Norman Greenbaum

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

Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. 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.

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":

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.