The singer who once sang “I Will Lift My Eyes” is now more likely to say, “Stick out your tongue and say ahh.”

The voice that once filled theaters and sanctuaries is now answering to a much different call and title: Jeffery “Bebo” Norman, P.A.-C., Physician Assistant – Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), Sleep Medicine. Nearly 30 years after his debut introduced listeners to one of CCM’s most thoughtful singer-songwriters, Norman now spends his days in clinics and operating rooms rather than green rooms and tour buses.

For longtime fans, it may feel like an unexpected plot twist. For Norman, it’s actually a return to the original plan.

Before music ever became a career, the Columbus, Georgia native was headed toward medicine. He attended Presbyterian College, earned a degree in Biology, and intended to pursue healthcare. Then songwriting happened. One opportunity led to another, and what he has described as a “brief” detour turned into a two-decade run as a recording artist whose music carved out a uniquely reflective space within Christian music.

Norman eventually stepped away from the music industry, choosing a season of life centered on family. He and his wife, Roshare, settled in the Franklin, Tennessee area, where he spent several years as a stay-at-home dad raising their sons, Smith and Miller. Then came the decision that brought his story full circle.

He enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program at Trevecca Nazarene University, earning a Master of Science in Medicine and completing the demanding clinical training required for certification. Board certified through the NCCPA, Norman joined Heritage Medical Associates in January 2021. Today, he works alongside Dr. Ryan Duncan in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Sleep Medicine, assisting in surgery as a First Assistant and treating patients across multiple locations, with a focus on sleep disorders and obstructive sleep apnea.

And yet, CCM audiences did catch a glimpse of him again.

In 2023, Norman made a brief return to the music world when he joined Caedmon’s Call for their reunion shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. That moment raised a question many fans have wondered ever since: could there be room for both callings?

In an era where technology is reshaping everything from sleep medicine to songwriting, the same modern tools that help physicians monitor, diagnose, and treat patients are also making it easier than ever for artists to create, collaborate, and release music without returning to the grind of a traditional tour cycle. For someone uniquely wired for both science and song, the overlap isn’t as far-fetched as it once seemed.

For now, Norman’s primary stage is still the clinic. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t revisit tracks like “Great Light of the World,” “Nothing Without You,” and “Falling Down” which gave voice to a faith that felt lived-in rather than polished.

But hey, he’s still helping people breathe a little easier, these days just with a different kind of “instrument”. 

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