Editing Larry Norman (section)

==Career==
===Early bands===
While still in high school, Norman formed a group called The Back Country Seven, which included his sister Nancy Jo and friend Gene Mason.<ref name="behindthebooks.ivpress.com" /> After graduating, Norman continued performing locally.

In 1966 Norman opened a concert for [[People!]] at the [[Asilomar Conference Grounds]] in [[Pacific Grove, California]]. He later became the band's principal songwriter, sharing lead vocals with his Back Country Seven bandmate Gene Mason.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vital Statistics |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/Pictures/PeopleBio4.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324105426/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/Pictures/PeopleBio4.jpg |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website |format=JPG}}</ref> People! performed about 200 concerts a year,<ref name="korea">Larry Norman, "Liner Notes", ''I Love You Korea'', p.2.</ref> appearing with [[Van Morrison]] and [[Them (band)|Them]], [[the Animals]], [[the Dave Clark Five]], [[Paul Revere & the Raiders]], [[the Doors]], [[the Who]], [[Janis Joplin]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Moby Grape]], and San Jose bands [[Syndicate of Sound]] and [[Count Five]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2010 |title=Wayback Wednesday - The People! |url=http://mog.com/DashboardDJ856/blog/1928285 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305162106/http://mog.com/DashboardDJ856/blog/1928285 |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |website=[[MOG (online music)|MOG]]}}</ref> The band's cover of [[the Zombies]]' [[I Love You (The Zombies song)|"I Love You"]] became a hit single, selling over one million copies and charting strongly in several markets.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles Week ending June 29, 1968 |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19680629.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301230738/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19680629.html |archive-date=March 1, 2013}}</ref> Norman left People! just as [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] released the band's first album in mid 1968, but reunited with Mason for concerts in 1974 and 2006.<ref name="cummings">{{Cite web |title=People!: Drummer and songwriter Denny Fridkin recounts his life in music |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/People_Drummer_and_songwriter_Denny_Fridkin_recounts_his_life_in_music/28810/p1/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref> According to rock historian Walter Rasmussen, [[Pete Townshend]] once said that The Who's 1969 album ''[[Tommy (rock opera)|Tommy]]'' was inspired by the rock opera "Epic" by People!;<ref>Powell 2002, p. 633-634.</ref><ref>Wally Rasmussen, liner notes, "About the Author", ''Larry Norman: White Blossoms From Black Roots'' (SRD-030) (1988):4.</ref> however, Townshend has since denied the connection.<ref name="NMP">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman: Not so Long Ago the Garden |url=http://newmusicplease.com/album-reviews/larry-norman-so-long-ago-the-garden.php |access-date=October 21, 2016 |website=New Music Please}}</ref>

===Hollywood street ministry===
Soon after Norman left People!, he had "a powerful spiritual encounter that threw him into a frenzy of indecision about his life [and] for the first time in his life, he received what he understood to be the Holy Spirit".<ref name="transformation1">Stowe 2011, p. 36-37.</ref>

In July 1968, following a job offer to write musicals for Capitol Records, Norman moved to [[Los Angeles]] where he "spent time sharing the gospel on the streets".<ref name="cbn.com">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman |url=http://www.cbn.com/cbnmusic/artists/norman_larry.aspx |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=[[Christian Broadcasting Network]]}}</ref><ref name="Philip Cooney 2008">{{Cite web |last=Cooney |first=Philip |date=January 30, 2008 |title=Here I am, talking about Jesus just the same: Larry Norman at 60 |url=http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/longing/5087/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720083535/http://matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/longing/5087/ |archive-date=July 20, 2008 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=The Briefing}}</ref> As he described in 2006: "I walked up and down [[Hollywood Boulevard]] several times a day ... witnessing to businessmen and hippies, and to whomever the Spirit led me. I spent all of my Capitol Records' royalties starting a halfway house and buying clothes and food for new converts."<ref name="growth">{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |date=October 11, 2006 |title=Larry Norman: The Growth Of The Christian Music Industry |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Larry_Norman__The_Growth_Of_The_Christian_Music_Industry/24341/p2/ |website=[[Cross Rhythms]]}}</ref><ref name="Kittle-p121">{{Cite book |last=Kittle |first=Glenn D. |title=The Jesus Kids and their Leaders |date=1972 |publisher=Warner Paperback Library |page=121}}</ref> He was initially associated with the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Luddick |first=Betty |date=July 11, 1972 |title=Jeane Dixon's Crystal Ball Gets a Workout |page=G1 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and its Salt Company coffee house outreach ministry,<ref name="normanjm">{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |title=The Jesus Movement - Singing A New Song |url=http://www.one-way.org/lovesong/norman.htm |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=One-Way.org}}</ref><ref name="digit">{{Cite web |date=October 21, 1969 |title=Can You Dig It? |url=http://www.hollywoodfreepaper.org/archive.php?id=3 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |volume=1 |number=2 |newspaper=The Hollywood Free Paper}}</ref> where he explored and pioneered the rock-gospel genre.<ref name="Kittle-p121" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Don |title=Call to the Streets: The Story of Don Williams |date=1972 |publisher=Augsburg Publishing House |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=23}}</ref>

