Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "

Spirit in the Sky "Spirit in the Sky" is a song by American singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, originally written and recorded by Greenbaum and released in late 1969 from the album of the same name. The single became a gold record, selling two million copies f ...

Early life

Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised 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 that was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He performed with various bands in high school and studied music at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

for two years. In college he performed at local coffeehouses but eventually dropped out and moved to Los Angeles in 1965.

Career

In the late 1960s Norman 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. Greenbaum went solo as a folk artist and submitted an original song, "

", to Reprise Records. His demonstration recording was a simple folk rendition, with Greenbaum accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Reprise handed Greenbaum to staff producer

Erik Jacobsen Erik Jacobsen (born May 19, 1940) is an American record producer, song publisher and artist manager. He is best known for his work in the 1960s with Tim Hardin, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Charlatans, and Sopwith Camel, and later with Norman Greenba ...

, who radically rearranged the song for a new recording session. The updated version now had pulsing electric guitar, synthesized effects, 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 #1 in almost all worldwide markets. It sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970, and received a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

from the RIAA. It has subsequently been used in many films, advertisements, and television shows. Although "Spirit in the Sky" has a clear Christian theme, Greenbaum was and remains an observant Jew. Greenbaum says he was inspired to write the song after watching country singers singing a song on television. In an interview Greenbaum stated that Western movies were the real inspiration for "Spirit in the Sky":

Norman Greenbaum: If you ask me what I based "Spirit in the Sky" on ... what did we grow up watching? Westerns! These mean and nasty varmints get shot and they wanted to die with their boots on. So to me that was spiritual, they wanted to die with their boots on.
Ray Shasho: So that was the trigger that got you to write the song?
Norman Greenbaum: Yes. The song itself was simple, when you're writing a song you keep it simple of course. It wasn't like a Christian song of praise it was just a simple song. I had to use Christianity because I had to use something. But more important it wasn't the Jesus part, it was the spirit in the sky. Funny enough ... I wanted to die with my boots on.

All of the accoutrements added to "Spirit in the Sky" in the recording studio made it impossible for Greenbaum to replicate the recording in live performances. His televised appearance on

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

's '' American Bandstand'' compelled the singer to synchronize his performance to a playback of the hit record. Though Norman Greenbaum is generally regarded as a one-hit wonder, he actually had two hits: the upbeat "Canned Ham" followed in 1970, and the record reached number 46 on the American charts and number 26 in the Canadian charts.

Personal life

Greenbaum has been a long-time resident of

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...

. He was critically injured when a car, in which he was a passenger, made a left turn in the path of a motorcycle on Occidental Road on March 28, 2015, killing the motorcyclist and injuring the motorcycle passenger. Greenbaum has since gone back to performing.

Discography

Albums

With Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band

* ''The Eggplant That Ate Chicago (1967)'' * ''Norman Greenbaum with Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band'' (1969, compilation) * ''Euphoria: The Best of Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band'' (1998, compilation

Solo

* ''

'' (1969) * ''Back Home Again'' (1970) * ''Petaluma'' (1972) * ''Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum'' (1995, compilation) * ''Spirit in the Sky: The Best of Norman Greenbaum'' (1997, compilation) * ''Spirit in the Sky: The Definitive Anthology'' (2003, compilation)

Singles

References

External links

* * * *
"Norman Greenbaum With Dr. West's Medicine Show And Junk Band"
album a
archive.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenbaum, Norman 1942 births Living people Jewish singers American male singers Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Jewish American musicians American Orthodox Jews People from Malden, Massachusetts People from Santa Rosa, California Songwriters from Massachusetts Reprise Records artists Jewish rock musicians Songwriters from California Catholics from Massachusetts Catholics from Louisiana 21st-century American Jews American male songwriters