, on 27 May 2008 the Arena Rock Recording company released Larry Norman – Rebel Poet, Jukebox Balladeer: The Anthology, "a posthumous collection" of a selection of Norman's pre-1978 songs "designed to belatedly introduce a mainstream audience to Norman's music". Rolling Stone magazine described the album as "compelling proof Christian rock doesn't always turn out cheery or charmless or swaddled in yellow and black".

Family controversy

In July 2008 World magazine reported that Norman had fathered a child with an Australian woman Jennifer Wallace (née Robinson) during a tour in Australia in 1988 that she organized. According to McCallum, she has made the information public because Norman had broken a "promise" to include the young man, Daniel Robinson (born 11 July 1989), in Norman's will. British Celtic Rock singer Sammy Horner wrote and released a song "Larry's Son" soon after Wallace went public with her claims.

Fallen Angel documentary (2008)

Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman: A Bible Story is a controversial 2008 documentary on Norman's life by film producer David Di Sabatino, maker of a previous documentary on Lonnie Frisbee. Originally Frisbee included many of Norman's songs, but EMI, who owns most of Norman's songs, did not grant release to the filmmaker. Norman refused to cooperate also in the making of Fallen Angel, as did Norman's second ex-wife Sarah. Fallen Angel includes interviews by many who were close to Norman more than thirty years ago including his first wife, Pamela Newman, Randy Stonehill, Terry Scott Taylor, and Philip Mangano, the business manager of Solid Rock. The OC Weekly reports that Norman himself refused to be interviewed for the project. A cease and desist notice initiated by Norman's family temporarily prevented the public display of Fallen Angel, and prompted Di Sabatino to file his own lawsuit against Norman's Solid Rock on 20 March 2009. On 6 July 2009 the case was settled out of court, thus allowing the film to be shown. One reviewer sees the film depicting Norman as "Machiavellian, particularly in his dealings with his artists".

On 30 December 2008 Randy Stonehill's album Paradise Sky, the official soundtrack to Fallen Angel, was released by Bryan Duncan's Red Road Records, which was advertised as Paradise Sky: A Tribute to Larry Norman, attracting some criticism: "It’s hard to see how Randy Stonehill recording new versions of his own songs, but this time without the involvement of the late Larry Norman, is in any sense a tribute. One has to wonder about the wisdom of stirring the pot by even going there, when this could have simply been promoted as Stonehill revisiting his early work for the sake of the music, period. While ten of the 11 songs were originally on albums produced by Norman, the other "Even the Best of Friends", is the one written that alludes to the breakdown in his relationship with Norman.

Believing Fallen Angel contained "many untruthful, misleading, and deceiving statements about Larry Norman", in April 2010 authorized Norman biographer Allen Flemming, who has described himself as a close friend of over 30 years, created the website "Failed Angle: The Truth Behind Fallen Angel" to dispute some of the claims made in the movie with material such as e-mails, letters, tape recordings, and legal documents, kept by Norman.

Analysis and evaluation of Norman's music

In 1991 Norman explained the philosophy behind his music:

All of my albums had been made for the pre-Christian mind, the non-believer. Side One was always an introduction of gospel concepts; the existence of God, the reasonable personality of Christianity, the sanity of faith in Jesus and trust in His Holy Spirit. Despite the listener's possible aversion to Church because of experiences from their past, I wanted them to know that I was on their side; a believer understanding their non-belief, but encouraging them to give their life to Jesus. Side Two of my albums were always more assertive, didactic, and opinionated just on the chance that the listener might be interested in exploring the message more deeply. I considered myself a sort of rock and roll missionary, rather, a spy behind enemy lines; intending to help subvert the rule of the realm through personal witness. I took this missionary stuff very seriously but thought of myself in the position that a warrior might find himself if he didn't have the support of his own regiment; from 1956 to 1970 I had felt pretty much alone. By 1975 I no longer felt alone, but did somehow feel angry that records weren't being made for non-believers but aimed specifically "in-house" for a growing commercial Christian market.

