The Normals were a

Christian alternative rock Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical ...

band formed in 1998 by

Andrew Osenga Andrew Osenga is an American singer-songwriter and rock musician. He also writes, produces, engineers and plays guitar for other artists. Formerly the lead singer of The Normals, who broke up in 2003 for financial and family reasons, Osenga cur ...

, Mark Lockett, and Clayton Daily. The name of the band honors their hometown of

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal cities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and is I ...

. The band's lineup also included B.J. Aberle, Cason Cooley, Mike Taquino, and

Steve Hindalong Steve Hindalong (born November 29, 1959) is an American drummer, percussionist, songwriter and producer best known for his work with the alternative rock band the Choir. Since 2006, Hindalong has also been an official member of the alternative ...

. The Normals released three albums with

ForeFront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...

and garnered two

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

nominations before disbanding in 2002.

History

Outside of The Normals, Cooley worked as a songwriter and producer, and has worked with artists such as

Matthew Perryman Jones Matthew Perryman Jones (born December 25, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. Career Jones began his music career in 1997, playing his first public performances at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia. In 2000, Jones issued his first solo ...

Katie Herzig Katie Herzig (born March 6, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter whose songs have appeared often in movies, TV shows, and commercials. Personal life Katie Herzig was born in California to a musical family. When she was one year old, her fam ...

, and

Trent Dabbs Trent Dabbs is an American singer-songwriter who was raised in Jackson, Mississippi and is based in Nashville for his professional career. As a solo artist, Dabbs has released eleven albums, including his latest album, ''Positano'', as well as ...

. Cooley is also known for his work on

Ben Rector Benjamin Evans Rector (born November 6, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is an independent artist, and releases music under his own label OK Kid Recordings. Rector's career has with ...

's album, '' Brand New'', as well as

Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson song), The Way I Am" and her 2014 single "Girls Chase Boys", both of which achieved success ...

's albums, ''

Lights Out Lights Out may refer to: Events and times * Institutional, and thence colloquial, term for bedtime * Lights Out (event), an event in the UK on 4 August 2014 to commemorate the start of World War I * Lights Out Hong Kong, a campaign to protest ai ...

'' and ''

It Doesn't Have to Make Sense It or IT may refer to: * It (pronoun), in English * Information technology Arts and media Film and television * ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow * '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film * ''It!'' (1967 ...

''.

Discography

*''Better Than This'' (1998) *''Coming to Life'' (2000) *''A Place Where You Belong'' (2002)

References

External links

*
cMusicWeb.com interview
Alternative rock groups from Illinois Christian rock groups from Illinois Musical groups established in 1998 {{US-alternative-rock-band-stub