Steven Antony Norman (born 25 March 1960) is an English musician who plays

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, guitar, percussion and other instruments, for the English band

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

Biography

Early years

Steve Norman was born in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

, east London, and was considered a musical child prodigy. He started pursuing an interest in popular music as a guitarist in a

Dame Alice Owen's School Dame Alice Owen's School (also known as Dame Alice Owen's or Owen's; referred to by the acronym DAOS) is an 11–18 mixed, partially selective secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, England. I ...

band called The Cut with Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley and John Keeble in 1976. The band was later named The Makers, The Gentry and then

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet signed with

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright A ...

. By the third Spandau Ballet album, Norman brought percussion to the mix and introduced the alto saxophone, which has since become his signature instrument. With Spandau Ballet, Norman toured the globe and continued to have hits throughout the 1980s. In 1985 Norman appeared with the band at

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine ...

at Wembley Stadium. Because of a dispute over royalties, the band split up in the early 1990s. After a 20-year hiatus, newspaper reports claimed early in 2009 that Spandau Ballet was set to reform later that year. On 25 March 2009, Norman, Gary Kemp,

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in '' EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also ...

, Tony Hadley and John Keeble announced their reunion at a press conference on board . The band also announced their 'Reformation Tour' starting in October 2009. Norman co-wrote the song "Once More" which became the first new Spandau Ballet single in 20 years.

After Spandau Ballet

In the early 1990s after the band went their separate ways, Norman moved to Ibiza and took some time off from performing. During his time on the island, Norman collaborated with numerous musicians and producers who lived there, including Lenny Krarup, Nacho Sotomayor, Stefan Zauner and DJ Pippi. Norman also worked with Rafa Peletey on various projects, including Funky Jack's "Saxomatic" percussion mix. Norman also sourced and compiled the music for the ''Made in Ibiza Chills n' Thrills'' compilation album and co-compiled ''A Journey Through Savannah'' with Peletey for their record label, Island Pulse Records. Norman continued to play live at

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began altering ...

events throughout the UK and on the international club scene, performing with his saxophone, or occasionally percussion alongside such musicians as

Byron Stingily Byron Stingily is an American R&B and house-music singer born in Chicago, Illinois, known for his falsetto voice. He is now a part-time principal at a school in Chicago while still performing. Career Stingily had several hit records in the ...

Ten City Ten City (derived from ''intensity'') is an American, Chicago, Illinois-based R&B and house music act, that enjoyed a number of club hits and Urban radio hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was one of the first exponents of deep house. ...

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...

Angie Brown Angie Brown (born 13 June 1963) is a British singer and songwriter from Brixton, South London. She is a co-artist on the hit single " I'm Gonna Get You" (1992) by Bizarre Inc and performed on a number of recordings with them as lead vocalist i ...

, Steve Edwards,

Alison Limerick Alison T. Limerick (born 1959, Stepney) is a British singer who scored success in the 1990s with the club anthem "Where Love Lives", which was her solo debut and a No. 3 hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play in 1991. Biography Limerick attended ...

Jeremy Healy Jeremy Healy (born Jeremiah Healy, 18 January 1962) is an English Disc jockey, DJ and singer. He is a former member of 1980s pop group Haysi Fantayzee. Career Healy was born in Woolwich, South London. In the 1980s, with Paul Caplin and Kate ...

and Brandon Block. Norman formed a partnership with Hed Kandi, DJ John Jones and Martin Ikin from Soul Purpose called 'The Collective'. Their first production was a re-working of Joe Smooth's "Promised Land" featuring Peyton on lead vocals and

Shelley Preston Shelley Preston (born 14 May 1964) is a singer who is famous for being a former member of the pop group Bucks Fizz, when she replaced Jay Aston in June 1985. Her biggest hit as a member of the band was the 1986 track " New Beginning", which r ...

(formerly of Bucks Fizz) on backing vocals. In 2012 and again in 2014, Norman was the featured guest saxophonist and percussionist for

Steve Harley Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. E ...

’s performances of the first two

Cockney Rebel Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are a British glam rock band from the early 1970s from London. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years they have had five albums in the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles in ...

albums with orchestra and choir. In 2013, Norman played on three tracks on

Bruce Foxton Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. ...

's album, ''Back in the Room''. He also played on James Stevenson's album ''Everything's Getting Closer To Being Over'' released in 2014. The band he is performing live with as of 2021 is called The Sleevz. Norman has performed at various concerts in aid of

The Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...

charity. He also played at the " Free Nelson Mandela Concert" some years later along with Tony Hadley.

Cloudfish

In 2001, Norman and Rafa Peletey formed a production team called Cloudfish and invited

to provide the vocals. As a result, Cloudfish became a band with Norman, Preston and Peletey writing and producing their own songs. Peletey left in 2003 to front his own band, joining up with Norman and Preston from time to time. Cloudfish have continued to write, produce and perform and were featured artists on the eponymous CD of the Italian quintet, Quintessenza. Cloudfish sold out a number of concerts including the one at

Ronnie Scott's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

. Their song "So High" was included on the CD compilation, ''Dome Ibiza: The Chillout Session Vol. 2''.

Personal life

Norman writes a regular column reviewing CDs for the magazine ''Ibiza Now''. He is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Steve 1960 births Living people English multi-instrumentalists English new wave musicians Musicians from London Spandau Ballet members English rock saxophonists British male saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century British male musicians Holy Holy (tribute band) members