According to American Christian music historian John J. Thompson:

Norman’s albums were richly layered in the best tradition of acts like The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John and Crosby, Stills and Nash, with a dark, apocalyptic streak that referenced nightmares, visions, broken relationships and the constant understanding that he, and the rest of his fellow believers, were truly not of this world. His message engaged the culture with authenticity and conviction, and his imagination articulated the disconnectedness felt by so many people in the aftermath of the 1960s. He seemed to be reclaiming Jesus from the Pharisees and universities and bringing Him back to the streets. He found common ground between the left-of-center political culture of the Vietnam era and the radical message of Jesus Christ. It was a perfect storm of culture and creed, and it set the stage for an entire movement to come up behind him—and eventually pass him by.'

Relationship with the Church and the CCM industry

Larry Norman's relationship with the wider Christian church, and with the Christian music industry, has been contentious for a number of years. In September 2007 Norman wrote: "I love God and I follow Jesus but I just don't have much affinity for the organized folderol of the churches in the Western World". Sarah Pulliam indicates that: "Although Norman left a large footprint, he also became estranged from the music industry because of strained relationships. He was eventually diagnosed with bipolar trauma". According to Portland news/radio station KXL, Norman's early social positions caused a stir among many conservative Christians. Norman's songs were wide-ranging, addressing such matters as politics (The Great American Novel), free love (Pardon Me), the passive commercialism of war–time journalists (I Am The Six O'Clock News), witchcraft and the occult (Forget Your Hexagram), alienation (Lonely by Myself), religious hypocrisy (Right Here In America) and many topics largely outside of the scope of his contemporaries. Norman's views against racism and poverty caused him to receive multiple death threats in the 1970s. Barry Alfonso described Norman's message and its reaction:

Norman's message was confrontational, challenging conservative Christians as well as nonbelievers. Onstage, he criticized churches for their lack of commitment to the disadvantaged, a habit that made it sometimes difficult to get bookings at Christian coffeehouses. His upstart attitude, though, won him a loyal following among young believers across America.

In 2006 Norman reflected on the difficulties he had with the Church over the years:

"I did 200 concerts a year for two years and then stopped. I never appeared at the same church more than once which is bread and butter to most artisans on tour. As one promoter put it, "I burned every bridge I came to" even before crossing it. But I thought the American Christian churches were not fond enough of the "hard" theologies of Jesus and were completely neglectful of feeding the poor, visiting those in prison, going into the hospitals and sharing the good news on the highways and byways, or even to the neighbours living next to them. Most people I asked said they had never witnessed to anyone, because they didn't know how to. And now I found that I was bashing my head against a church wall. In America the church did not like me. And no wonder. I was telling my young audiences to invite prostitutes and drug addicts and homosexuals to come to their church. And my songs were slyly disrespectful of organized religion, a position the young people identified with and their parents and pastors couldn't quite put their finger on. Nothing I said or sang was unscriptural. And I didn't speak against the church. I wasn't a protester. I wasn't ANTI anything, but I was FOR Jesus."

A widespread ban on Norman's music existed in some Christian stores. This ban was due not only to Norman's social positions, but his preferred company as well. Said Norman in a separate interview: "The churches weren't going to accept me looking like a street person with long hair and faded jeans. They did not like the music I was recording. And I had no desire to preach the gospel to the converted. In 2008 Philip Cooney attempted to explain the causes of Norman's problems with some Christians:

One of the problems for the church establishment was that Norman did not seem to be writing hymns. Not only was the music rock, the words were full of strange images or open references to subjects such as sex and drugs, and he often failed to "name the name" of Jesus. In understanding the reasons for this, it becomes easier to see that Norman was using principles that are still important for Christians today. Norman is one who saw the society around him in the USA not as a bastion of Christian morality, nor as an enemy to be shunned, but as a cross-cultural mission field. The use of Jesus' command " Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15), and the image of the 'agape' mouth containing the cross of Calvary on his record sleeves make this clear. Like all those who are serious about mission, he tested God's call, prepared through Bible study and prayer, made sure that he understood the gospel, and chose to speak in a language that would be understood by those he sought to reach in Jesus' name. Norman displayed a sympathetic understanding of that unchurched culture, but an equally strong desire not to compromise the integrity of the gospel.

