Singer Chris Norman. Biography of Chris Norman

Chris was born into a family with deep artistic traditions - his grandparents performed in hospitals in England during the First World War, their daughter and Chris's future mother, Patricia Catherine, joined the dance troupe immediately after leaving school. Chris's father, Percy Joshua "Pip" Norman, was a member of the comedy and dance group "The Three Jokers", which toured all over Europe in the 30s and 40s and could even boast a British Royal Variety Performance. In addition, Chris's aunt Peggy was a dancer, and her son Conrad even played in clubs in Bradford with his own band, Con & The Concordes. Undoubtedly, the Normans were a family with strong artistic inclinations, but none of them managed to realize themselves as brightly as Chris did.

The Norman couple settled in the city of Bradford (Yorkshire). His parents allowed young Chris to do whatever his soul desired, and it soon became clear that he would inevitably become the continuer of the family artistic traditions - during family celebrations, his imitations of movie stars were among his most favorite numbers. His best talents were Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kay and Kacher Donald. Soon rock and roll began to sound in the Normans' house: young Chris's first records were Elvis Presley's I Got Stung and Lonnie Donigan's Gambling Man, and then the Beatles burst into his life, becoming idols for life. At the age of 7, he received his first guitar as a gift, and to the displeasure of his parents, he began to imitate rock and roll stars. And, using a common journalistic cliche, this determined his entire future fate. Soon Chris became a member of the orchestra of the Roman Catholic Grammar School. St. Bede, with whom he first appeared on stage in 1964. At this school he made friends Alan Silson and Terry Uttley, with whom he later organized his first group, which, after many transformations, became the world-famous Smokey group and with which he tasted both the initial sorrows and joys and deafening fame (see the history of the group. Smokey ).

In 1967, Chris Norman's band, then called Essence, performed in the small Scottish town of Elgin, in the Tower brasserie. Among the concert's visitors there happened to be a long-haired blonde, Linda McKenzie. She was not particularly interested in music, and at that time 20-year-old Linda was persuaded to go to the concert by her friend. Linda had already attracted the attention of then 17-year-old Chris Norman. During the concert, their gazes crossed several times. The leader of the group from Bradford did not let the process take its course and met with the girl again the next day. The sympathy that was born was mutual, and thus a love was born, as they say, for life. Soon Linda left her job and traveled with her friend around England as one of the few fans of a completely unknown group. She also helped musicians organize their performances.

After a year, Linda got tired of the nomadic life. She returned to Elgin and went to work in a law office as a secretary. However, the physical intimacy and mutual affection of both lovers did not remain without consequences. In retrospect, Linda found out that she was pregnant, and on July 28, 1968, the young couple had a son, Bryan. The young parents did not stop there, and Chris’s second son was Paul, born on May 25, 1972. After two more sons, Michael, born January 20, 1984, and Steven, born April 27, 1986, the couple finally had the girl they had long dreamed of. On April 4, 1991, Susan Jane was born. In addition, the first-born Brian managed to make his father a grandfather - he had a daughter, Danielle. Thus, Chris Norman is one of the most fathers in the world of show business. In all his interviews, he emphasizes that the greatest achievement in life is his family, and his happiest day is the day of his wedding with Linda (March 16, 1970).

In September 1978, Chris had his first solo experience - together with Suzy Cuatro, he recorded the single Stumblin’ In, which had a resounding international success. This made him think about an independent career for the first time, but at that time Smokey’s group turned out to be more valuable to Chris than the opportunity to perform as a soloist. However, the groundwork was made, and in 1982 the singer’s first long-playing disc, Rock Away Your Teardrops, was released, recorded with the full lineup of Smokey simultaneously with the group’s last disc, Midnight Delight. While still in the group, Chris willingly took on the responsibilities of a sound engineer and producer, which later came in very handy in his solo activities. After Smokey's first breakup in 1983, Chris returned to independent creativity: he released the song Love Is Battlefield, composed by Mike, as a single Chapman with his new partner Holly Knight, and the following 1984 - another single with the ballad My Girl And Me. Both releases went virtually unnoticed.

Real success came to Chris Norman during his collaboration with the famous West German musician and producer Dieter Bohlen. Bolen contracted to write music for the episode “Exchange” of the detective series Tatort, and invited Chris to perform the main song. Chris agreed, and the vocal recording process itself took only one hour. On April 28, 1986, Chris Norman woke up famous when Bohlen's composition Midnight Lady from this series appeared on sale as a single, entered the German Top 10, and a week later was at the head of the hit parade! Such success was somewhat unexpected for Chris: “I myself can’t believe it, because Midnight Lady was on the charts faster than Smokey’s best compositions.” Since then, the song about the Midnight Lady has become another calling card of Chris Norman, forever being included in the set lists of his concerts. To consolidate their success, Chris Norman and Dieter Bohlen recorded a number of songs, and in September 1986 Norman's second solo disc, Some Hearts Are Diamonds, was released. Five songs were written by Bohlen, four by the Norman-Spencer duo, and the newly-minted partners wrote one song, Hunters Of The Night, together. In the wake of this success, Chris starred in countless television shows.

