Norman Greenbaum

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 number one 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. As of December 2016, Greenbaum is reported to have returned 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

Studio albums

• Spirit in the Sky (1969)
• Back Home Again (1970)
• Petaluma (1972)

Compilation albums

• Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum (1995)
• Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum (1997)
• Spirit in the Sky: The Definitive Anthology (2003)

Singles

References

References

1. Greene, Andy. (2011-05-04). "Poll: Top 10 One-Hit Wonders".
2. "VH1 - 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders (Music Database :: Dave Tompkins)".
3. Benarde, Scott R.. (2003). "Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories". [[University Press of New England]].
4. McNichol, Tom. (December 24, 2006). "A 'Spirit' From the '60s That Won't Die". [[The New York Times]].
5. Whitburn, Joel. (2000). "Top Pop Singles 1955–1999". Record Research Inc..
6. Murrells, Joseph. (1978). "The Book of Golden Discs". Barrie and Jenkins Ltd.
7. Martoccio, Angie. (2020-01-17). "Norman Greenbaum on 'Spirit in the Sky' at 50: 'The Interest in It Just Doesn't Wane'".
8. McNichol, Tom. (December 24, 2006). "A 'Spirit' From the '60s That Won't Die". The New York Times.
9. Shasho, Ray. (December 23, 2011). "Exclusive: Norman Greenbaum reveals the true origin of 'Spirit In The Sky'". Classic Rock Music Reporter.
10. "Norman Greenbaum biography". IMDB.
11. (March 28, 2015). "Crash west of Santa Rosa kills motorcyclist; singer Norman Greenbaum hospitalized". [[The Press Democrat]].
12. Freedman, Richard. (December 21, 2016). "December 22 Vallejo A&E Source: Greenbaum keeps finding the 'Spirit in the Sky'". [[Vallejo Times Herald]].
13. Grant. "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1970".
14. Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
15. "ultratop.be – ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
16. Canada, Library and Archives. (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
17. Canada, Library and Archives. (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
18. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Offizielle Deutsche Charts".
19. Jaclyn Ward. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Fireball Media Group.
20. "Dutch Charts – dutchcharts.nl".
21. "NORMAN GREENBAUM {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company".
22. "Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band".
23. "Norman Greenbaum".
24. {{cite certification. ""
25. "Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky".