Steve Norman
| Steve Norman | |
|---|---|
 Steve Norman | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
25 March 1960 London, England |
| Genres | Synthpop, New Romantic, New Wave, pop rock |
| Occupations | Musician, producer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Saxophone, guitar, percussion |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Website | www.steve-norman.com |
Steve Norman (born 25 March 1960, London) is an English musician who plays saxophone, guitar, percussion, and other instruments, for Spandau Ballet.
Biography
Early career
Steve Norman was initially a guitarist in the group with Gary Kemp. By the third Spandau Ballet album Norman not only brought percussion to the mix, but also introduced the saxophone which has since become his signature instrument. Together with Spandau Ballet, Norman toured the globe and continued to have hits throughout the 1980s. In 1985 Norman appeared with Spandau Ballet at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, where he was also to perform at the "Free Nelson Mandela" concert some years later along with Tony Hadley. He has also performed at various concerts in aid of The Prince's Trust charity.
After Spandau Ballet
In the early 1990s after the band went their separate ways, Norman moved to Ibiza and took some time off from performing.
During his time on the island, Norman collaborated with numerous musicians and producers who resided in Ibiza, including Lenny Krarup, Nacho Sotomayor, Stefan Zauner and DJ Pippi. Norman also worked with Rafa Peletey on various projects, including Funky Jack's "Saxomatic" percussion mix. Norman also sourced and compiled the music for the Made In Ibiza Chills n´ Thrills compilation album and co-compiled A Journey Through Savannah with Peletey for their record label, Island Pulse Records.
Norman continues to play live at house music events throughout the UK and on the international club scene,[1] performing with his saxophone, or occasionally percussion alongside such musicians as Byron Stingily of Ten City, Frankie Knuckles, Angie Brown, Steve Edwards, Alison Limerick, Jeremy Healy and Brandon Block. More recently Norman formed a partnership with Hed Kandi, DJ John Jones and Martin Ikin from Soul Purpose called 'The Collective'. Their first production was a re-working of Joe Smooth's "Promised Land" featuring Peyton on lead vocals and Shelley Preston on backing vocals.[1]
Norman also writes a regular column reviewing CDs for the magazine, Ibiza Now.
Cloudfish
In 2001, Norman and Peletey formed a production team called Cloudfish. They invited Shelley Preston (formerly of Bucks Fizz) to provide the vocals. As a result, Cloudfish became a band with Norman, Preston and Peletey writing and producing their own songs. Peletey left in 2003 to front his own band, joining up with Norman and Preston from time to time.
Cloudfish continue to write, produce and perform and were featured artists on the eponymous CD of the Italian quintet, Quintessenza. Cloudfish sold out a number of concerts including the one at Ronnie Scott's nightclub. Their song "So High" was included on the CD compilation, Dome Ibiza: The Chillout Session Vol. 2.
Spandau Ballet reunion
On 25 March 2009, Norman, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Tony Hadley and John Keeble, announced their reunion at a press conference on board HMS Belfast. The newly reformed band announced their 'Reformation Tour' starting in October 2009.[2]
Steve Norman is credited with co-writing "Once More", the first new Spandau Ballet single in 20 years.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Domain name holding page - LCN.com". steve-norman.com. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ↑ "Spandau Ballet – Homepage". Spandauballet.com. 2011-10-31. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ↑ David Johnson (2009-10-04). "Spandau Ballet, the Blitz kids and the birth of the New Romantics | Music | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
External links
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