Music lost a true pioneer February 24. Join us as we pay tribute to a Christian music iconoclast— Larry Norman.
Calling Larry Norman a “Christian rock pioneer” is easy, and true enough. But before becoming the personification of the Jesus Movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s, he got his start in the mainstream pop world.
In 1966, he joined a San Jose area band called People and signed to Capitol Records. They scored a pop hit with their cover of The Zombies’ “I Love You (But the Words Won’t Come),” before disbanding over internal spiritual conflicts and Norman’s frustration with the label’s unauthorized re-naming of the band’s debut album.
Norman stayed with Capitol for the release of his solo debut,
Upon This Rock, a wildly eclectic folk/rock record that is often referred to as the first Christian rock record of any consequence.
He moved to MGM Records for two critically-acclaimed albums, including
Only Visiting This Planet (called “The Best Christian Album of All Time” by the editors of
CCM Magazine). But sales were few, and by 1972, Norman went underground, starting Solid Rock Records in both the U.S. and Europe and beginning a 35-year run of independence that brought about not only more great music of his own, but also introduced other artful, progressive artists including Randy Stonehill, Daniel Amos, Steve Scott, Tom Howard, Mark Heard, Chris Eaton (Lyrix) and others.
Unlike the safe, southern Gospel influenced Christian records of the early ’70s, Norman’s albums were richly layered in the best tradition of acts like The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John and Crosby, Stills and Nash, with a dark, apocalyptic streak that referenced nightmares, visions, broken relationships and the constant understanding that he, and the rest of his fellow believers, were truly not of this world. His message engaged the culture with authenticity and conviction, and his imagination articulated the disconnectedness felt by so many people in the aftermath of the 1960s. He seemed to be reclaiming Jesus from the Pharisees and universities and bringing Him back to the streets. He found common ground between the left-of-center political culture of the Vietnam era and the radical message of Jesus Christ. It was a perfect storm of culture and creed, and it set the stage for an entire movement to come up behind him—and eventually pass him by.
Odd and controversial business practices and broken personal relationships would bring about the end of his Solid Rock Records imprint and cause friction between Norman and some of his closest friends. As Christian music came into its own, he sent himself into a sort of exile. He emerged occasionally, often with surprising stories of personal injuries and even conspiracies. But for the most part, he spent the last two decades of his life communicating directly with his die-hard fans and performing solo acoustic concerts around the world in small venues.