Tribute To Larry Norman
For any Christian of my generation, Larry Norman opened the door. He was the first to show
us that rock and roll could still be "Christian" and the devil shouldn't
have all the good music. As he got older, he faded into the background of
Christian music, as a generation of CCM types hit the stage unaware of the
incredible work Larry had done to pave the way. My friend Mark Joseph wrote
this tribute to Larry in the Huffington Post, and I for one would like to see Larry
Norman remembered for the amazing contribution he made during that
difficult transition the church went through in the 60's and 70's.
I'd love to hear of any of you feel the same way. In my book, Larry
will always rock.
I'm very touched by the fact that he had such presence of mind to write a Goodbye Letter to everyone - That's truely amazing! What a gift to all of us. He's a true voice in Christian Rock. Modern bands should follow his lead. The difference: he wasn't writing to meet the immediate needs of youth groups, and radio stations. He was just makin' great music, and havin' a great time doing it. He wasn't thinking, "what's the program-manager gonna think of this?" or, "Oh, I really hope the program-manager likes it!" The CCM industry should all go back to his style of creating. After all, he started it that way. Thank you, God, for this man!!
I sang Larry Norman's song in Coffee House's and Restaurants back in the 70's. I came out of a rock background and had been singing since High School. Larry blazed a path for all ex-rockers like me to follow. He never "made it" into the mainstream of "christian rock" and he never tried to "cross over" like some do. He was too busy being on the cutting edge.
I remember having dinner with Larry back in the 80's in Thousand Oaks, CA. To say that Larry was unique would be a true understatement.
To be honest after all these years, I never did quite understand what he was saying during dinner. I guess that sums of Larry Norman. He laid it out there in shades of gray and let you interpret what it was he was all about. An artist.
My first Larry Norman concert was in 1979ish in Vancouver, BC. He made such an impact in my life and the youth all around me. We still sing his songs. His passing impacts alot of people from my era. I hope to pass this on to my children. Please check out this tribute to Larry Norman!
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=080795a7f23cf9 ...
Thank you Larry for making the way for GREAT MUSIC.
Traz
Larry has a son, Daniel who is now 19 and lives in Melbourne Australia.. Larry abandoned his son and led his mother on with promises that they would one day be together. World Magazine have published the article of Daniels story, see -:
www.worldmag.com/articles/14180
There is another side to the guy ... God Bless .. Andrew Wallace .. Australia
Further to my last post ... Jennifer and Daniel have now put a brief clip of their story on youtube, the link is
http://www.youtube.com/user/jenksaustralia
Thanks for listening .. Andrew Wallace ... Australia
I've been listening to Larry's music for over 30 years. (Gee ... that makes me sound old.) A couple of nights back, when I heard about his passing, I shed a few tears then posted a photo on my blog of the two of us together, taken 20 years ago after a concert he performed in Perth, Western Australia. He was interesting, controversial and a long way from perfect but he was a passionate follower of Jesus and I believe he made a huge contribution to the church and to many thousands of people around the world. He had a smile that could light up a room. He didn't use it nearly enough but it was amazing. I look forward to catching up with him again in eternity.