Norman denied he was trying to start a revolution with his music, he just wanted "to learn how to explain God without using any of the language or ideas that had been taught in the church". In a 1979 interview Norman explained: "I would like the work that I do, and all my artists do, to break down the limited concepts of what Christian music should be and show what it can be and must be if it's ever to reach people like us. Basically Randy [Stonehill] and I write songs, that we can recommend to street people, harlots, junkies, politicians, ... businessmen". In an interview in Campus Life magazine, Norman defended his approach: "My primary emphasis is not to entertain. But if your art is boring, people will reject your message as well as your art".

By 1982 Norman had gained some acceptance as a substitute for secular rock artists. For example, The Encyclopedia of Christian Parenting recommended: "If your child develops an interest in TV star magazines or rock records, you may want to encourage a Christian orientation by giving Campus Life or Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, or Barry McGuire records as gifts".

In an interview after Solid Rock records had broken up, "Norman said that he was very unhappy about the reaction of Christian artists to their success. He faulted most of them for basking in acceptance (and money) from Christians. ... Norman felt that many artists were becoming Christian celebrities and ignoring their mission to the unbeliever. In particular, he was unhappy that Christian artists were unwilling to play clubs and other secular venues, and he was very put off that artists were not "preaching" between songs and making the Gospel clear—in confrontational terms." Commenting on Christian music in 1984, Norman said: "I'm pleased with what's happening in England and Europe...but I'm not totally thrilled about the commercialisation of Christian music in America." Two years prior to the 1984 interview, he had complained that Christian music generally meant "sloppy thinking, dishonest metaphors, and bad poetry" and stated that "I've never been able to get over the shock of how bad the lyrics are."

In 1989, Norman said: "I love the church and my sisters and brothers, but I didn't always feel welcome. And the church never felt like home". Also in 1989 Norman was awarded the Christian Artists' Society Lifetime Achievement Award in a surprise ceremony at Estes Park, Colorado.

In 2008 Norman still criticised the CCM industry and some of its practices. According to Philip Cooney,

"Norman is critical of the modern Praise and Worship movement and the operation of CCLI. The modern hymn writers he was at pains to shield from criticism some 30 years ago are now being questioned by Norman for becoming part of a multi-national Praise and Worship industry, producing manufactured rather than genuine praise.... Norman asks why a song written as an act of worship should remain the lucrative copyright property of the composer and not the property of the one to whom it is being offered—God: 'God doesn't charge us a fee to worship Him. Isn't it enough that the publisher and writer make money from the CD sales? Do they also have to be paid every time a congregation sings their song? They also get paid for the sheet music which choirs use to memorize their compositions. Isn't that enough money?' On the other hand, this may be seen as further evidence of Norman's long-standing criticism of the commercialization of the gospel music industry."

Contributions

To contemporary Christian music

In a 2008 interview in Christianity Today, Entertainment Tonight writer Chris Willman asserts that Norman's "influence outweighed his sales so much that it's comical....He really could've been a star if he were singing about something other than Jesus." British pop singer Cliff Richard, who recorded three of Norman's songs on his 1977 Small Corners album, indicated: "Larry was one of our greatest contemporary Christian songwriters, who made it his business to prove that the devil did not 'have all the good music'!" Christian Rock historian John J. Thompson assessed the significance of Norman and his career in 2008: "It is certainly no overstatement to say that Larry Norman is to Christian music what John Lennon is to rock & roll or Bob Dylan is to folk music". and previously in his Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll:

Despite the controversy, hype, and low points, Norman's impact on Christian music cannot be overstated. As a songwriter, Norman crystallized the heart of the Jesus Movement; as an artist, he pushed the creative envelope well beyond what had been considered appropriate; as a producer, he brought to prominence some of the most significant artists in Christian music; and, as a businessman (undoubtedly his weakest suit), he ran a label that brought some of the most important albums into the world. He also modeled a successful independent recording career as an alternative to working for a label."

