Born on 12 August 1937 in Nashville, Tennessee, Norman stands among the many skilled and widely active R&B artists whose contributions left a modest yet lasting mark on popular music. His earliest professional work came with the Los Angeles outfit the Chargers, which cut a pair of doo-wop sides for RCA Records across 1958 and 1959. When that ensemble dissolved in 1959, Norman launched a solo career under the guidance of producer H.B. Barnum, at times also appearing with the Robins.
In 1960 he and Barnum assembled the short-lived Dyna-Sores for a well-received rendition of the Hollywood Argyles’ “Alley-Oop,” which climbed to number 59 on the pop listings. Norman’s individual path gained momentum the next year through regional airplay for the evocative “Here Comes The Night.” National recognition followed in 1962 with the distinctive New Orleans-inflected “I Don’t Love You No More,” which reached number 21 on the R&B chart and number 47 on the pop side.
Subsequent releases never repeated that level of visibility, although the charming “Love Is Wonderful” found favor along the east coast in 1963. His final national chart entry arrived in 1966 with “Can You Blame Me,” which peaked at number 35 R&B. During the late 1960s he performed intermittently with the Coasters; from 1973 onward he became a permanent member of the Cornell Gunter-led edition of the group, one of several lineups then touring the oldies circuit. Early in the decade he also cut several singles on the Turntable label with this version of the Coasters and served as lead vocalist for Eddie Palmieri’s Latin-R&B fusion ensemble the Harlem River Drive.
Norman resumed solo activity in 1975 with singles issued by Buddah Records. More than ten years passed before he completed his debut album, Home, which appeared in 1987 on the small BadCat imprint. Following his departure from the Coasters in 1998, he recorded a second album for the same label; a third arrived in 2004 on Judy Collins’ Wildflower Records.
