Norman Greenbaum

Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter, known for his 1969–1970 hit song " Spirit in the Sky". The song made him one of the most famous acts with a best-selling one-hit wonder for all time.

Early life and education

Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts southeast of Lowell. He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household and attended Hebrew school at Congregation Beth Israel. His initial interest in music was sparked by southern blues music and the folk music which was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He performed with various bands in high school and studied music at Boston University in Boston for two years. In college he performed at local coffeehouses but eventually dropped out and moved to Los Angeles in 1965.

Career

In the late 1960s, Greenbaum was the leader and composer for Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band, which recorded the novelty hit " The Eggplant That Ate Chicago". The group's psychedelic approach was too eccentric for mainstream show business; the group's name suggested a novelty or comedy act incorporating music.

Norman Greenbaum went solo as a folk artist and submitted an original song, " Spirit in the Sky", to Reprise Records. His demonstration recording was a simple folk rendition, with Greenbaum accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Reprise sent Greenbaum to staff producer Erik Jacobsen, who radically rearranged the song for a new recording session. The updated version had pulsing electric guitar, gospel-styled backup singers, and an insistent rhythm accompanying Greenbaum, whose vocal was now double-tracked. Reprise released the record in late 1969, and it skyrocketed to #1 in almost all worldwide markets. It sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970 and received a gold disc from the RIAA. It has been used in many films, advertisements, and television shows.

Although "Spirit in the Sky" has a clear Christian theme, Greenbaum is Jewish, having grown up in an observant Orthodox Jewish household, although he no longer practices the religion. He says that he was inspired to write the song after watching a Christian-themed song performed by Porter Wagoner on television. Greenbaum said Western movies were a major inspiration for "Spirit in the Sky":

Norman Greenbaum: If you ask me what I based "Spirit in the Sky" on... what did we grow up watching? Westerns! These mean and nasty varmints get shot and they wanted to die with their boots on... to me that was spiritual, they wanted to die with their boots on.
Ray Shasho: So that was the trigger that got you to write the song?
Greenbaum: Yes. The song itself was simple, when you're writing a song you keep it simple of course. It wasn't like a Christian song of praise it was just a simple song. I had to use Christianity because I had to use something. But more important it wasn't the Jesus part, it was the spirit in the sky. Funny enough... I wanted to die with my boots on.

Without a full band and backup singers for "Spirit in the Sky" as used in the recording studio, it was impractical for Greenbaum to replicate the recording in live performances. A key element to the song was a distinctive alternating diving sound from the lead guitar. Some twenty years later Eddie Van Halen re-created it by wiring a simple momentary contact switch into his guitar and tapping it while depressing the vibrato arm. As with most other televised performances of the day, Greenbaum's appearance on Dick Clark's ''American Bandstand'' compelled the singer to synchronize his performance to a playback of the hit record.

Greenbaum's upbeat "Canned Ham" followed in 1970, and the record reached number 46 on the American charts and number 26 on the Canadian charts. After the release in 1972 of his album ''Petaluma'' (named after the city in California where he has lived), Greenbaum left the music business and returned to his dairy farm. He returned to the music industry as a manager and promoter in the mid-1980s.

Personal life

Greenbaum has been a long-time resident of Santa Rosa, California. On March 28, 2015, he was seriously injured when a car, in which he was a passenger, made a left turn in the path of a motorcycle on Occidental Road, killing the motorcyclist and injuring the motorcycle passenger. Greenbaum has gone back to performing.

Discography

with Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band

* ''The Eggplant That Ate Chicago (1967)''
* ''Norman Greenbaum with Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band'' (1969, compilation)
* ''Euphoria: The Best of Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band'' (1998, compilation; contains the album 'The Eggplant That Ate Chicago', all the band's singles and 8 previously unreleased tracks)

Solo

* '' Spirit in the Sky'' (1969)
* ''Back Home Again'' (1970)
* ''Petaluma'' (1972)
* ''Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum'' (1995, compilation)
* ''Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum'' (1997, compilation)
* ''Spirit in the Sky: The Definitive Anthology'' (2003, compilation)

Singles

See also

* List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

External links

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''Norman Greenbaum with Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band''
album at the Internet Archive

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenbaum, Norman
1942 births
Living people
Jewish American singers
American male singers
Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
Jewish American rock musicians
American Orthodox Jews
People from Malden, Massachusetts
People from Santa Rosa, California
Songwriters from Massachusetts
Reprise Records artists
Songwriters from California
Catholics from Massachusetts
Catholics from Louisiana
21st-century American Jews
American male songwriters