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Chris NormanSinger, ex-vocalist of the group 'Smokie'
Date of Birth: 25.10.1950
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Chris Norman
Chris Norman, the former vocalist of the band 'Smokie', is still one of the most popular figures in the world of rock music. He performs over a hundred concerts annually. Despite his phenomenal career, when asked about his happiest day in life, Chris always answers, "The day I married Linda."
Early Life and Career
Christopher Norman was born on October 25, 1950, into a family of actors. The story of the band "Smokie" began in 1967 in the small English town of Bradford, where two inseparable friends, Christopher Ward Norman and Alan Silson, were determined to become rock stars. They had no formal musical education, and initially, their performances were limited to school parties and cheap pubs. Their repertoire consisted mainly of hits by "The Beatles" and other rock legends. However, over time, they started writing their own songs and in 1968, they changed the band's name to "Kindness".
Rise to Fame with Smokie
In 1973, the boys met famous producers and composers, Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (known as the two Chinnies), in a small London café. They offered to change the "unfortunate" name "Kindness" to the concise and powerful "Smokie". The album "Changing all the time", crafted to suit the unique style of "Smokie", entered the charts, and the song "Don't play your rock'n'roll to me" topped the charts in many European countries, especially in Germany, where the band quickly gained a cult following. The rapid ascent of "Smokie" began. The next album further solidified the band's position in Europe and allowed them to make their mark in the US music market. The charts were dominated by more hits from "Smokie" like "Wild wild angels" and the legendary "What can I do". The band toured extensively and experimented with their sound and stage shows, but the increasing pressure from the record company stifled their creativity as they were denied the right to self-expression due to their contract.
Solo Career and Family Life
A conflict arose between the producers and the musicians, and after the album "The Montreux Album" (1978), Norman and his bandmates severed ties with the "two Chinnies" and took charge of producing their own records. However, Norman himself, the irreplaceable frontman with his distinctive voice, began to speak more frequently about pursuing a solo career. Despite this, "Smokie" continued to play sold-out concerts. However, after a magnificent concert in Frankfurt in 1986, when it seemed that the band was at the peak of their fame, Chris Norman announced his departure.
Norman's solo success began with the song "Stumblin In", performed together with Suzi Quatro. This was followed by the collaboration with Dieter Bohlen on "Midnight Lady", which spent six weeks at number one on the German national charts and introduced Bohlen to the American charts. Until today, Chris Norman remains one of the most popular figures in the world of rock music, performing over a hundred concerts annually. Despite his phenomenal career, when asked about his happiest day in life, Chris always answers, "The day I married Linda". Linda Norman, his devoted wife, has given him five children, making Chris one of the top five multi-child musician fathers in the world.