The long-awaited success confirmed Chris that he was on the right path, and a solo career was quite within his reach. But shortly before this, in May 1985, Smokey's band was resuscitated - first for a single charity show in aid of victims of the Bradford stadium fire, and then for further concert tours. Chris Norman had obligations to his friends and bandmates, and continued to perform with them until September 17, 1986, when his farewell concert with Smokey took place in Frankfurt (West Germany). This concert was held with an extraordinary excitement, the musicians were having fun and fooling around, and at the end of the show, Norman's future replacement in the group, Alan Barton, appeared on stage. After this concert, Smokey and Chris Norman's paths diverged for a long time. Without a doubt, collaboration with Dieter Bohlen was of fundamental importance for Norman: his solo career received such an impetus that even if he completely quit making music, his name would forever remain in the memory of music lovers. But Chris was not at all delighted with the musical direction in which his rapidly developing career was taking him. Chris considered Bohlen's music to be too lightweight and decided to return to his previous more familiar rock style. However, this did not prevent him from later continuing his collaboration with Dieter Bohlen in the form of recording single songs. For example, another song by Bolen, Broken Heroes, for the same television series Tatort, appeared on the record in April 1988 and reached third place in the German charts, and in 1994, the song Wild Wild Angel (not to be confused with the classic Smokey song Wild) appeared in Norman’s discography Wild Angels), which was written for another German television series, "The Urban Indian" ("Die Stadtindainer"). It is interesting that the author of this song on the record is Jennifer Blake - this is one of Bolen’s pseudonyms, in particular, he used it when working with Bonnie Tyler. In addition, another pseudonym of Bohlen, Howard Houston, is listed as the producer of this work. However, you can’t hide an awl in a bag, and the touch of the West German maestro is immediately felt.

Be that as it may, Chris Norman decided to break off his close collaboration with Bohlen and look for another producer for his new songs. It was a veteran of the British rock scene, Pip Williams, who began his career as a guitarist in the team of Chinn and Chapman, played on the early recordings of Sweet and Mud, and later became famous as a producer of the most famous British (and not only) artists, such as Uriah Heep, Status Quo and Moody Blues. Chris Norman had some excellent compositions of his own prepared - such as Sarah (You Take My Breath Away), Woman In Love and Here Comes The Night, which formed the basis of the album Different Shades, which was released in October 1987. The album was imbued with optimism and was designed in a style close to Smokey’s sound, naturally adjusted to the musical fashion of the mid-80s, which was distinguished by an abundance of electronic drums and keyboards. Having material from his first singles and albums at his disposal, Chris was able to begin touring as a solo artist, and at the same time not rely heavily on Smokey’s creative legacy, although, of course, he had to perform the biggest hits of his former group. During the first German tours of 87-88. The backing band included keyboardist Fred Lloyd, two backing vocalists Karen Sambrook and Lynne McTaggart (who stayed in his band until 2005!), drummer Steve Pinnell (who later left for Smoky) and other guest musicians. In 1988, Chris Norman recorded a new duet - this time with the American singer and actress Shari Belafonte, daughter of calypso king Harry Belafonte. An offer to record a duet came from Belafonte's record company, and the two of them recorded the song I Want To Be Needed, with which they later appeared several times on various television shows.

The next album was created, one might say, single-handedly by Chris Norman himself. With the help of his old acquaintances Pete Spencer, who recorded all the drums, and Alan Silson, who sang along with Chris on one song, Norman proved himself a convincing multi-instrumentalist and recorded all the remaining tracks for the new 1989 album Break The Ice. The material was mostly composed either by Norman himself or by him and Pete Spencer. And, in addition, at the insistence of the producing company, the old hit of the duo The Righteous Brothers You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ was included in the album. And if you compare different interpretations of this song - Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, the duet Hall & Oates, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Page's The Firm - then Chris's version will, without a doubt, be one of the most successful. This song became a true highlight of the album, and once again proved that Chris can perform almost any song. Ever since his musical youth, Chris tried to put his soul into the performance of all the songs he took on, without making any difference whether he himself was the author or the song was borrowed. This certainly inspiring approach helped Chris diversify his repertoire and each time show a new facet of his creativity.

The next record was created in collaboration with the famous musician Tony Carey, who gained fame with his prog project Planet P, and in Russia, in addition, he became famous as a member of one of the incarnations of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow group. Carey wrote five songs for this project. Norman's album was called Interchange (1991) after the title of the first song, which Chris dedicated to his former colleagues in Smokey Pete, Alan, Terry and Bill Hurley.

This record turned out to be the most personal in all of Norman's work. This was probably facilitated by the fact that for the first time Chris Norman recorded new material in his own 24-channel studio, which he equipped in his home on the Isle of Man; he was assisted by his wife Linda (backing vocals on one song) and son Paul (backing vocals and help with recording), as well as old collaborators Pete Spencer, Fred Lloyd and backing vocalists Karen Sambrook and Lynne McTaggart. Among the most successful songs is If I Need My Love Tonight, with which Chris often appeared in various television shows. By the way, Interchange was the last Chris Norman album released on vinyl. All further releases by the maestro appeared only in CD format. The logical continuation of Chris Norman's career was the next 1992 album, The Growing Years, in which Chris tried to pay tribute to all the musical phenomena that influenced him. Again, some of the material was recorded in a home studio on the Isle of Man, and again among the instrumentalists were Pete Spencer, Fred Lloyd, vocalists Lynn and Karen. In addition, from the annotation to this record one could find out that new musicians appeared in Chris’s circle who would remain close to Chris over the next few years. This is guitarist Jeff Carline and sound engineer Neil Ferguson. Both of them will soon find themselves in Norman's permanent accompanying ensemble, with Jeff remaining in it until mid-2005. This disc is also remarkable because it contains another duet with Suzy Cuatro - the song I Need Your Love.

Norman released his next album only in 1994. On it, he renewed creative contact with Mike Chapman, who wrote two songs for Chris. One of them - Red Hot Screaming Love - later received the highest award of the American channel CMT in the “country” category, which surprised Chris himself. Some of the songs on this album were recorded with the help of musicians from Norman's accompanying band. It included the already mentioned Jeff Carline (guitar) and Neil Ferguson (keyboards, acoustic guitar), old friends Karen Sambrook and Lynn McTaggart (backing vocals), Pete Spencer (drums), as well as bass guitarist Paul Geary. and Jon Taylor (saxophone, flute, keyboards). With this group, Chris resumed active touring. The main touring routes were in Germany (which has been traditional since the days of Smokey), but Chris also began to turn his attention to other countries. In December 1994, the turn came to Russia.

On December 4, 1994, a joint concert between Chris Norman and Suzy Cuatro was scheduled to take place at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. But for some reason Susie was unable to get to Moscow, and Chris, after some hesitation, agreed to play the concert alone. The concert, which was a huge success, showed Chris how successful he and his songs have been since the days of Smokey. Later, the Kremlin concert was shown on Russian television, although not in full. However, this recording, circulated by pirates, for a long time became one of the few high-quality videos of Chris available to domestic music lovers. After this Moscow concert, Norman began regular visits both to Russia and to neighboring countries. Moreover, Chris Norman willingly agrees to participate in Russian television programs. For example, at the end of 1997, Chris recorded his famous duet Stumblin’ In for the program “Old songs about the main thing-3”, in which Natalya Poryvay (better known under the stage name “Natasha Koroleva”) took the place of Suzy Cuatro; 10 years later he records the same song with Pelageya. In addition, Chris, participating as a guest in the Star Factory competitions, sang the same song with Lena Treleeva. In addition, he often gave interviews to a variety of television channels.

Meanwhile, by the end of April 1995, Chris Norman was finishing recording his new album, called Reflections. Observing the undoubted interest in his work, Chris took the risk of releasing this record through the independent company DICE Music Ltd. founded by himself. The record contains more original material than on previous albums. But there were some borrowings - one song was again provided by Mike Chapman, and another - Reflections Of My Life, which gave the name to the entire album - Chris borrowed from the repertoire of the Marmelade group. All instrumental parts on the record were recorded by Norman's band; he himself produced. Having a good studio and extensive experience in recording at his disposal, Chris gradually began producing other performers in 1995. One of the first such experiences was the recording of two songs by Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon's first wife. It's hard to call Cynthia Lennon a singer - it's like calling Bruce Willis a singer (although he actually recorded several records). The fact is that Cynthia was Chris’s neighbor, and one day expressed a desire to capture her voice. For this, the song Those Were The Days was chosen (the English analogue of the Russian song “Dear Long”), and the second song was Norman’s composition Walking In The Rain from the album The Growing Years, which he specially remixed for Cynthia, replacing his voice with hers.

Another experience of producing other artists was the recording of an album by Teri Sullivan, who is Chris’s cousin. The sessions took place in Chris's home studio in 2003. The album was called Untamed, but so far no company has taken up publishing this record, despite the excellent quality of the material. Chris created his next few albums under the guidance of the famous producer David Brandes, who specialized mainly in creating dance music. The first such album was Into The Night in 1997, which Chris recorded with almost the entire composition of his live band. Of course, Brandes's presence in the producer's chair bore fruit, and this record became the most danceable in Norman's track record. It features a number of strong songs, including Send A Sign To My Heart, a duet with Brandeis' regular Lory Bonnie Bianco, but over time Chris has come to regard the album as one of his least favorites of his career.

Somewhat distracted from the influence of Brandeis and fully justifying his reputation as a vocalist who can perform any songs, in the same 1997, Chris Norman took part in the recording of Christmas songs together with the Riga Dom Boys choir. The arrangements for this album were written by Janis Lusens, the leader of the band Zodiac, Latvia, which became famous in the Soviet Union. The record sold 25,000 copies and received platinum status - a good result for Latvia. Another joint project Chris disliked with Brandes was re-covering old Smokovsky hits in new electronic arrangements, published under the title Full Circle (1999). It may be noted that Alan Silson helped sing backing vocals on one of the songs.

Chris Norman's first album of the new millennium and last to date with David Brandes as producer appeared in mid-October 2001 under the title Breathe Me In. This time the material on the album was more varied: there were ballads, pop songs, and hard rock. The last song on this album was another duet - this time with an Italian-German artist named Nino de Angelo. As a by-product of Chris Norman's collaboration with David Brandeis, there are several lyrics that Chris wrote for other Brandeis projects. For example, Norman wrote the lyrics for the songs E-Rotic, Bad Boys Blue.

