Norman Greenbaum

Norman Greenbaum is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for writing and performing his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky". The song, with its combination of 'heavy' guitar, hand-clapping, and spiritual lyrics, was released by Reprise Records in 1969. It sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970 and received a gold disc from the RIAA. It has subsequently been used in many films, advertisements, and television shows.Although "Spirit in the Sky" has a clear Christian theme, Greenbaum was and remains an observant Jew. Greenbaum says he was inspired to write the song after watching country singers singing a song on television. In an interview Greenbaum stated that Western movies were the real inspiration for "Spirit in the Sky":Though Greenbaum is generally regarded as a one-hit-wonder, several of his records placed prominently in the charts, including "Canned Ham" in 1970, which reached number 46 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1966, as the leader and composer of Dr West's Medicine Show and Junk Band, he recorded the novelty hit "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.