===Musical theatre===
In 1968 Norman wrote several songs for the rock musicals ''Alison'' and ''Birthday for Shakespeare'', both of which were performed in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Tiegel |first=Elliot |date=November 23, 1968 |title=Cap. in New B'way Try via Beechwood |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=8}}</ref><ref name="NORMAN%20LARRY%20DAVID&querytype=WriterID&keyid=251231&page=1&blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&affiliation=BMI&cae=214063413 |title=Songwriter/Composer: Norman Larry David">{{Cite web |title=Songwriter/Composer: Norman Larry David |url=http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?fromrow=1&torow=25&keyname=NORMAN%20LARRY%20DAVID&querytype=WriterID&keyid=251231&page=1&blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&affiliation=BMI&cae=214063413 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904095059/http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?fromrow=1&torow=25&keyname=NORMAN%20LARRY%20DAVID&querytype=WriterID&keyid=251231&page=1&blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&affiliation=BMI&cae=214063413 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=[[Broadcast Music, Inc.]]}}</ref><ref>Norman 1972, p. 9.</ref><ref>11 songs from ''Birthday for Shakespeare'' are included on Norman's 2007 album ''Motorola Corolla 2''.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Review: Motorola Corolla 2 - Larry Norman |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Larry_Norman/Motorola_Corolla_2/46235/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref><ref name="Norman 1972, p. 10">Norman 1972, p. 10.</ref>

The next year, Norman and his friend [[Ted Neeley|Teddy Neeley]] auditioned for the Los Angeles production of the rock musical ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'' and were offered the roles of George Berger and Claude Bukowski, respectively; Neeley accepted, but Norman rejected the role of George, despite his own financial struggles, because "of its glorification of drugs and free sex as the answers to today's problems".<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |title=Bootleg : A Documentary : Larry Norman |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/btlginsa.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094443/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/btlginsa.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website |format=JPG}}</ref><ref name="cverbelun.addr.com">{{Cite web |title=Ted Neeley biography notes |url=http://www.cverbelun.addr.com/neeley.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511194408/http://www.cverbelun.addr.com/neeley.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |website=Cindy Verbelun}}</ref> Also in 1969, Norman wrote a musical called ''Love on Haight Street'' and a [[rock opera]] called ''Lion's Breath'', which led Capitol to re-sign Norman to record an album, with the promise of complete creative control.<ref>Shaw, Paul, "About the Artist", ''So Long Ago the Garden'' (30th Anniversary Edition 1973–2003), SRD-006.</ref><ref name="meetjesushere.com">{{Cite web |title=The Mystery Records |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/the_mystery_records.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020114342/http://www.meetjesushere.com/the_mystery_records.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref name="ata">"About the Artist", ''Only Visiting This Planet'' (2004).</ref>

===Recording career===
[[Image:Lnsimp.png|upright=1.35|thumb|''The Simpsons'' parody comic of Larry Norman]]

In 1969, Capitol Records released Norman's first solo album, ''[[Upon This Rock (Larry Norman album)|Upon This Rock]]'', produced by Hal Yoergler, is now considered to be "the first full-blown Christian rock album".<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="thompson49">Thompson 2000, p. 49-52.</ref> Norman was denounced by various [[Televangelism|television evangelists]],<ref name="bivins">{{Cite book |last=Bivins |first=Jason |title=Religion of Fear: The Politics of Horror in Conservative Evangelicalism |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=125}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Luhr |first=Eileen |title=Witnessing Suburbia: Conservatives and Christian Youth Culture |date=2009 |publisher=University of California Press |pages=47, 51–52}}</ref> and Capitol deemed the album a commercial flop and dropped Norman from the label.<ref name="bsnpubs.com">{{Cite web |date=January 10, 2009 |title=Solid Rock Album Discography |url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/word/solidrock/solidrock.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Both Sides Now}}</ref> However, his music gained a large following in the emerging countercultural movements.<ref>''High Fidelity'' 20:7–12 (1970):112.</ref> Sales of the album rose following its distribution in Christian bookstores.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bielen |first=Kenneth G. |title=The Lyrics of Civility: Biblical Images and Popular Music Lyrics in American Culture |date=1999 |publisher=Routledge |page=114}}</ref>