In the fall of 2001, grief came to Chris Norman's family - his first-born Brian died in a car accident. For the next few years, the singer was simply unable to make music, and fell silent for a while. This silence was broken in November 2003, when Chris released his new album, Handmade. Chris Norman made this record on his own - he wrote most of the material himself (one song co-authored with Pete Spencer), produced it himself together with Michael Beckman, and his live band recorded the instrumental tracks. The album was dedicated to the memory of his son Brian, and the song Nothing Stays The Same was dedicated to him. Despite the presence of excellent songs on the record - including the one released on the single Keep Talking, to the creation of which Bryan Adams had a hand - the album did not become a revelation for listeners. For almost three years, the public began to forget Chris, and essentially, he had to re-conquer his lost positions. And the show of the German channel PRO7 Comebackshow was perfect for this - a competition of artists whose names had by that time lost their former luster. The essence of the competition is simple - ten artists performed songs at their discretion in the categories “Ballads”, “Disco”, “Hard and Heavy”), while the audience voted for the performers they liked. The one who received the fewest votes from viewers was eliminated from the competition. Chris Norman passed the entire tournament with honor and became the winner! During the finale, the organizers of the program managed the incredible - to gather all the members of Smokey’s “golden line-up” to perform the only song Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone (which later became the reason for a huge number of rumors about the upcoming reunion of the group).

As a result of winning the television competition, in addition to his undoubtedly increased popularity, Chris received a contract to record an album, which was released in May 2004 with the name Break Away and became one of the most successful in the singer’s discography. This album was filled with beautifully arranged and inspiredly performed songs, written by both Chris Norman himself and other authors.

Observing an obvious increase in public attention to his work, Chris in April 2005 implemented another long-planned project, namely the release of an acoustic album and an official live album, both in the form of audio CD and DVD. This audio-video project was called One Acoustic Evening - live at the Private Music Club and contained a recording of an acoustic concert in Dortmund in December 2004, and a June concert in Vienna. Of course, Chris Norman chose the best moment to release these records - after all, his popularity, especially in Germany, was quite comparable to the times of the mid-80s!

The thirst for change forced Chris to completely change the composition of his accompanying group in August 2005. This came as a complete surprise to fans, because Chris had worked with some of these musicians since 1987 (in particular, backing vocalists Karen Sambrook and Lynn McTaggart). However, the new members of Norman's accompanying band were his old friend Pete Spencer, as well as fairly young German musicians Axel Kowollik (bass), Shannon Callahan (guitar, vocals), Martina Walbeck (keyboards, vocals), Joey Albrecht (guitar). (A little later Pete Spencer was replaced on drums by Dorino Goldbrunner). With this line-up, in January-March 2006, Chris toured Germany extensively in support of his new album Million Miles, which went on sale immediately before this tour. This record was recorded by Chris almost independently, only his son Michael played guitar on a couple of songs, and Pete Spencer recorded drums. An excellent album that confirms the high class of Chris Norman.

Chris's last project to date (2006) was participation in the soul-funk project of the German artist Siggy Shwarts. In addition to Norman, former Manfred Mann's Earth Band vocalist Chris Thompson took part in the recording. This project was a step towards realizing yet another dream of Chris Norman that has not yet come true - to record an album consisting entirely of cover versions of famous songs. We hope that Chris Norman will fulfill all his dreams - he has a lot of talent and abilities!

- Chris, your song "What Can I Do?" in Russia, jokingly, they sing “I’ll find vodka”

Yes, I know. (Smiles.)

- It seems to me that in Russia you found something more that makes you come back here again and again?

Love, warmth. People in Russia love me so much! And it’s always nice to return to where you are loved.

- Are you hooked on our love?

Yes, I got hooked on the incredible energy of the Russian public. When people react warmly to you, it's always euphoria.

Your first group was called Kindness. But it was only after you renamed it Smokie that it became popular. It turns out that kindness and show business are incompatible things?

We came up with the name "Kindness" in the late 60s. Those years passed under the motto: “Love and Peace.” "Make love Not War". And “Kindness” seemed to fit the general atmosphere. But the problem was that no one could remember this name! People said: “Oh, I remember, your group is called... Happiness.” - “No, not happiness, but kindness.” Some couldn't pronounce it properly. So we had a hard time with this name.

- And who came up with Smokey?

It was producer Mike Chapman's idea. And my voice was hoarse and smoky. Perhaps this gave him an idea.

- I think more than one generation has been wondering who Alice is? You joke that you know her...

Yes, it turns out that one of my neighbors was named Alice. I didn't know her at the time the song was created. She is 83 years old. She is already an old lady. I recorded this song and forgot. And she became popular. And then an elderly neighbor knocks on my door: “Do you know that my name is Alice?”

- She thought that you dedicated the song to her?

Yes! Funny coincidence! She lived next door and her name was Alice. By the way, at first the song was called “Who is Lucy,” but the name Alice seemed more sonorous to everyone.

- Chris, you call your duet with Suzi Quatro one of the best. What's your relationship like with Susie today?

Normal. But I haven’t seen Suzi Quatro... For 5-6 years!

