Sad to say, Larry Norman died on Sunday morning. He had been ill for many years. Larry was, of course, the grandaddy of the contemporary Christian music movement (for good or bad). I used to talk about him quite a bit in my history of church music course at the college. His music was such an integral part of the Jesus movement and so encapsulated his era. He was influential in the lives of other significant musicians of the time including Randy Stonehill and Keith Green. I wish that Christian music had been able to stay free from the commercialism that has overtaken it and remained true to Larry's vision of what modern music with a Christian message could be. He definitely was not a perfect vessel, but he asked the important questions and tried to find answers for his day. And 36 years since "Only Visiting This Planet" was first released, it is still a work to be reckoned with.
UPDATE & NDY GIG
12 years ago
2 comments:
Doh! I hadn't heard that news! Very sad to lose Larry. Truly one of the great song writers, especially in Christian circles.
My first experience with Norman was, of course, through Geoff Moore who covered “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music”. I mentioned it once to one of my slightly older friends who informed me that it was a Larry Norman song. After several minutes of arguing about it, he actually produced the “Just Visiting This Planet” album and played it for me. I had to admit I was wrong. I also had to admit that, though I wasn’t a big fan of Norman’s voice, he was right up their with Dylan when it came to writing. Since then my favorite song of Norman’s continues to be “Outlaw”. A song I’ve covered in coffee houses from Scotland to the midwest, and even outdoor stages in downtown Pittsburgh and Old Orchard Beach. I’ve always found it to be a very disarming way of sharing the gospel, even in a non-religious setting.
I actually got to see Norman play almost ten years ago at an outdoor music festival. I was attending a song writing seminar (taught by Charlie Peacock, incidentally) and I heard somebody covering a Dylan song from the main stage. It was Norman. The guy had a wicked and very dry sense of humor. He will be missed!
Incidentally, I wish more people would cover his stuff. As I said, I wasn’t a big fan of his voice, but his music (and as you mentioned, that particular album) still far surpasses almost everything that has come out of the Christian music scene since.
I never much cared for Norman's voice either. I am jealous that you got to hear him in person.
Post a Comment