By the early 1970s, Norman was performing frequently for large audiences, and appeared at several [[Christian music festival]]s,<ref name=digit/><ref name="bsnpubs.com" /><ref name="tributes">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman 1947-2008 |url=http://www.larrynorman.uk.com/tributes.htm |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Larry Norman UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Duane's Interview with Josh Tinley |url=http://www.hollywoodfreepaper.org/interview.php?id=3 |magazine=The Hollywood Free Paper |access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Reflections on the Jesus Movement |url=http://www.hollywoodfreepaper.org/article.php?id=4 |magazine=The Hollywood Free Paper |access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Robison |first=Greg |url=https://archive.org/details/christianrockfes00robi |title=Christian Rock Festivals |date=2009 |publisher=Rosen |location=New York |isbn=9781404217843 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 2, 1971 |title=Spiritual Revolution Day |url=http://www.hollywoodfreepaper.org/archive.php?id=33 |magazine=The Hollywood Free Paper |volume=3 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |number=3}}</ref> including [[Explo '72]], a six-day [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] event which has been called the "Jesus [[Woodstock]]."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 26, 1972 |title=Religion: The Jesus Woodstock |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906107,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616060134/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906107,00.html |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref> Norman established a [[half-way house]] where he "housed and fed various groups of people, supervised their Bible studies and drove them to church on Fridays and Sundays".<ref name="cottagebk2">Larry Norman, "The White Cottage", liner notes, ''And the Rampions Run Wild: The Cottage Tapes – Book Two'' (2000 CD).</ref> He earned $80 per month from Capitol for polishing and refining songs for Capitol artists.<ref name=cottagebk2/> In 1970, Norman began a record label, One Way Records. He released two of his own albums ''[[Street Level (album)|Street Level]]'' and ''[[Bootleg (Larry Norman album)|Bootleg]]'' on the label as well as [[Randy Stonehill]]'s first album, ''Born Twice''.

In 1971, Norman first visited England where he lived and worked for several years.<ref name="quizzed">{{Cite web |last=Rimmer |first=Mike |date=August 27, 2005 |title=A Legend Quizzed |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/A_Legend_Quizzed/15761/p1/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=[[Cross Rhythms]]}}</ref> He recorded two studio albums, ''[[Only Visiting This Planet]]'' and ''[[So Long Ago the Garden]]'', in London's [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR Studios]].<ref name="larryinuk">{{Cite web |title=Larry in the UK |url=http://www.larrynorman.uk.com/inuk.html |access-date=May 4, 2010 |website=Larry Norman UK}} {{dead link |date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Released in 1972, ''Visiting'' "was meant to reach the [[flower children]] disillusioned by the government and the church" with its "abrasive, urban reality of the gospel", and has often been ranked as Norman's best album.<ref name="cbn.com" /> The release of ''Garden'' in November 1973 was met with controversy in the Christian press, due to the album's cover art and some songs in which Norman took the persona of a [[backslider]].<ref name="Steve Turner 1977">{{Cite magazine |last=Turner |first=Steve |date=March 10, 1977 |title=Paradise: Home-made and Heaven |magazine=ThirdWay |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Beaujon |first=Andrew |date=May 2008 |title=God Only Knows |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |page=120}}</ref>

In 1974, Norman founded [[Solid Rock Records]] to produce records for Christian artists "who didn't want to be consumed by the business of making vinyl pancakes but who wanted to make something 'non-commercial' to the world".<ref name="boots">{{Cite web |date=September 24, 2007 |title=Larry Norman's snakeskin boots |url=http://talesfromthelaboratory.typepad.com/tales_from_the_microbial_/2007/09/larry-normans-s.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Tales from the Microbial Laboratory}}</ref><ref>Howard and Streck 2004, p. 163.</ref><ref name="store2">{{Cite web |title=Shopping Mall |url=http://www.larrynorman.uk.com/store2.htm |access-date=February 5, 2014 |website=Larry Norman UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Kim |title=Larry Norman Dies at 60 |url=http://christianmusic.about.com/od/musicnews/a/larrynormanobit.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303112431/http://christianmusic.about.com/od/musicnews/a/larrynormanobit.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |access-date=February 5, 2014 |website=About.com}}</ref> Norman produced music on the label for artists including Randy Stonehill, [[Mark Heard]] and [[Tom Howard (musician)|Tom Howard]].<ref name="virtuoso">{{Cite web |title=Tom Howard: From Jesus music pioneer to behind-the-scenes virtuoso |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Tom_Howard_From_Jesus_music_pioneer_to_behindthescenes_virtuoso/34447/p1/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref> Norman also worked with several artists who were signed to other labels, including [[Malcolm and Alwyn]], Bobby Emmons and the Crosstones, Lyrix, James Sundquist and David Edwards.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 1977 |title=Folk Concert |page=14 |work=[[Tri-City Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom Flight : Album cover |url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aGSj8CksbS8/S7hC6os0nyI/AAAAAAAAAN4/2FPiAw-zNv0/s1600/back.jpg |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=1.bp.blogspot.com |format=JPG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2002 |title=David Edwards |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Hendrickson |location=Peabody, MA |last=Powell |first=Mark Allan |page=292}}</ref> Norman signed a deal with [[ABC Records]] to distribute Solid Rock's releases, but was later moved to ABC subsidiary [[Word Records]].<ref name="CR_OBIT">{{Cite web |last=Rimmer |first=Mike |date=February 26, 2008 |title=Larry Norman – 1947–2008 |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/news/Larry_Norman__19472008/30703/p1/ |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref><ref name="larrynorman1">{{Cite web |title=Biography |url=http://www.larrynorman.uk.com/bio.htm |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Larry Norman UK}}</ref> In the same year, Norman founded the Christian artist [[booking agency]] Street Level Artists Agency.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |year=1980 |title=New Music Interview 1980 Part 2 |url=http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw80b.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122152758/http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw80b.html |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |website=Cluttered Soul: The Words of Larry Norman}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Agency |url=http://www.streetlevelagency.com/index.php/agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714043611/http://www.streetlevelagency.com/index.php/agency |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |publisher=Street Level Agency}}</ref><ref name="Mike Rimmer 2010">{{Cite web |last=Rimmer |first=Mike |date=March 28, 2010 |title=Larry Norman: The David Di Sabatino's Fallen Angel documentary |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Larry_Norman_The_David_Di_Sabatinos_Fallen_Angel_documentary/39066/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref>

''[[In Another Land (album)|In Another Land]]'', the third album in Norman's trilogy and the best-selling album of his career, was released in 1976 by Solid Rock and distributed through Word.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |year=1980 |title=New Music Interview 1980 Part 3 |url=http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw80c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142328/http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw80c.html |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |website=Cluttered Soul: The Words of Larry Norman}}</ref><ref name="meetjesushere1">{{Cite web |title=In Another Land |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/in_another_land.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020162304/http://www.meetjesushere.com/in_another_land.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref> Soon afterward, Norman recorded the [[blues]]-rock [[concept album]] ''[[Something New under the Son]]'', but it would not be released until 1981.<ref>Some sources indicate the album was recorded in 1977. See {{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |year=1981 |title=Solid Rock/Phydeaux: Music for the Minority |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/PosterMag/BostProm.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720090308/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/PosterMag/BostProm.jpg |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}; the original cover has "1977" written on it.{{cite web |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/LPs/SRA2007a.jpg |title='Something New Under the Son' Front cover |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720090102/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/LPs/SRA2007a.jpg |archive-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="onlyvisiting1">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman (Part 1) |url=http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/about/story1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729055350/http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/about/story1.html |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |website=Only Visiting.com}}</ref><ref name="snuts">{{Cite web |title=Something New Under The Son |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/SNUTS.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126154628/http://www.meetjesushere.com/SNUTS.htm |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref> Following clashes with Word over ''Something New'' and several other projects, Norman started Phydeaux Records in 1980 to release his albums.<ref name="vog95">{{Cite web |year=1995 |title=VOG interview |url=http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw95.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008205436/http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw95.html |archive-date=October 8, 2014 |website=Cluttered Soul: The Words of Larry Norman}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The FULL VOG Interview |url=http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/interviews/VOG/larryVOG.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924060539/http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/interviews/VOG/larryVOG.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Only Visiting.com}}</ref>