- Why don’t you record another song with her? What if she shoots too?

It is very difficult to repeat such success. Then everything worked out. We met by chance at a party in Germany. Mike Chapman, who produced both me and her, said, "You guys look great together. Why don't you do a duet?" We arrived at the studio. Recorded the song in 3 days!

The recording hit the radio and became an incredible hit. And today each of us has our own schedules. She does one thing, I do another. I take part in the show, but she can't. She wants to go to Australia - I can't. It's hard to synchronize schedules. By the way, we recorded another song in the 90s, but it did not become successful. The right things happen at the right time.

The songs “Midnight Lady” and “Some Hearts Are Diamonds” were written for you by Dieter Bohlen. They became real hits! Why didn't they continue cooperation?

He asked me to perform the song "Midnight Lady" for a film in Germany. I knew nothing then about the guy who wrote and produced it - Dieter Bohlen.

- Didn’t you really know Dieter and Modern Talking? "You"re My Heart, You"re My Soul" was played on all radio stations in Europe.

No. Their hits did not reach England. I recorded the song "Midnight Lady" and it went to number one. And then everyone started talking: “We should record an album!” But I wanted to play my songs. I prefer rock and guitar. And Dieter's style is more disco. In the studio it looked like this: - Will you record this song? - No no. - And this one? - Don't want! As a result, we came to a compromise: we recorded 5 of my songs and 5 written by Dieter. When the album came out, they offered me a second one. But I said that I would work with someone else who works in my rock and roll style.

- At 65 you released the album Crossover. Is 65 some kind of Rubicon?

No, I just wanted to record songs that I like. Intersection is rather an intersection of different styles. This is my style, but the genres are different. I'm not interested in hits now. People my age don't chase hits anymore. They just enjoy what they do. Hits are for young people who need instant success.

- Three of your children created their own rock band. Don't want to produce them?

I don't mind, but the problem is that they all have different taste in music. Daughter Susan, 24, prefers Amy Winehouse's style. Michael and Steven - rock, rock metal. And it's hard to bring them together. And the group is a single whole. This is the wrong approach: “I don’t like what you’re doing, but I’ll record this if you record this with me.”

In general, I have a lot of instruments at home, my own studio. Guitars, drums, mandolins, ukuleles, even a clarinet. So the children play different instruments, they are all musical.

- Does your wife get tired of constant music at home?

Sometimes, perhaps, but he doesn’t complain. Apparently she likes it.

- This is rare for show business, but you have been married for 46 years! Do you often say to her the phrase: “I love you!”?

Of course, I don’t tell her at every step, like at the beginning of dating: “I love you, honey” every 5 minutes. But sometimes it happens. And I say these words to my children, especially when I go somewhere. But “honey, by the way, I love you” doesn’t happen every day. Although it could.

- Judging by the songs, you are a romantic.

Yes, I'm a romantic. A little. Sometimes. And how easily I can cry! During a romantic movie. Or when they show something sad on TV. When I cut onions, I hear sad music... I'm ready to cry.

- Or when the football team loses...

- This year you are celebrating 66 years.

That's it, I'm old, I'm off. Bye. (Laughs, gets up jokingly.)

- What allows you to remain as energetic and cheerful?

Humor, I think.

- Humor?

Not only. I try to be reasonable. For example, I don’t want to go to the gym, but I force myself. I understand that I need to do squats, abdominal exercises, and run. In the morning I get up and do exercises for an hour. I've noticed that when I slack off for even two days, I don't feel as flexible. I don't eat a lot, I don't drink a lot.

- And joke.

And I'm kidding. And also performances. On stage I sing and run. Then I sit in the dressing room with my tongue hanging out and say: “Jeff (that’s my guitarist), I feel like I ran a marathon.” It keeps me in shape. I don't want to think about age. Otherwise, you realize that you are writing the last part of your life, and it’s hard to realize. I think: “66, how terrible!”

- How well do you feel?

- Then I wish you to always feel 35! And continue to sing, make us happy and joke.

Thank you. I would like to feel like I’m 35 for another 50 years. That is, until I’m 115-116 years old.

There are probably few people who have not heard such hits as Midnight Lady, Baby I Miss You, Stay One More Night and so on. Their performer is the popular singer Chris Norman, who made a career in the legendary group Smokey. What is the biography of Chris Norman?

Where did it all start?

Englishman Christopher Norman was born into an artistic family in 1950, so his future was already predetermined from above. For the first time, little Chris appeared on stage at the age of three, so by the time he was more or less conscious, he was already accustomed to it and did not separate himself from it. And after Chris received a guitar from his dad at the age of seven, his dream of becoming a rock musician grew even stronger. The parents, understanding their son’s passion, did not interfere with him, but, on the contrary, tried in every possible way to facilitate his speedy fulfillment.

Chris Norman's biography from early childhood included constant moves and different cities - all because of the active touring life that his parents led. Together with them, young Chris visited all corners of his native country. Until the family returned to Bradford, his mother's town, Chris had already changed nine different schools. In Bradford, he went to a boys' grammar school, which became the place where he met Alan Silson and Terry Uttley - first just friends, and then colleagues in the Smokey group. Christopher was twelve years old then.

