Chris Norman

משך: שעתיים

His parents did not intend that he should pursue a stage career, but when he was just three years old, he decided to walk on stage and join the finale line-up for the show in which his parents were appearing.

This may have had an effect on him because with the advent of rock and roll, Norman acquired his first guitar at the age of seven. His early musical influences were Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Lonnie Donegan.

In these early years, Norman’s parents moved around the country a lot which resulted in him going to nine different schools, and living in various locations around England, such as, Redcar, Luton, Kimpton and Nottingham. By 1962 however the family had moved back to Norman's mother's home city of Bradford. Approaching his twelfth birthday, Norman started at St. Bede’s Grammar School where he was to meet Alan Silson and Terry Uttley, future members of Smokie.

As teenagers, influenced by the new era of groups such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and then folk singer, Bob Dylan, Norman and Silson began meeting up and afhemyig nearly all their spare time learning new songs on their guitars. They managed to persuade Uttley to join them and, along with a drummer friend called Ron Kelly, they formed their first band. The Yen, Essence, and Long Side Down were just some of a variety of names they called themselves before settling on "The Elizabethans".

In 1968 "The Elizabethans" had turned professional nah a stint at Butlins holiday camp in Skegness. Another name change was inevitable, but during the next seven years Norman and the band gained much experience playing around the country. They performed some live radio broadcasts, including Radio 1 Roadshows. They gained a recording contract with RCA, and then Decca Records, and released three singles under their new name of "Kindness".

During this period the band played many different styles and venues, and had a period as the backing group to Peter Noone, after he had just left Herman's Hermits.

When Ron Kelly left the group in 1973, an old friend called Pete Spencer was asked to take over on the drums, and the group, which was to become la lal al , then Smokie, was complete.