In 1978, Norman was injured during a plane landing at [[Los Angeles International Airport]].<ref name=vog95/> Norman claimed to have suffered mild brain damage due to being hit by parts of the cabin's roof, and that this damage left him unable to complete projects and focus artistically.<ref name="ssri">Larry Norman, "A Special Solid Rock Interview", in Norman 1989, p. 10.</ref> William Ayers wrote in 1991: "As family, friends and fans watched, his life spiraled downward. He was unable to record a bonafide album from the time of his airplane accident in 1978 until ... he attempted to release the badly produced ''[[Home at Last (Larry Norman album)|Home at Last]]'' [recorded in 1986]. He never expected to be healed."<ref name="stranded" />

In September 1979, Norman performed his "The Great American Novel", "a [[Bob Dylan|Dylanesque]] [[protest song]]", for U.S. president [[Jimmy Carter]] and about 1,000 guests at the ''Old Fashioned Gospel Singin{{'}}'' concert held on the south lawn of the [[White House]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 10, 1979 |title=White House Hosts Gospel Sing |page=20 |work=[[Pharos-Tribune]] |location=Logansport, Indiana}}</ref>

Following a prolonged dispute with Solid Rock artists [[Daniel Amos]] which ended in estrangement,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terry Scott Taylor : The HRS Interview Part One |url=http://www.danielamos.com/articles/terrytay1.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=DanielAmos.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=TimeLine 1978 |url=http://www.danielamos.com/timeline78.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=DanielAmos.com}}</ref> Solid Rock's business manager, Philip Mangano, and several Solid Rock musicians organized an [[Intervention (counseling)|intervention]] with Norman in June 1980, which led him to begin closing the company.<ref name="canadianchristianity.com">{{Cite web |title=Angel tells tragic tale of Larry Norman |url=http://www.canadianchristianity.com/bc/bccn/0709/20angel.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Canadian Christianity.com |archive-date=May 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517015014/http://canadianchristianity.com/bc/bccn/0709/20angel.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=1980 |title=Audio sample: Mangano's coup d'etat |url=http://www.weebly.com/uploads/7/0/9/5/7095730/philip_manganos_coup_detat.mp3 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=Weebly.com |format=MP3}}</ref> Religious history professor [[Randall Balmer]] attributed the company's demise to "idealism, marital difficulties, and financial naivete—as well as changing musical tastes."<ref name="balmer">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2002 |title=Larry (David) Norman |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism |publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]] |editor-last=Balmer |editor-first=Randall Herbert |page=411}}</ref>

In late 1980, Norman moved to England and, with his father, founded Phydeaux Records, a company designed to compete with the [[bootleg recording|bootleg]] market by selling rarities from Norman's own archives.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite web |title=Back to California : Larry Norman |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/LPs/ST001aV1.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312041846/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/LPs/ST001aV1.jpg |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website |format=JPG}}</ref><ref name="story2">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman (Part 2) |url=http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/about/story2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924060530/http://www.onlyvisiting.com/larry/about/story2.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Only Visiting.com}}</ref><ref name="Larry Norman 2007">Larry Norman, "The Germans", (June 18, 2007).</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Israel Tapes |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/The_Israel_Tapes.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728204718/http://www.meetjesushere.com/The_Israel_Tapes.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=February 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref> He signed a distribution deal with British label Chapel Lane and released several albums before returning to the United States in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1981 Friends On Tour Dates |url=http://www.larrynorman.uk.com/word27.htm |access-date=March 12, 2011 |website=Larry Norman UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman And His Friends On Tour |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/Friends_On_Tour.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301032602/http://www.meetjesushere.com/Friends_On_Tour.htm |archive-date=March 1, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref name="mjhtune">{{Cite web |title=The Story Of The Tune |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/Tune.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020113510/http://www.meetjesushere.com/Tune.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story Of The Tune: Cover |url=http://www.onlyvisiting.com/music/discography/Tune/tune.cover.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924060549/http://www.onlyvisiting.com/music/discography/Tune/tune.cover.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Only Visiting.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Come As A Child |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/Come_As_A_Child.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728182547/http://www.meetjesushere.com/Come_As_A_Child.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stop This Flight |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/STF.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301030108/http://www.meetjesushere.com/STF.htm |archive-date=March 1, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Quiet Night |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/QuietNight.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728202714/http://www.meetjesushere.com/QuietNight.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref> Norman then began work on an anthology project celebrating his career in Christian music, beginning with the album ''White Blossoms from Black Roots: The History and the Chronology: Volume One'';<ref name="lnblackroots">Liner Notes, ''White Blossoms From Black Roots'' (1997).</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Solid Rock News |url=http://www.larrynorman.com/news/3.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728175037/http://www.larrynorman.com/news/3.html |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Larry Norman.com}}</ref> however, the project collapsed when the head of the distribution company was arrested for [[check forgery]] and the company's merchandise was seized by the FBI.<ref name=lnblackroots/><ref name="rtwb">{{Cite web |title=White Blossoms From Black Roots |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/White_Blossoms.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921063829/http://www.meetjesushere.com/White_Blossoms.htm |archive-date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref>