Carier start

In those years - the mid-sixties - young people were fond of the songs of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan. Neither Chris Norman nor his new friends were exceptions. They diligently learned the songs of their idols, picking out melodies on the guitars. At first there were three of them, but a little later a fourth was found - drummer Ron Kelly. It was with the appearance of Chris Norman and his friends in the biography that Kelly came up with the idea of creating his own group.

Christopher was never particularly diligent in his studies, so he dropped out of school at the age of fifteen. Oddly enough, the parents reacted with sufficient understanding to such an act of their son, but the father nevertheless wanted Chris to try himself in some other profession before becoming a musician. He tried - he worked as a loader, a sales agent, a worker, an employee in a goods warehouse, but all these professions did not bring him satisfaction, he still devoted all his free time to music, and his father finally gave up. By that time, Chris’s friends had already graduated from school. This is how his first group, Yen, appeared in the biography of Chris Norman (pictured). Under this name, young people began to play in clubs in the city. True, they soon changed it, and then again and again - they went through it until they settled on Elizabethans. However, in 1968 the name of the group again became different - Kidness (“Kindness”).

Group "Smoky": heyday

Five years later, the musicians, who had been hanging out in bars and clubs all this time, were extremely lucky: fate brought them together with two producers and composers, very famous in the world of show business - Nikki Chinn and Michael Chapman. They liked the sound of the young artists, and they invited the musicians to collaborate. The proposal was accepted without hesitation - after all, this is exactly what the team lacked. Changes began immediately - first of all, with the name again. Kidness was renamed Smokie - the band members themselves subsequently explained this name by an analogy with Chris’s hoarse voice (smokie is translated from English as “smoke”). Thus began the second career round in the biography of singer Chris Norman.

That same year, Ron Kelly left the band and was replaced by Pete Spencer - and the classic Smokie line-up was formed. The producers also worked on the image of the guys - they almost always appeared on stage in white shirts and elegant suits. The band's first single, which brought it real fame, was released in the summer of 1975 - the song If you think you know how to love me really took off and entered all sorts of British and even international charts. That same year, Smokey released their debut album, Changing all the time.

The popularity of the group acquired unprecedented proportions. They recorded songs one after another, toured their home country and abroad. The group was especially loved in Germany - there “Smoky” practically did not disappear from the screens and from the radio airwaves. In just a seven-year heyday (until 1982), Smokey recorded nine albums and released twenty-four singles, all of which, without exception, became hits.

After seven years of continuous work, the musicians got a little tired and decided to take a break. Everyone had their own business, their own projects. Nevertheless, two years later the artists got together again - at first only for a charity concert, but then went on tour and recorded a new single. However, that’s where it all ended: after all, solo music has already appeared in Chris Norman’s biography. Returning from tour, he finally left the group.

Stumblin’In: duet with Suzi Quatro

Back in 1978, at the very peak of Smokey’s popularity, Chris Norman made an unexpected move for a rock musician: he recorded a lyrical duet with the famous singer Suzi Quatro (by the way, Chinn and Chapman also started promoting her).

This song, called Stumblin’In, unexpectedly became a real hit for both performers, hit the charts not only in their native Britain, but also in the USA, and further strengthened the popularity of each musician. It remains a favorite of many people to this day.

Leaving Smokie

In the mid-eighties, Chris Norman met Dieter Bohlen (“Modern Talking”) and, under his leadership, recorded the song Midnight Lady, for which a video clip was later shot. The song took off, propelling Chris to the top of the ratings. It was after the success of the song in the fall of 1986 that Norman left his native band.

Solo creativity

Since 1986, Chris Norman's biography has included dozens of songs and albums. He found a second wind, new popularity, working tirelessly in the studio and releasing hit after hit. Tours, television and radio broadcasts, first personal awards - all this began to rain down on Chris Norman one after another.

After a short break, Christopher continued his career - and with no less success than in the eighties. His own star on the Vienna Walk of Fame, an award for the best male voice, the first double DVD disc - these are just a few of the things that the musician gained at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Now

Despite the fact that Chris Norman is no longer so young and many at his age are “retiring,” the musician still has no intention of stopping. With enviable regularity, he releases new records (the artist’s next disc appeared quite recently - this September, Norman is now on tour in support of the album).

In addition to music, Christopher Norman is actively involved in charity work. In addition, he is an ambassador for the Children's Hospice in Germany.

Personal life in the biography of Chris Norman

Chris met his wife Linda at the age of seventeen, and three years later he married her. It was Linda, who is still Chris’s muse, who partly contributed to the success of “Smoky” - if it weren’t for her support and inspiration, it’s unlikely that everything would have worked out this way for Norman. In Chris Norman's biography, his wife occupies a huge place to this day - he does not hesitate to talk about it in all his numerous interviews.

In the first years of their marriage, Linda even worked as a stylist for Smokey and went on tour with them, accompanying her husband everywhere. But you get tired of such a life very quickly - she was tired too, and therefore she returned to her hometown. Contrary to popular belief, the relationship between Chris and Linda did not deteriorate at all. Their marriage produced five children - four sons and one daughter, from whom the couple already have four grandchildren. Thus, in Chris Norman's biography, his family is of paramount importance. While on the road, he still always finds an opportunity to contact his wife and chat with her.

