Jimmy Norman
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Norman was an American rhythm and blues
and jazz
musician and a songwriter
. In his early career, Norman had a charting
single of his own, "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)", as well as performing session
work with Jimi Hendrix
, but he is better known as a lyricist
and songwriter. He wrote the expanded lyrics of the song "Time Is on My Side
", which became a hit for The Rolling Stones
,and later in 1985 re recorded and produced by Stephen Vanderbilt featuring "St. Tropez" as the A side of a 45 released on the album "Home" throughout Europe. Norman composed a number of songs performed by well-known musicians including Johnny Nash
and Bob Marley
. In 1969 he became involved with doo-wop
band The Coasters
, first as a producer and then as a touring member. He was also recording independently, releasing a solo album in 1998, the same year poor health forced him to retire from performance. Like many other musicians of his time, he was not financially prepared for retirement or heavy medical bills, and with few royalties
for his writing soon found himself in economic crisis. With the assistance of charitable organization Jazz Foundation of America
, Norman regained his feet and resumed performing, releasing his first wide distribution album in 2004, Little Pieces. He performed in the Manhattan
area until shortly before his death.
, Norman relocated to California as a teenager, beginning his career as a touring musician throughout the Midwest and southern regions of the United States before settling in New York
. There, he wrote music for Broadway
and performed. In 1962, Norman released his biggest charting single, "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)", which reached #21 on the Billboard
"Black Singles
" chart and #47 on the "Pop Singles
" chart.
went into the studio to record the single "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)". It was decided that the b-side, a cover of Kai Winding
's "Time Is on My Side
", needed additional lyrics, since the only words in the original composition were "Time is on my side" and "You'll come runnin' back." Norman was contacted and composed the rest of the lyrics to the tune. The Rolling Stones also recorded the song with Norman's lyrics and released it as a single, which became the band's first hit to break the top ten. The Rolling Stones' releases did credit Norman as lyric writer for a number of years, but eventually his name was removed; in the early 1990s, he was told by the publisher that the credit was not legally binding, as it had been a "clerical error".
In 1966, Norman recorded several tracks with Jimi Hendrix
on session at Abtone Studio in New York: "You're Only Hurting Yourself", "Little Groovemaker" and "On You Girlie It Looks so Good". The second of these songs was retooled under the title "Groove Maker" and has been included on a number of Hendrix releases. According to Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix, Norman—not Lonnie Youngblood
as popularly supposed—was the primary performer besides Hendrix on this song. Jimi Hendrix - from the Benjamin Franklin Studios 3rd Edition Part 1: The Complete Guide to the Recorded Work of Jimi Hendrix posits Youngblood on saxophone
, but gives writing credit to Norman. Jimi Hendrix: Musician documents the confusion surrounding this and other Hendrix sessions of the time, including the difficulty in tracking contributions when they also rose from later manipulation of the material as Hendrix became famous. "You're Only Hurting Yourself" and "Little Groovemaker" were first released under Norman's name as Samar records single 112 in 1966 and never again released in original form. "On You Girlie It Looks so Good" remains unreleased.
In 1968, Norman was visited by a young Bob Marley in his Bronx apartment. Norman had at that time written a number of songs for Johnny Nash, whose record label had just signed Marley, and Marley wanted to learn more about rhythm and blues. Along with Al Pyfrom, Norman's co-writer, and Marley's wife Rita, the pair spent several days in a jam session that ultimately resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. According to Reggae
archivist Roger Steffens
, the tape—which was lost among Norman's possessions for decades—is rare for Marley in that it was influenced by pop music
rather than reggae, highlighting a point in Marley's career when he was still trying to find his path. Some of the songs from this early jam session were released on the Marley album Chances Are
.
Following these sessions, Norman went to Kingston, Jamaica
and spent more than half a year there, working in the studio with Marley and composing songs. A number of his compositions were recorded by Marley, Peter Tosh
, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and Neville Willoughby. Some of the tapes recorded by Norman during his sessions with Marley have been commercially released as part of the Marley compilation album, Soul Almighty.
's Turntable Records, Norman replaced Vernon Harrell
as the regular substitute (permanently, later on) for Billy Guy
in the group in the 1970s, touring with them until forced to retire by ill-health in 1998, the same year his album Tobacco Road was released by independent label Bad Cat Records. In interview, Norman cited the limited repertoire, noting that fans of the band were only interested in hearing hits like "Yakety Yak
", "Charlie Brown
" and "Poison Ivy
"; "In 30 years we did maybe 10 songs." Norman did have opportunity to deviate with other love songs from the 1950s, the era when The Coaster's rose to fame.
During his time with the Coasters, Norman teamed up with Eddie Palmieri as lead vocalist in the group Harlem River Drive, which released a self-titled album in 1971.
with respect to the songs he wrote that were released by Marley, "Periodically, I get chump change, nothing big. A lotta people have been making money off of it, not me." Norman attempted to get local work without success and, lacking health insurance and investment funds, was near the point of eviction when he came to the attention of the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps redress what The Crisis
characterizes as the exploitation of "less savvy or uneducated performers" by record labels and other more powerful members of the music community.
recorded Norman performing the songs on a tape recorder in his apartment, taking the tapes into the studio later to add parts by other musicians. Judy Collins
, whose drummer Tony Beard contributed to the project, released the resultant album under her own Wildflower label in 2004. The project, titled Little Pieces, is the first album Norman has ever released with wide distribution. In 2006, Little Pieces won in The 5th Annual Independent Music Awards
for Best Blues Album.