Norman signed to [[Benson Records]] in 1986 and recorded the album ''Home at Last'', although the album was not released until 1989 due to legal problems.<ref name="benson">{{Cite magazine |last=McCormack |first=Moira |date=October 11, 1986 |title=Benson Records: Economy and Specialization Fuel Strong Return to Major Label Status |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=G-10}}</ref><ref name="Larry Norman 1989">Norman 1989, p. 20.</ref> Despite extensive promotion, the album was negatively reviewed, and Norman himself later dismissed the album as "just a collection of tapes I had", although he said separately that he was "extremely happy" with the level of support he'd received from Benson.<ref name="dickerson">Matthew Dickerson, "Home at Last", in Norman 1989, p. 16.</ref><ref name="cr93">{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |year=1993 |title=Cross Rhythms Interview |url=http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw93.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093025/http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw93.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=January 3, 2019 |website=Cluttered Soul: The Words of Larry Norman}}</ref> In 1989, Norman received the Christian Artists' Society Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref name="ChristianArtists" />

While visiting another musician at the close of a February 1991 tour, Norman received prayer for his long-term health problems from a pastor of London's [[Elim Pentecostal Church|Elim Way Fellowship]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 10, 2008 |title=History |url=http://riverchurch.publishpath.com/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715131313/http://riverchurch.publishpath.com/history |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |access-date=August 13, 2010 |website=River Church}}</ref> Norman maintained that through this prayer God repaired the damage to his brain and he was able to function again.<ref name=quizzed/> That year, he collaborated with his brother [[Charles Normal|Charles]] on the album ''[[Stranded in Babylon]]'', hailed by both critics and fans as one of his best.<ref name="Robert Termorshuizen 1991">{{Cite web |title=Stranded In Babylon |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/stranded_in_babylon.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020214628/http://www.meetjesushere.com/stranded_in_babylon.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref name="Rupert Loydell 1992">{{Cite web |title=Review: Stranded In Babylon - Larry Norman |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Larry_Norman/Stranded_In_Babylon/5267/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Selected discography from my personal collection: Larry Norman |url=http://www.banophernalia.com/reviews/music/artists_norman.htm#larry1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728170136/http://www.banophernalia.com/reviews/music/artists_norman.htm#larry1999 |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |website=Banophernalia.com}}</ref> They would reunite for the 2001 album ''[[Tourniquet (album)|Tourniquet]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman Tourniquet pre-release review copy album front and back |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/CDs/SRD409insV1.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324114039/http://www.meetjesushere.com/images/CDs/SRD409insV1.jpg |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tourniquet |url=http://www.meetjesushere.com/tourniquet.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019005530/http://www.meetjesushere.com/tourniquet.htm |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Jim Böthel's Unofficial Larry Norman Website}}</ref>

Norman continued to perform and release albums throughout his later years in order to raise funds for medical expenses stemming from heart problems.<ref name="phydeaux1-1995">{{Cite web |title=Phydeaux News 1 |url=http://www.onlyvisiting.com/distributors/phydeaux/newsletters/phydeaux_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729040019/http://www.onlyvisiting.com/distributors/phydeaux/newsletters/phydeaux_1.html |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Only Visiting.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Review: Agitator: The Essential - Larry Norman |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Larry_Norman/Agitator_The_Essential/7087/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Cross Rhythms}}</ref> He gave his last official concert on August 4, 2007, in New York City.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===Relationship with the church and Christian music industry===
Throughout his career, Norman had a contentious relationship with the wider Christian church and with the [[Christian music industry]]. He wrote in September 2007, "I love God and I follow Jesus but I just don't have much affinity for the organized folderol of the churches in the Western World."<ref>Larry Norman, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?", Liner Notes, ''Rebel Poet, Jukebox Balladeer: The Anthology'' (September 2007).</ref> Norman's music addressed a wide range of social issues, such as politics, free love, the occult, the passive commercialism of wartime journalists, and religious hypocrisy, that were outside the scope of his contemporaries.<ref name="KXL">{{Cite web |last=Hagestadt |first=André |title=Larry Norman |url=http://www.kxl.com/ArDisplay.aspx?SecID=13&ID=15847 |website=[[KXL-FM]]}} {{dead link |date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Defending the confrontational approach of his music, Norman said, "My primary emphasis is not to entertain. But if your art is boring, people will reject your message as well as your art."<ref>Larry Norman, quoted in Marlene D. LeFever, ''Creative Teaching Methods'' (David C. Cook, 1996):21.</ref> In the 1980s, he complained that Christian music generally meant "sloppy thinking, dishonest metaphors and bad poetry," and that he had "never been able to get over the shock of how bad the lyrics are."<ref name="twoln1984-2">{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Larry |title=Strait Interview 1984 |url=http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw84.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212125931/http://twoln.clutteredsoul.com/intvw84.html |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |access-date=August 3, 2019 |website=Cluttered Soul: The Words of Larry Norman}}</ref>