After many years of a negative relationship with Norman, many CCM artists have credited Norman as an influence on their music, particularly in the sub-genre of Christian rock. He is often cited as influencing both Keith Green and Randy Stonehill in their conversions to Christianity. Both eventually became Christian music artists. Stonehill has commented: "If not for Larry Norman, we might all be doing Christian polka or something, but not Christian rock." Susan Perlman, one of the founders of Jews for Jesus traces the beginnings of her conversion to Norman sharing his faith with her on the streets of Manhattan in 1972. Grammy-nominated Australian singer and songwriter Paul Colman, who has covered Norman's Sweet, "Sweet Song of Salvation", on his 2009 album, History, acknowledges Norman's influence on his music:

It was Larry Norman however that really captured Paul's imagination. The Colman family saw Larry perform live many times in the 70's and 80's in Melbourne, Australia. Paul recalls, "I remember seeing this guy up there on stage at Dallas Brooks Hall in the heart of Melbourne on his own with an acoustic guitar, a microphone, a razor sharp wit and songs that really went deep into me. Somewhere inside my heart and mind I said 'I want to do that! It was actually about 18 years later that I stood in that exact spot and sang my own songs to a packed house."

Others who were influenced by Norman include American CCM musician Steve Camp, who co-wrote "If I Were a Singer" with Norman, which appeared on Camp's 1978 debut album, Sayin' It with Love, who describes Norman as his mentor, and with whom he lived for several months learning the craft of songwriting; Canadian CCM musician Carolyn Arends. Songwriter Bob Hartman, credits Norman and his 1972 song "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" in his establishing Petra; Peter Banks of British progressive rock/New Wave band After the Fire traces his involvement in "the mainstream music business" to Norman and his album, Only Visiting This Planet. Others who acknowledge Norman's influence on their career or music include American drummer Hilly Michaels, who recorded with Norman and Randy Stonehill in 1970; Grammy Award-winning recording artist and rapper TobyMac, who described Norman as "socially relevant, spiritually significant and passionate about challenging his generation to new heights of love", considered Norman his "greatest lyrical influence"; Mark Salomon, the lead singer of Christian metal band Stavesacre and thrash metal band The Crucified, who reveals that it was Norman's concert performance that connected him to Christian music; and Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph.

Norman has granted interviews to magazines covering Contemporary Christian music and accepted industry awards. When asked about the relationship between CCM and his own music, Norman has replied "I'm happy if I've been an encouragement to other artists." British poet and musician Steve Scott, who worked closely with Norman at Solid Rock, maintains:

"Regardless of the pros and cons of Solid Rock and all the stories that swirl around Larry Norman, I do think he's made an immensely valuable, foundational contribution to the whole contemporary Christian music industry... and I don't understand how someone that everyone nods towards and acknowledges as seminal ends up apparently scrabbling to pay for medical bills. In my opinion, the ccm industry owes that guy so much for opening the door for so many people. ... The guy took all the bullets, created the market.... I'm just saying that in real world terms... he's owed a lot more than he's currently getting from those parts of the machine that benefited most from his pioneering work."

To rock and folk music

Larry Norman was "the first artist to successfully infiltrate rock music with a heartfelt, blatant christian message". By 1971, Time magazine was reporting on the growth of the Jesus movement, the magazine stated, "It's like a glacier...it's growing and there's no stopping it." Time went on to say of Norman: "(he was) probably the top solo artist in the field", Norman later distanced himself from Time's characterizations of his involvement.

Over 300 artists have covered his songs, including Sammy Davis, Jr. Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and American singer-songwriters like John Mellencamp and David Eugene Edwards (of 16 Horsepower and Woven Hand) have also claimed to be fans of Larry Norman's music.

According to rock historian Walter Rasmussen, Pete Townshend once said that The Who's 1969 album Tommy was inspired by the rock opera "Epic" by People! (which he could behold every night when on tour with People!). However, Townshend has since denied the connection.

To punk/alternative rock

Following tours by the first wave of punk musicians in the British Isles in the mid-1970s, the post-punk band U2 was formed in Dublin, Ireland. Active simultaneously in the local punk music scene and the "Shalom Fellowship," some members of U2 eventually became "fans" of Larry Norman's music. Both artists performed, making unannounced appearances, at the U.K.'s Greenbelt Festival in 1981.

Charles Thompson IV discovered Larry Norman's music at age 13 after moving to California and seeing him in concert. Thompson said of Norman during this period: "I don't think Larry Norman was necessarily respected by religious people...he had more of a rebellious rock'n'roll kind of an image." "I dressed like him, I looked like him, he was my total idol." While at college in Massachusetts, Thompson adopted the stage name Black Francis, and formed The Pixies along with Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering. According to Kim Deal, the title of the Pixies' 1987 EP Come On Pilgrim, as well as a similar line from the song "Levitate Me," derive from a Norman catchphrase used during live performances. In the 1987 recording and subsequent performances of the Pixies song "Levitate Me," lead singer Black shouts "Come on Pilgrim, you know He loves you!" while imitating Larry Norman's accent. While recording the Pixies' album Surfer Rosa, producer Steve Albini recognized the Pixies' references and realized that he and Black both "had an affection" for Norman's music. They discussed Larry Norman at length during the recording process of the album. With the increased popularity of alternative rock in the 1990s, The Pixies earned increased recognition for their work. They were invited by U2 to join them on the Zoo TV tour in 1992. At one show, Black was introduced to Larry Norman by members of U2, who had informed him beforehand that Larry would be coming to the show. Black's solo album Frank Black and the Catholics, recorded in 1997 and released in 1998, featured a cover of Larry Norman's song "Six-Sixty-Six." Beginning in 2004, The Pixies embarked on a reunion tour. During this time, in June 2005, frontman Black joined Larry Norman for what was expected to be his final US concert. The pair performed Norman's 1978 song "Watch What You're Doing."

Emil Nikolaisen of indierock/shoegazers Serena Maneesh fame has publicly stated that he is fond of Larry Norman's So Long Ago The Garden, and also took part in several tribute concerts following Larry's passing.

Select discography

Main article: Larry Norman discography

Since the 1960s, Norman's work has appeared on over 100 albums, compilations, and concert bootlegs. These recordings have been released under various labels and with various artists. Some of his principal albums are:

• Upon This Rock (1969)
• Street Level (1970)
• Bootleg (1972)
• Only Visiting This Planet (1972)
• So Long Ago the Garden (1973)
• In Another Land (1976)
• Something New under the Son (1981)
• Home At Last (1989)
• Stranded in Babylon (1991)
• Tourniquet (2001)

Works

• The Long Road Home: Vaudeville, Dancing and How My Mother Met My Father. Salem, OR: Solid Rock Rublications, 2007.

Further reading

• Alfonso, Barry (2002). The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0823077182.
• Beaujon, Andrew. "God Only Knows: The Legacy of Larry Norman". Spin 24:5 (May 2008):120.
• Carpenter, Bil. Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. Backbeat Books, 2005.
• Cusic, Don. "Larry Norman". In Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock, and Worship, ed. Don Cusic (ABC-CLIO, 2009):311–315.
• Eskridge, Larry. "'One Way': Billy Graham, the Jesus Generation, and the Idea of an Evangelical Youth Culture", Church History 67:1 (March 1998):83–106.
• Howard, Jay R. "Contemporary Christian Music: Where Rock Meets Religion". The Journal of Popular Culture 26:1 (5 March 2004):123 – 130.
• Howard, Jay R. and John M. Streck. "The Splintered Art World of Contemporary Christian Music". Popular Music 15:1 (January 1996):37–53.
• Platt, Karen Marie. "The Original Christian Street Rocker: Larry Norman." Contemporary Christian Music 3:9 (March 1981): 8–11, 25.
• Price, Deborah Evans. "Larry Norman 1947–2008". Billboard 120:10 (8 March 2008):22.
• Stowe, David W. No Sympathy for the Devil: Christian Pop Music and the Transformation of American Evangelicalism. UNC Press Books, 2011.
• Styll, John W. "Trials, Tribulations and Happy Endings". CCM 3:9 (March 1981):5.

See also

• List of songs recorded by Larry Norman

External links

• Official website
• Official British Site
• Obituary in The Times, 7 March 2008
• Larry Norman at Find a Grave