Karl-Erik Norman
Encyclopedia
Charlie Norman was a Swedish musician and entertainer.
piano player, but also an accomplished all-round pianist, whose first TV-show was 1947 accompanying Edith Piaf
. He was known for a distinctive nasal intonation and was the father of stand-up comedian
Lennie Norman.
Charlie Norman was attracted to music early on, played the trumpet in his school orchestra and also studied piano.
His parents did not want him to take up a career as a musician without first securing a "proper" trade. So he began work as a lathe operator qualifying at ASEA
. In his spare time he played the piano in his own dance orchestra and in an orchestra competition in Borlänge
in 1937, Charlie’s prowess as a pianist was recognised and he was invited to join Sven Fors's dance band Estonians.
He did his first professional job in the summer of 1937 at "Societetsrestaurangen" in Varberg
, following which he took engagements with orchestra conductors Håkan von Eichwald and Seymour Österwall.
Charlie was hit by TBC and ended up in hospital in 1942 for an extended period of time.
About the same time he began writing arrangements for recording sessions, and also prepared a correspondence course in arranging for dance orchestras.
By the beginning of 1940 he was already a very skilled boogie woogie pianist, and this musical genre became his signature. Charlie Normans boogie woogie playing became a great success when released on record in 1942.
He ended up in a violent controversy in 1949 when he re-arranged Edward Grieg’s classical "Anitras Dance" as "Anitras Dance Boogie". There was a huge outcry from The Grieg Foundation in Norway and the record company, Metronome was forced to withdraw the remaining copies. By then the record had already sold in excess of 10.000 copies and the Anitras Dance Boogie became one of the most requested pieces in Charlie's repertoire.
During 1940 he made several appearances abroad, including his television debut in Paris
in 1947, on a programme that also featured the legendary star Edith Piaf
.
In 1949 he formed an orchestra to entertain the American Military at the officer's club in Frankfurt.
Starting in 1950 Charlie reached an ever increasing audience through his radio broadcasts. He did the popular radio series "Nattugglan" which was followed by "The Charlie Norman Show" and "Charlie In School".
In 1951 he formed a trio with Rolf Berg and Hasse Burman and performed at many different theatres and showcases.
He made many recordings with the popular Swedish singer Alice Babs
and they attained Sweden's first gold record. His collaboration with Alice was very successful and lasted for many years. In 1990 Charlie successfully persuaded Alice to make a comeback after a lengthy retirement in Spain
.
He contributed to the popular radio program "Dagens Revy" along with Gösta Bernhard, Sickan Carlsson and Stig Järrel.
On television, he contributed to children’s programmes and the family programme Small Town.
He scored and wrote much film music, both for short films and full length features such as The Pot Travel, That One Beds… and Dangerous Freedom. He also scored the music for the American television series, Foreign Intrigue that was shown in Sweden for 50 episodes.
Not only was Charlie Norman he a great pianist, but he had an excellent sense of humour, often being compared with Victor Borge
. He wrote most of his material.
During the 1970s and 1980s he teamed up with his comedian son, Lennie Norman and Ronnie Gardiner for ten winter seasons on the Canary Islands
where they entertained Swedish tourists. He also appeared in restaurant shows at the Berns and Bacchi Wapen restaurants in Stockholm, at Restaurant Trägårn in Gothenburg
and Kronprinsen in Malmö
.
In recent years he often played with Robert Wells
, a great admirer of Charlie.
Charlie was awarded the SKAP-Stipendiet 1966 and became the 1993 Fred Winter-Stipendiat. In 1997 he received the Lisebergsapplåden.
Biography
Norman is generally considered to be Sweden's leading boogie-woogieBoogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
piano player, but also an accomplished all-round pianist, whose first TV-show was 1947 accompanying Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
. He was known for a distinctive nasal intonation and was the father of stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
Lennie Norman.
Charlie Norman was attracted to music early on, played the trumpet in his school orchestra and also studied piano.
His parents did not want him to take up a career as a musician without first securing a "proper" trade. So he began work as a lathe operator qualifying at ASEA
ASEA
Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget was a Swedish industry company. It merged with the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1988 to form Asea Brown Boveri...
. In his spare time he played the piano in his own dance orchestra and in an orchestra competition in Borlänge
Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality and the seat of Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 49200 inhabitants in 2011.- History :Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870...
in 1937, Charlie’s prowess as a pianist was recognised and he was invited to join Sven Fors's dance band Estonians.