Unlike many other Western musicians, I did not know about the popularity of the group in the Soviet Union.
A friend brought him a package from the Land of the Soviets with the name of the group.
He celebrated his current birthday in St. Petersburg, which he really likes.
For many years, she considers her own wedding day to be the happiest day of her life.

The biography of Chris Norman is a vivid example of how, with the help of loved ones and family, as well as your own work and perseverance, you can achieve everything you dream of.

Christopher Ward Norman (25 October 1950, Redcar, North Yorkshire), better known simply as Chris Norman, is a British singer and guitarist of the classic Smokie line-up, composer and multi-instrumentalist, currently a successful solo artist.

Biography

Musicians Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro, whose personal lives and biography are of interest to many fans, once won millions of hearts with their music. Chris Norman is a legendary singer, musician and composer from the UK. Known throughout the world for such hits as: Midnight Lady, Baby I Miss You, Stay One More Night, etc. He became famous for his duet with Suzi Quatro. The performer also built a career in the direction of rock music. In 1970, the girl published a series of hits with a circulation of more than 45 million. The duo gained popularity thanks to the single “Stumblin’ln”.

Biography and work of Chris Norman

His family is originally from England, North Yorkshire. Christopher Norman was born on October 25, 1950. The guy’s parents were creative and artistic people, so everyone immediately thought that his future was predetermined. The performer's wife is Linda Norman.

The future musician first appeared on stage at a very young age, when he was barely three years old. That is why the boy was not afraid of the stage and by the age of conscious age he felt quite comfortable on it.

From an early age, the guy liked to play music and already at seven he received an acoustic guitar as a gift from his father. From then on, Christopher had a cherished dream - become a rock musician. Parents understood the importance of their child’s hobby and supported him in every possible way.

The guy’s family never stayed in one place for long and were constantly on the move and traveling due to the active touring life of the guy’s parents. Thanks to this, by the age of twelve, Norman had visited all corners of his native country and changed as many as nine schools. Only at this age did the parents decide to return to the hometown of Christopher’s mother, Bradford. There he went to a gymnasium for men, from which he graduated. At the school, he made two new friends: Alona Silson and Terry Utley. Three twelve-year-old teenagers decided create a rock band.

First steps in career

Young people in the sixties were crazy about the hits of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, etc. Naturally, Kristffer and his friends in their youth were no exception. They listened to music for days on end, carefully learned popular melodies, tried to come up with something of their own, in a word - were inspired by their idols.

At first, the teenagers played as a threesome, but a little later they were joined by Ron Kelly, who played drums. When the group was fully staffed, the guys began serious rehearsals.

Since Christopher was never particularly successful in school subjects, at the age of fifteen the young man decided to quit his studies in order to devote himself entirely to music. Surprisingly, the guy’s parents reacted to such an act with understanding.

But, nevertheless, the father advised his son to try himself in other professions before starting to try to build a career as a musician. Christopher listened and, following his father’s advice, tried to work as a loader, a simple worker, or a security guard in a warehouse, but none of the jobs brought him joy or pleasure and the guy continued to devote his free time from work to music. Then the father completely surrendered and supported his son in his endeavors.

By that time, the young man’s friends had already graduated from school. Then the young people decided to name their group - Yen. Under this name they first began performing in city clubs. True, the name of the group did not last long and was changed again and again, until they decided on Elizabethans. But after some time, this name also sank into oblivion, and the group began to be called by a new name - Kindness, which translated means “Kindness”.

For five whole years, the young and enthusiastic team moved around clubs and bars until fate brought them luck and they were not noted producer Nikki Chinn. He liked the sound of the group and offered cooperation to young artists. The team accepted the offer without hesitation, because this is what they had been waiting for so long.

First of all, the work began with the fact that the group was again renamed from “Kindness” to “Smokie”, which translated from English means “Smoke”. The musicians explained the choice of this name by the fact that their lead singer, Chris Norman, had a hoarse, smoky voice, which gave him a special charm.

In the year that changes began in the group, drummer Ron Kelly left the band. Instead, Pete Spencer came on drums, thus the already familiar lineup of the Smokie group was formed. The group manager also worked on their image. The guys began to always perform in elegant black suits and white shirts.

For the first time real The artists gained fame in 1975. That year they delighted their new fans with the hit “If you think,” which entered all sorts of charts and was positively received. A little later, the group released a record called “Changing all the time.”

Smokie became more and more famous and popular. They were recognized in many cities and countries, which they conquered one after another. The musicians were especially well received in Germany, where the band was constantly in the spotlight on television and radio.

This resonance continued for seven whole years. During this period, the musicians managed to publish nine albums and release twenty-five singles, which are still hits.

In 1982, the band members realized that they were tired of constant touring and intense rehearsals, so they decided to take a break. Some went about their own business, others opened new projects. Two years later, the team decided to gather again for a free charity concert. There they decided to try to start performing again. After this, the group went on tour and created a new video.

True, the reunion did not last long, since Chris Norman was already busy with his solo career. In this regard, singer Chris Norman, whose biography, personal life and work was of interest to many fans, finally left the group.

