Chris Norman
Known both for his solo hits in the '80s as well as his hits with the band Smokie in the '70s, Chris Norman is a British soft rock singer with an international following whose career spans several decades. A few years after the success of his 1978 Suzi Quatro duet, "Stumblin' In," he parted ways with Smokie and found solo success with his second album, 1986's Some Hearts Are Diamonds. In the decades that followed, Norman proved himself to be surprisingly prolific, delivering a new studio album every two or three years and maintaining a large fan base in Germany, where his chart success continued into the 2000s. Following a 2004 resurgence and Top Ten German hit with "Amazing," he continued releasing new material as well as career-spanning collections like 2009's The Hits! From His Smokie and Solo Years and its live companion album.
Born on October 25, 1950, in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England, Norman began his musical career in the band Smokie. Originally founded in 1965, the band changed its name several times before ultimately deciding upon Smokie in the mid-'70s. Comprising Alan Silson (lead guitar, vocals), Terry Uttley (bass, vocals), and Pete Spencer (drums) in addition to Norman (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Smokie made their album debut in 1975 with Pass It Around. Their second album, Changing All the Time (1975), broke them into the pop mainstream not only in the United Kingdom but also in parts of Western Europe, where the album's single, "If You Think You Know How to Love Me," was a Top Ten hit. Subsequent albums Midnight Cafe (1976), Bright Lights and Back Alleys (1977), and The Montreux Album (1978) were also international hits. Moreover, Norman scored an international Top Ten hit single in 1978 with "Stumblin' In," a duet with Suzi Quatro.
As Smokie's popularity trailed off around the turn of the decade, Norman split from the band and made his solo album debut in 1982 with Rock Away Your Teardrops. While his debut album was fairly unsuccessful, his second full-length effort, Some Hearts Are Diamonds (1986), was another story, spawning the international Top Ten smash hit single "Midnight Lady." Norman's popularity was greatest in Germany, where he racked up several additional hits during the late '80s, among them "No Arms Can Ever Hold You," "Sarah (You Take My Breath Away)," and "Broken Heroes."
While Norman released a new album every couple years from the mid-'80s onward, his popularity waned in the '90s, and not until after the turn of the century did he start hitting the charts again. Once again, his popularity was greatest in Germany, where he had a banner year in 2004 with the compilation The Very Best of Chris Norman, the new album Break Away, and the Top Ten hit single "Amazing." Subsequent albums including One Acoustic Evening (2005), Million Miles (2006), and Close Up (2007) were also well received in Germany, while the career-spanning compilation The Hits! From His Smokie and Solo Years (2009) was an international success. While touring in support of the compilation, Norman recorded a 2009 performance in Berlin, yielding the concert album/DVD set The Hits! Tour: Live from Berlin later that year.
Norman remained active in the studio at the start of the next decade and, beginning with 2011's Time Traveller, once again managed a new album every couple of years. Subsequent releases included There and Back (2013), Crossover (2015), and Don't Knock the Rock (2017).
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo
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Discography
40 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Stumblin' In (2017 Remaster)
Pop - Released by Sony Music Catalog on 1 Jan 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Lay Back in the Arms of Someone (Radio Edit)
House - Released by BROS Music on 26 Jul 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Another Night In Nashville
Country - Released by Solo Sound Records on 2 Nov 2014
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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The very best of Smokie & Chris Norman *50 years anniversary edition*
Pop - Released by Sony Music Catalog on 14 Feb 2025
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Don't Knock The Rock
Rock - Released by Music Manager on 15 Sep 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Definitive Collection - Smokie And Solo Years
Rock - Released by Music Manager on 30 Nov 2018
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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One Acoustic Evening
Rock - Released by e-m-s music & entertainment on 28 Apr 2005
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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The Best Of 20 Years
Pop/Rock - Released by Ariola on 25 Nov 1994
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Rediscovered Love Songs
Rock - Released by Music Manager on 4 Nov 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Baby I Miss You (Remastered)
Rock - Released by BROS Music on 5 Mar 2021
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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The Original Album I - Some Hearts Are Diamonds
Pop - Released by Edel Records on 21 Jul 2006
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Don't Knock The Rock Tour (Live Hamburg 2018)
Rock - Released by Music Manager on 10 Aug 2018
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Man With the Wooden Flute
Folk - Released by Boxwood Media on 29 Oct 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo