Chris Norman - Junction 55

Chris Norman first rose to fame as the frontman of the great 70s band Smokie. In 1986, Chris left the band and began a hugely successful solo career. His first single "Midnight Lady" became a huge hit all over Europe and stayed at number 1 in Germany for 6 weeks! In his career to date, he has released 21 hit singles and 22 albums and sold over 20 million records worldwide. He grew up in a show business family that goes back two generations. His grandparents toured England with their own concert troupe during the First World War, and their daughter Pat (Chris' mother) joined a dance troupe after school. Pip Norman (Chris' father) was part of a dance/comedy group called "The Four Jokers" that performed all over Europe in the 1930s/40s and even had an appearance at the British Royal Variety. He got his first guitar when he was old of seven and his early musical influences were Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Lonnie Donegan. Later, the artists of the 60s, especially the Beatles and folk singer Bob Dylan, had a great influence on Chris. At school he formed a band with Alan Silson, which was later joined by Terry Uttley and Pete Spencer. The band turned professional in 1968 and played throughout the UK throughout the late '60s and early '70s.

By 1974, the group had developed its own sound, which reflected their tight three-part harmonies and Chris' distinctive vocals in a guitar-rock sound, a sort of cross between Crosby, Stills & Nash and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band changed their name to "Smokie" and their first album "Pass it Around" was released in 1975 on Micky Most's RAK Records. Smokie had started out as an album-oriented rock band, and through their many live experiences, Chris and Smokie were familiar with all the tricks of the rock & roll craft. Chris recalls: "We weren't that interested in pop singles at first, so the cover of our first LP PASS IT AROUND was designed to make us look more like a folk/rock band than a glam rock band." In the summer of 1975 they had "If you think you know how to love
me" was her first hit single. This was followed by a series of another 15 hit singles, including 'Living next door to Alice', 'I'll meet you at Midnight', 'Lay back in the arms of Someone' etc. Chris also sang that very much successful duet, "Stumblin' In" with Suzi Quatro, which gave him his first success outside the group. Record sales increased accordingly and Smokie had many hit albums such as "Changing All The Time", "Midnight Cafe", "Bright Lights and Back Alleys" and "the Montreux Album" to name a few. Chris' solo career began in 1986 with the song "Midnight Lady", which was a huge hit across Europe and was number one in Germany for six weeks. More single and album hits followed. In 1994, Chris was named "International Video Star of the Year" by CMT Europe for the videos "Jealous Heart", "The Growing Years" and "Red Hot Screaming Love".
That same year, Chris formed his own new band and went on tour for the first time in six years. Since then, Chris and his band have toured all over the world and he has produced many solo albums.

In 2020, Chris released a brand new album entitled "Just a Man", which he wrote and recorded with his old mentor and friend Mike Chapman as producer. Mike Chapman has written and produced numerous global hits, including "Blondie", "Tina Turner", "The Knack", "Sweet", Suzie Quatro, "Smokie" and many others. Now a new album is coming out called 'Junction 55', which contains 12 brand new songs written by Chris himself or in collaboration with others. He wrote three songs with his old friend and band member Pete Spencer, two with Geoff Carline, his current lead guitarist, one with Mike Chapman and the rest alone. The songs are the trademark of a true singer-songwriter with timeless melodies and memorable harmonies, that rise upwards. The album “Junction 55” was recorded and produced in Chris' own studio. Chris says of the album: "The title 'Junction 55' reflects the fact that I'm at a new point
in my career and it's been 55 years since I became a professional musician."