Norman Greenbaum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This biographical article]] does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (June 2008)

Norman Greenbaum (born on November 20, 1942 in Malden, Massachusetts) is a singer-songwriter. He studied music at Boston University. Greenbaum is best known for his song "Spirit in the Sky", which sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970. The song, with its combination of 'heavy' guitar, hand-clapping, and spiritual lyrics, was a one-hit wonder. The song has been used in many films, advertisements and television shows.

Greenbaum is notable for the rare achievement of having recorded two one-hit wonders. In 1968, under the name Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band, he recorded the novelty hit "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago".

Another group, Doctor and the Medics, became a one-hit wonder of sorts with their version of "Spirit in the Sky" in 1986 (they had a minor hit with the follow-up "Burn", and a hit album "Laughing At The Pieces"), and British television stars The Kumars also became one-hit wonders in the UK, when they reached No. 1 with Gareth Gates with the same song in 2003. Also in 1986, an all girl punk band called Fuzzbox had a hit with the song as well.

Interestingly, although his one hit "Spirit in the Sky" is considered by many to be a Jesus rock song with a heavily Christian theme, Greenbaum was and still is a practicing Jew. He was inspired to write the song after observing a country musician singing a song about a preacher on television.

Greenbaum lives in Petaluma, California. He no longer performs in public, but continues to promote concerts and lives off the royalties from his songs.