In total, the group released 18 albums, the last of which were:

1982 Strangers in Paradise;
1990 Smokie Foreve.

Working with Suzi Quatro

The duo began their joint activities at the time of the heyday of the Smokie group, which was a surprise to everyone. The fact was that in the mid-eighties the musician met Dieter Bohlen, who helped him record his own song “Midnight Lady” and a video for it. Then the single took first place in many ratings and Chris decided to start a solo career, leaving the team.

After leaving, Christopher recorded a joint lyrical single with Suzi Quatro, which was also produced by Nikki Chinn. The lyrical song was called “Stumblin`ln” and became a hit in both the UK and the USA. She not only took leading positions in many charts, but also strengthened the popularity of already famous musicians.

Solo creativity

After Chris Norman decided to leave the team, his work seemed to have found a second wind. Just starting in 1986, he released dozens of songs. Constantly working in the studio, the singer delighted his fans with more and more hits. Then full-scale tours began, television broadcasts, radio interviews, awards, recognition - all this rained down on Kristoffer one after another. Afterwards, the singer again decided to take a break from creative activity. Chris last recorded a duet in 2014 with C.C. Catch.

However, during his career, Kristoffer Norman received an award for best voice, a star on the Walk of Fame, and was also the first to release a double DVD set - all these are just a few of the achievements of the legendary star.

Latest released solo albums:

2013 There and Back;
2015 Crossover;
2017 Don't Knock The Rock.

Life path of Suzi Quatro

The future American singer was born on June 3, 1950 in Detroit, USA. The girl's father was a famous jazz musician, but her mother had only a minor connection to music. Taking this into account, the girl performed on stage from an early age. At the age of eight, little Susie's father took her to the stage, where she played the Congas.

The artist began her career at the age of 14, when she became part of the Pleasure Seekers team, in which her two sisters already played. At that time, this group was different from the rest, since all its members played musical instruments themselves and often performed at the popular youth club “Hideout”.

When the girl was already 16 years old, the group released two singles at once, which were recorded thanks to the label of the club in which the group performed. After this, the Mercury Records label became interested in the group, with which the group members signed a contract, and then went on a tour of America, including the girls performing in front of military troops in Vietnam.

After some success, the group decided to change their name to "Cradle", which translated means "cradle". The decision on this name was made due to the fact that group member Arlene had to leave the group due to the birth of a child. Then Norman's sister Nancy took her place, and Susie's brother became their manager. At one of the performances, the performer was noticed by the producer of the creative association “RAK Records” and offered her a contract. The singer accepted the offer, deciding to build a solo career.

Success in music

Suzi Quatro's first single was not entirely successful and was received positively only in Portugal, where it rose to the top spot in the charts. Afterwards, the singer’s manager decided to introduce her to the duet, which included Mike Chapman and Nikki Chinn. The musicians began to collaborate and recorded a common song called “Can the Can,” which quickly became popular and reached the top of the British charts.

The singer’s second hit is the single “48 Crash,” which was recorded by the same duet. Both the first and second songs were included in the performer’s first album, “Suzie Quatro”. Due to the success of her first album, Susie decided to go on tour in Australia. Remarkably, the singer was virtually unknown in the United States until the 1970s. They began to recognize her overseas only after the girl switched to a new sound, close to rock, and recorded a joint single with the British Christopher Norman.

Quatro’s participation in the situational comedy “Happy Days” also contributed to the growth of popularity in America, where the singer played the role of a girl in a leather jacket with a guitar, who tried to speak in a “male” language. This segment became so famous that Susie was offered to host her own TV show, but she turned it down.

In 1980, Quatro pleased listeners with the new composition “Rock Hard”. The tracks were in a hard rock style and were well received by the audience. True, Susie could not achieve the same popularity as at the beginning of her career. Then the singer decided to take a break and only occasionally appeared on television or in theatrical productions.

So, Suzi Quatro decided to try herself as an actress and appeared in the musical “Annie Get Your Gun.” Andrew Weber recommended her for this role. Thus, the musical was completely ready by 1986 and its debut took place in London, the West End theater.

In the 1990s, the performer decides to resume her creative activity. Successful tours, new singles, first positions in the charts - all this added to the artist’s confidence in the correctness of her actions. Unfortunately, 1992 turned out to be a sad year for events; at that time, her mother died and family relationships became complicated.

But creatively there were more positive moments, because the singer released the single “And So To Bed”, and then released the next album, which was created back in the early 80s.

In 2003, the artist pleased listeners with a new album called “Wake Up Little Suzi”. In 2006, fans could see the album “Back To The Drive” on sale. In 2011, the world saw the last album of Suzi Quatro at the moment - “In the Spotlight”.

Albums were also released a little earlier:

1998 Unreleased Emotion;
2006 Back To The Drive.

Personal life

There is not much information about the performer’s personal life. It is known for sure that the girl was married more than once. Susie's first husband is guitarist Len Tuckey, with whom two children were born - Laura and Richard. The couple lived together for 14 years and decided to divorce.

Quatro got married for the second time in 1993. The singer's chosen one was music promoter Rainer Haas. Now, despite her age, the singer laughs it off when asked how old she is and still gives concerts, and in 2017 she released a new album.

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