An Open Letter to the Man in Charge of the Grammys
Dear Mr. Greene,
Somewhere in a hospital in Portland, Ore., lies a man who deserves a lifetime achievement Grammy from NARAS, a man whose courageous efforts to marry rock and roll and religious fervor broke down barriers that once separated serious faith from serious rock.
Today, artists like Creed, Lifehouse, P.O.D., U2 and Lenny Kravitz unashamedly marry hard rock with serious faith. But once upon a time, this was taboo — until a blond-haired hippie named Larry Norman picked up a guitar and began to sing.
In the late 1960's, Norman signed with Capitol Records, and his band hit #14 on the pop charts with a song called "I Love You." He released several records on the MGM and Verve labels before starting his own label, Solid Rock Records.
But, to paraphrase another pioneering spiritual artist, he was too saved for sinners, and the saved didn't want him around.
When Norman wanted to call his record We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus & A Lot Less Rock And Roll and put a hippie painting of Jesus on the cover, Capitol vetoed the idea. For many in the rock world, Norman's obsession with Jesus was annoying. Rock music was about sex and drugs, not about religion.
On the other hand, many in the religious world were outraged at Norman's attempts to marry rock and religion. He was accused of being a Devil worshipper, a false prophet, a young man sent to lead good Christian children astray.
But Norman ignored his critics from both sides and kept making music.
In 1973 Norman, borrowing a line from the great reformer Martin Luther, penned his autobiographical song Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music? The song would push rock and religion toward a peaceful co-existence.
"I want the people to know that He saved my soul, but I still like to listen to the radio," Norman sang. "They say rock and roll is wrong, we'll give you one more chance, I say I feel so good I gotta get up and dance...some people just don't understand, what's a good boy doing in a rock and roll band?...All I'm really trying to say is, why should the Devil have all the good music?"
There was no good answer to Norman's penetrating yet simple question, and three decades later dozens of acts have proved that it didn't have to be that way. Larry Norman deserves much of the credit for that.
The Gospel Music Association recognized Norman this month by inducting him into the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame. But Norman is no Gospel artist. He was and is a stone cold rock-and-roller, and he deserves recognition by NARAS, not as a "Gospel artist" or "Christian artist" but as a pioneering rocker, someone who ignored the militant secularists who wanted to keep God out of rock and roll and the fundamentalists who wanted to keep rock and roll out of the church.
The lesson Norman taught the world is this: Rock music is no less rock music because it chooses to communicate messages of faith. And Norman was a rock and roll singer who refused to keep his faith out of his music.
If rock is indeed the music of rebellion against the status quo, than who better to honor than Larry Norman, who rebelled against the religious establishment and the rock and roll establishment and taught a new generation of rockers that music should be free to address any topic - including faith.
After suffering a heart attack and enduring bypass surgery, Larry Norman will likely recover, but the chance to honor him during his lifetime may pass quickly.
Sincerely,
Mark Joseph
Mark Joseph is the author of The Rock & Roll Rebellion-Why People of Faith Abandoned Rock Music and Why They're Coming Back.
Originally published December 10, 2001.