Norman disapproved of Christian musicians who were unwilling to play in secular venues or to "preach" between songs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Michael |title=So Long Ago, When CCM Wasn't Awful |url=http://www.internetmonk.com/articles/L/larry.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730141413/http://www.internetmonk.com/articles/L/larry.html |archive-date=July 30, 2013 |website=The Internet Monk}}</ref> He also criticized what he saw as the "commercialization of Christian music in America",<ref name=twoln1984-2/> including the role of copyrights and licensing.<ref name="Philip Cooney 2008" />

===Influence===

In 2008, Christian rock historian John J. Thompson wrote, "It is certainly no overstatement to say that Larry Norman is to Christian music what [[John Lennon]] is to rock & roll or [[Bob Dylan]] is to folk music."<ref name="ccmmagazine.com">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman |url=http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11571167/larry%20norman/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=[[CCM Magazine]]}} {{dead link |date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Thompson credited Norman for his impact on the genre as a musician, a producer, and a businessman.<ref name=thompson49/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul's Bio |url=http://www.paulcolman.com/about.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705111215/http://www.paulcolman.com/about.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2012 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Paul Colman.com}}</ref>

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Norman also influenced a number of emerging punk and alternative rock artists. According to documentarian Larry Di Sabatino, Larry Norman was "an early influence" on the [[post-punk]] band [[U2]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cody |first=John |title="Angel" Tells Tragic Story of Larry Norman |url=https://johncodyonline.com/writings/angel-tells-tragic-tale-of-larry-norman/ |access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref> When [[Bono]] met with a summit of Nashville Christian music artists in 2002 to garner support for an African aid campaign, he specifically asked to see Norman.<ref>{{cite web |title=BONO'S SUPPORT FOR PEPFAR HELPED SAVE 27 MILLION LIVES |url=https://u2conference.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Bono_s-Support-for-PEPFAR-Helped-Save-27-Million-Lives.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508122005/https://u2conference.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Bono_s-Support-for-PEPFAR-Helped-Save-27-Million-Lives.pdf |archive-date=2021-05-08 |url-status=live |website=atU2.com |publisher=U2conference.com |access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref> Upon Larry Norman's death, Bono sent flowers to his funeral with the note "Eternal singer, still eternal, Bono."<ref>{{cite web |title="Bono sent flowers to Larry Norman's funeral in 2008. Our family was touched by his gesture." |url=https://www.facebook.com/LarryNormanHQ/photos/bono-sent-flowers-to-larry-normans-funeral-in-2008-our-family-was-touched-by-his/1867122473511502/ |website=Facebook- Larry Norman |access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref>

According to [[Charles Normal]], Larry Norman attended his "first of many" [[punk rock]] shows while touring London in 1977, seeing [[Richard Hell and the Voidoids]], [[The Damned (band)|the Damned]], and [[Dead Boys]]. Regarding the punk movement, Norman stated that while he initially disliked some of the lyrical content, he was generally supportive of it and its youthful energy, which he viewed as preferable to [[disco]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Punk is Better Than Disco. |url=http://www.larrynorman.com/blog/punk-is-better-than-disco |access-date=January 18, 2022 |publisher=LarryNorman.com}}</ref>