In the 2000s, Norman has performed live. In 2003, he performed a benefit concert for the Jazz Foundation at the Gilsey House
in New York. In 2007, he took part in the Jazz Foundation's annual "Great Night in Harlem", performing "Time Is on My Side". As of 2007, Norman was performing locally in Manhattan.
Norman died on November 8, 2011, in New York City after a long illness. He had held his last public performance on October 29, 2011, for the Jazz Foundation of America. Married three times, he was the father of two children.
WWE superstar Heath Slater used his South Bound song as his theme.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician and a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. In his early career, Norman had a charting
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single of his own, "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)", as well as performing session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
work with Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, but he is better known as a lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and songwriter. He wrote the expanded lyrics of the song "Time Is on My Side
Time Is on My Side
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy . First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his Orchestra in 1963, it was covered by both soul singer Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones in 1964.-History:Winding session arranger Garry Sherman "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by...
", which became a hit for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
,and later in 1985 re recorded and produced by Stephen Vanderbilt featuring "St. Tropez" as the A side of a 45 released on the album "Home" throughout Europe. Norman composed a number of songs performed by well-known musicians including Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. In 1969 he became involved with doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
band The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
, first as a producer and then as a touring member. He was also recording independently, releasing a solo album in 1998, the same year poor health forced him to retire from performance. Like many other musicians of his time, he was not financially prepared for retirement or heavy medical bills, and with few royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
for his writing soon found himself in economic crisis. With the assistance of charitable organization Jazz Foundation of America
Jazz Foundation of America
The Jazz Foundation of America is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York founded in 1989. The JFA’s programs help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunities in schools and the community...
, Norman regained his feet and resumed performing, releasing his first wide distribution album in 2004, Little Pieces. He performed in the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
area until shortly before his death.
Early life and career
Born August 12, 1937 as James Norman Scott in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Norman relocated to California as a teenager, beginning his career as a touring musician throughout the Midwest and southern regions of the United States before settling in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. There, he wrote music for Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and performed. In 1962, Norman released his biggest charting single, "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)", which reached #21 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
"Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
" chart and #47 on the "Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
" chart.
Songwriting and session work
In 1964, singer Irma ThomasIrma Thomas
Irma Thomas is an American Grammy Award-winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans"....
went into the studio to record the single "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)". It was decided that the b-side, a cover of Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Kai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
's "Time Is on My Side
Time Is on My Side
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy . First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his Orchestra in 1963, it was covered by both soul singer Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones in 1964.-History:Winding session arranger Garry Sherman "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by...
", needed additional lyrics, since the only words in the original composition were "Time is on my side" and "You'll come runnin' back." Norman was contacted and composed the rest of the lyrics to the tune. The Rolling Stones also recorded the song with Norman's lyrics and released it as a single, which became the band's first hit to break the top ten. The Rolling Stones' releases did credit Norman as lyric writer for a number of years, but eventually his name was removed; in the early 1990s, he was told by the publisher that the credit was not legally binding, as it had been a "clerical error".
In 1966, Norman recorded several tracks with Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
on session at Abtone Studio in New York: "You're Only Hurting Yourself", "Little Groovemaker" and "On You Girlie It Looks so Good". The second of these songs was retooled under the title "Groove Maker" and has been included on a number of Hendrix releases. According to Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix, Norman—not Lonnie Youngblood
Lonnie Youngblood
Lonnie "Youngblood" is an American saxophonist and bandleader best remembered for playing with Jimi Hendrix...
as popularly supposed—was the primary performer besides Hendrix on this song. Jimi Hendrix - from the Benjamin Franklin Studios 3rd Edition Part 1: The Complete Guide to the Recorded Work of Jimi Hendrix posits Youngblood on saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, but gives writing credit to Norman. Jimi Hendrix: Musician documents the confusion surrounding this and other Hendrix sessions of the time, including the difficulty in tracking contributions when they also rose from later manipulation of the material as Hendrix became famous. "You're Only Hurting Yourself" and "Little Groovemaker" were first released under Norman's name as Samar records single 112 in 1966 and never again released in original form. "On You Girlie It Looks so Good" remains unreleased.
In 1968, Norman was visited by a young Bob Marley in his Bronx apartment. Norman had at that time written a number of songs for Johnny Nash, whose record label had just signed Marley, and Marley wanted to learn more about rhythm and blues. Along with Al Pyfrom, Norman's co-writer, and Marley's wife Rita, the pair spent several days in a jam session that ultimately resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. According to Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
archivist Roger Steffens
Roger Steffens
Roger Steffens is a Brooklyn, New York born actor, author, lecturer, editor, reggae archivist, photographer, producer. Roger is perhaps best known for his reggae archives, in particular his archives of Bob Marley. Six rooms of his home in Los Angeles house his archives, which include the world's...
