Larry Norman

    Larry Norman

    San Jose, California14 reviews across 13 releases

    classic rockfolk rocklo-fisinger-songwriter
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    Larry Norman was an American singer-songwriter from San Jose, California, whose music brought an explicit Christian message into rock without settling into one studio style. He first recorded with People, the six-member band he formed in 1968, then left for a solo career after Capitol Records resisted the group's religious direction. Norman's records could be melodic and topical, but the later work often sounded deliberately provisional. The 1998 Copper Wires revisited People-era material with the feel of a strong band's demo, while Shouting In The Storm (Flevo 2) captured the Dutch band Beam driving older and newer songs through a tight, frenetic concert set. Rough Street Love Letter preserved Street Level, whose indie-rock roughness and spoken-word passages suited Norman's preference for direct presentation over polish.

    In 1969, after leaving People, Norman released Upon This Rock and began the solo career that occupied the rest of his life. He founded Solid Rock Records in 1975, using it to issue his own work and records by other Christian artists. In 1980 he started Phydeaux while living in England, partly to circulate archival material and answer the bootleg market. A serious heart attack in 1992 curtailed his touring, but he continued releasing recordings through the independent labels, including material recovered from old tapes and live performances. The European work with Beam led to further concert recordings, while Breathe In, Breathe Out documented rehearsals for that tour rather than presenting a conventional studio album. Norman died of heart failure in Salem, Oregon, on February 24, 2008.

    13 releases reviewed