He did his first professional job in the summer of 1937 at "Societetsrestaurangen" in Varberg
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, following which he took engagements with orchestra conductors Håkan von Eichwald and Seymour Österwall.
Charlie was hit by TBC and ended up in hospital in 1942 for an extended period of time.
About the same time he began writing arrangements for recording sessions, and also prepared a correspondence course in arranging for dance orchestras.
By the beginning of 1940 he was already a very skilled boogie woogie pianist, and this musical genre became his signature. Charlie Normans boogie woogie playing became a great success when released on record in 1942.
He ended up in a violent controversy in 1949 when he re-arranged Edward Grieg’s classical "Anitras Dance" as "Anitras Dance Boogie". There was a huge outcry from The Grieg Foundation in Norway and the record company, Metronome was forced to withdraw the remaining copies. By then the record had already sold in excess of 10.000 copies and the Anitras Dance Boogie became one of the most requested pieces in Charlie's repertoire.
During 1940 he made several appearances abroad, including his television debut in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1947, on a programme that also featured the legendary star Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
.
In 1949 he formed an orchestra to entertain the American Military at the officer's club in Frankfurt.
Starting in 1950 Charlie reached an ever increasing audience through his radio broadcasts. He did the popular radio series "Nattugglan" which was followed by "The Charlie Norman Show" and "Charlie In School".
In 1951 he formed a trio with Rolf Berg and Hasse Burman and performed at many different theatres and showcases.
He made many recordings with the popular Swedish singer Alice Babs
Alice Babs
Alice Babs is a singer and actor from Kalmar in Sweden. While she has worked in a wide number of genres - e.g. Swedish folklore, Elizabethan songs and opera - she is best known internationally as a jazz singer...
and they attained Sweden's first gold record. His collaboration with Alice was very successful and lasted for many years. In 1990 Charlie successfully persuaded Alice to make a comeback after a lengthy retirement in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
He contributed to the popular radio program "Dagens Revy" along with Gösta Bernhard, Sickan Carlsson and Stig Järrel.
On television, he contributed to children’s programmes and the family programme Small Town.
He scored and wrote much film music, both for short films and full length features such as The Pot Travel, That One Beds… and Dangerous Freedom. He also scored the music for the American television series, Foreign Intrigue that was shown in Sweden for 50 episodes.
Not only was Charlie Norman he a great pianist, but he had an excellent sense of humour, often being compared with Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
. He wrote most of his material.
During the 1970s and 1980s he teamed up with his comedian son, Lennie Norman and Ronnie Gardiner for ten winter seasons on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
where they entertained Swedish tourists. He also appeared in restaurant shows at the Berns and Bacchi Wapen restaurants in Stockholm, at Restaurant Trägårn in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
and Kronprinsen in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
.
In recent years he often played with Robert Wells
Robert Wells (composer)
Robert Henry Arthur Wells is a Swedish pianist, composer and singer, best known for his highly successful musical extravaganza Rhapsody in Rock which has achieved great prominence in Scandinavia, a mixture of rock, Sunden, classical and boogie-woogie.-Early life and career :A child prodigy, Wells...
, a great admirer of Charlie.
Charlie was awarded the SKAP-Stipendiet 1966 and became the 1993 Fred Winter-Stipendiat. In 1997 he received the Lisebergsapplåden.
Discography
- 195? - “Trudy” (EP, Norway) (as “Charlie Norman Quartet”)
- 1965 - Charlie Norman Show
- 1968 - Charlie Norman Show på Berns - Banne mej!
- 1970 - Charlie
- 1971 - Tribute to Fats Waller
- 1973 - Garner och hemvävt
- 1975 - Charlie live
- 1977 - En glad X-Mas
- 1980 - Charlie Norman går på party
- 2001 - 1 timme,12 minuter & 24 sekunder
- 2003 - En salig röra
Film music
- 1957 - Som man bäddar...
- 1956 - Foreign Intrigue
- 1955 - Danssalongen
- 1954 - Farlig frihet
- 1952 - Farlig kurva
- 1952 - Oppåt med gröna hissen
- 1952 - Han glömde henne aldrig
- 1950 - Kastrullresan
- 1948 - Kvinnan gör mig galen
Film roles
- 1964 - Tre dar på luffen
- 1953 - Kungen av Dalarna
- 1952 - Drömsemester
- 1949 - Kvinnan som försvann