, the tape—which was lost among Norman's possessions for decades—is rare for Marley in that it was influenced by pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
rather than reggae, highlighting a point in Marley's career when he was still trying to find his path. Some of the songs from this early jam session were released on the Marley album Chances Are
Chances Are (album)
Chances Are was a compilation album by Bob Marley released in 1981 by WEA International throughout the world .- Background :...
.
Following these sessions, Norman went to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
and spent more than half a year there, working in the studio with Marley and composing songs. A number of his compositions were recorded by Marley, Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and Neville Willoughby. Some of the tapes recorded by Norman during his sessions with Marley have been commercially released as part of the Marley compilation album, Soul Almighty.
Coasters years
After producing a single for the doo-wop band The Coasters in 1969 for Lloyd PriceLloyd Price
Lloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...
's Turntable Records, Norman replaced Vernon Harrell
Vernon Harrell
-Biography:Harrell was from New York and released several singles in the 1960s and 1970s. He also goes by the name Keidar Syenon Harrell. He co-wrote songs with J. R. Bailey...
as the regular substitute (permanently, later on) for Billy Guy
Billy Guy
-Biography:Billy Guy is best known as a member of The Coasters, singing lead on such hits as "Searchin'," "Little Egypt," "Run Red Run," "Wait A Minute," among others. Before Guy joined The Coasters in 1955, he was part of a comedy singing duo called "Bip and Bop." One single called "Ding Ding...
in the group in the 1970s, touring with them until forced to retire by ill-health in 1998, the same year his album Tobacco Road was released by independent label Bad Cat Records. In interview, Norman cited the limited repertoire, noting that fans of the band were only interested in hearing hits like "Yakety Yak
Yakety Yak
"Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters and released on Atlantic Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as number one on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Hot 100 pop list...
", "Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown (song)
"Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for The Coasters in the spring of 1959 . It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year...
" and "Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy (song)
"Poison Ivy" is a popular song by American songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by The Coasters in 1959. It went to #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
"; "In 30 years we did maybe 10 songs." Norman did have opportunity to deviate with other love songs from the 1950s, the era when The Coaster's rose to fame.
During his time with the Coasters, Norman teamed up with Eddie Palmieri as lead vocalist in the group Harlem River Drive, which released a self-titled album in 1971.
Health and economic crisis
Norman suffered multiple heart attacks and respiratory disease which restricted him, impoverished, to his home in Manhattan. Though he had a successful career that allowed him at one point to own several clubs, he did not plan for retirement and, like many composers of his time, receives little to no royalties for his compositions. In 2002, he told The Jamaica ObserverThe Jamaica Observer
The Jamaica Observer is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The paper is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, The Gleaner. It's founding editor is Desmond Allen who is currently its executive editor -...
with respect to the songs he wrote that were released by Marley, "Periodically, I get chump change, nothing big. A lotta people have been making money off of it, not me." Norman attempted to get local work without success and, lacking health insurance and investment funds, was near the point of eviction when he came to the attention of the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps redress what The Crisis
The Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
characterizes as the exploitation of "less savvy or uneducated performers" by record labels and other more powerful members of the music community.
Recovery and death
Wendy Oxenhorn, director of the Foundation, arranged for housekeeping and free medical care for Norman, as well as helping him plan for his future, providing back rent and negotiating with Norman's landlord. In the course of that housekeeping, in July 2002, Norman's rare tape of his jam session with Marley was located in his apartment and placed on auction, retrieving considerably above its estimated value when auctioned at $26,290. During the same housekeeping session, Norman rediscovered old notebooks containing his compositions. Producer Kerryn TolhurstKerryn Tolhurst
Kerryn Tolhurst is a noted Australian musician and songwriter who was based in the USA in the late 1970s and 1980s.His musical career began in Melbourne with the Adderly Smith Blues Band. He subsequently joined Sundown, led by Keith Glass, which was one of Australia's first country-rock groups...
recorded Norman performing the songs on a tape recorder in his apartment, taking the tapes into the studio later to add parts by other musicians. Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, whose drummer Tony Beard contributed to the project, released the resultant album under her own Wildflower label in 2004. The project, titled Little Pieces, is the first album Norman has ever released with wide distribution. In 2006, Little Pieces won in The 5th Annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Best Blues Album.
In the 2000s, Norman has performed live. In 2003, he performed a benefit concert for the Jazz Foundation at the Gilsey House
Gilsey House
Gilsey House is a former eight-story 300-room hotel located at 1200 Broadway at East 29th Street in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
in New York. In 2007, he took part in the Jazz Foundation's annual "Great Night in Harlem", performing "Time Is on My Side". As of 2007, Norman was performing locally in Manhattan.
Norman died on November 8, 2011, in New York City after a long illness. He had held his last public performance on October 29, 2011, for the Jazz Foundation of America. Married three times, he was the father of two children.
WWE superstar Heath Slater used his South Bound song as his theme.
Chart singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||
| 1962 | "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)" | 47 | 21 |
| 1966 | "Can You Blame Me" | - | 35 |
External links
- jimmynorman.org
- Interview, National Public Radio