Norman Greenbaum was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household and attended Hebrew school at Congregation Beth Israel.
10 Facts About Norman Greenbaum
1.
2.
Norman Greenbaum performed with various bands in high school and studied music at Boston University for two years.
3.
Norman Greenbaum went solo as a folk artist and submitted an original song, "Spirit in the Sky", to Reprise Records.
4.
Norman Greenbaum's demonstration recording was a simple folk rendition, with Greenbaum accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.
5.
Norman Greenbaum says he was inspired to write the song after watching a Christian-themed song performed by Porter Wagoner on television.
6.
Norman Greenbaum stated Western movies were a major inspiration for "Spirit in the Sky":.
7.
All of the accoutrements added to "Spirit in the Sky" in the recording studio made it impossible for Norman Greenbaum to replicate the recording in live performances.
Related searches
Porter Wagoner 8.
Norman Greenbaum's upbeat "Canned Ham" followed in 1970, and the record reached number 46 on the American charts and number 26 in the Canadian charts.
9.
Norman Greenbaum returned to the music industry as a manager and promoter in the mid-1980s.
10.
Norman Greenbaum has been a long-time resident of Santa Rosa, California.