Norman subsequently introduced his younger brother, Charles, to the genre, including the music of the [[Sex Pistols]]. Within several years, Charles was the lead guitarist for the Bay Area [[hardcore punk]] band, Executioner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Executioner- Hellbound |url=https://punkvinyl.com/2010/07/22/executioner-hellbound/ |access-date=January 18, 2022 |website=The Punk Vault|date=July 22, 2010 }}</ref> Larry paid for the recording of Executioner's first EP in 1982, on the condition that they also record one of his songs. Larry Norman began to meet figures from the L.A. punk scene, and eventually recorded tracks with former Sex Pistols guitarist [[Steve Jones (musician)|Steve Jones]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thornbury |first=Gregory |title=Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music |date=2018 |publisher=Convergent |pages=215–216}}</ref> Norman also released a live recording of a punk version of "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" <ref>{{Cite web |title=Down Under- Why Should the Punk |url=https://www.thesongsoflarrynorman.com/down-under.html |access-date=January 18, 2022 |website=The Songs of Larry Norman}}</ref>

[[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] frontman [[Black Francis]] described Larry Norman as having been his "total idol" as a teenager, whom he attempted to imitate.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Frank |first1=Josh |title=Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies |last2=Ganz |first2=Caryn |date=2006 |publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> The band's first demo, ''[[Pixies (EP)|The Purple Tape]]'', was to contain a cover of Norman's song "Watch What You're Doing", but it was never released. A lyric from the song "Levitate Me" ("Come on pilgrim, you know He loves you!") formed the basis for the title of Pixies' 1987 EP ''[[Come On Pilgrim]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch What You're Doing (lost Pixies cover version of Larry Norman song; 1987) |url=https://lostmediawiki.com/Watch_What_You%27re_Doing_(lost_Pixies_cover_version_of_Larry_Norman_song;_1987) |access-date=January 18, 2022 |website=Lost Media Wiki}}</ref> Black was eventually introduced to Norman by members of U2 during the [[Zoo TV]] tour.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coker |first1=Matt |title=David Di Sabatino Is Drawn to Charismatic Christians. But Nothing Prepared Him for Larry Norman. |date=October 16, 2008 |url=https://www.ocweekly.com/david-di-sabatino-is-drawn-to-charismatic-christians-but-nothing-prepared-him-for-larry-norman-6414286/ |publisher=OC Weekly |access-date=January 19, 2022}}</ref> Black's post-Pixies band, Frank Black and the Catholics, covered Larry Norman's song "Six Sixty Six". Norman and Black performed a duet of "Watch What You're Doing" at Norman's "farewell" concert, and the two were reportedly working on an album together at the time of his death, along with Isaac Brock of [[Modest Mouse]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |title=Remembering Christian rock maverick Larry Norman |url=https://ew.com/article/2008/02/26/remembering-chr/ |access-date=January 18, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>

[[Steve Camp]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman Home With The Lord ..."for me to live is Christ and die is gain" |url=http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2008/02/larry-norman-home-with-lord-for-me-to.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Steven J. Camp.blogspot.com|date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> [[Carolyn Arends]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bananas with Larry Norman |url=http://www.conversantlife.com/music/bananas-with-larry-norman#continue |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006170624/http://www.conversantlife.com/music/bananas-with-larry-norman#continue |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Conversantlife.com}}</ref> [[Bob Hartman]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taff |first=Tori |title=100 Greatest Songs of Christian Music: The Stories Behind the Music That Changed Our Lives Forever |date=2006 |publisher=Integrity Publishers |page=75}}</ref> [[TobyMac]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 8, 2008 |title=Larry Norman (1947–2008) |magazine=Billboard |page=8}}</ref> [[Mark Salomon]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Salomon |first=Mark |title=Simplicity |date=2005 |publisher=Relevant Media Group |pages=42–43}}</ref> [[Martyn Joseph]],<ref name=tributes/> and [[Steve Scott (poet)|Steve Scott]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman and Steve Scott |url=http://larrynorman.activeboard.com/index.spark?aBID=119764&p=3&topicID=15786580 |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=Larry Norman.activeboard.com| date=March 5, 2008 }}</ref> have credited Norman as influences. Overall over 300 artists have covered songs by Norman.<ref name="GMHF">{{Cite web |title=Larry Norman: The Gospel Music Hall of Fame Biography |url=http://www.knet180radio.com/00_artistcorner_artistdetails.asp?iArtistId=1931155010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309201528/http://www.knet180radio.com/00_artistcorner_artistdetails.asp?iArtistId=1931155010 |archive-date=March 9, 2008 |access-date=December 31, 2018 |publisher=KNET}}</ref>