Chris Norman
Musician, Chris Norman, a founder member and
original lead singer of Bradford band Smokie,
attended Bradford College in 1967.
“I left St Bede’s early at 15 because I had just had
enough of school. I had a couple of indifferent
jobs over the next 2 years and decided to go to
college and get my ‘O’ Levels. I started college in
September 1967 but only stayed about 3 months.
It was a good idea at the time but I dropped out
when I realised that if was going to make it in the
music business I didn’t need ‘O’ Levels.
We had most of our classes in an annexe off
Manningham Lane. It was an old Victorian building
but once a week we went into town to Westbrook
for student debates. I remember it was quite good
fun but I was really more into the image of being a
student, than actually doing any studying, though I
had always been good at school. I just liked saying
I was a student, wearing a scarf and going to cool
student things like Rag Day.
About 3 or 4 kids played guitar and someone
brought theirs in to college. They were all into folk
music and playing things like Michael Row the Boat
Ashore while I was into American stuff like Bob
Dylan and Woodie Guthrie. They all though I was ‘The Guy.’ Someone said ‘Why don’t we do a Chris
Norman folk workshop on Tuesday lunchtimes?’
Posters went up and people came but I only went
to the first and couldn’t be bothered with it after
that. But the funny thing was, a while after I left
college a lad told me it was still going on without
me. I don’t know how long for. Maybe there’s still
a bunch of them playing in a forgotten cupboard
somewhere!”
By 1968 Chris and his friends had turned
professional and gained a recording contract,
though the band went through numerous name
changes before having their first chart success as
Smokie in 1975. With hits such as If You Think You
Know How to Love Me; Something’s Been Making
Me Blue; Wild Angels and Living Next Door
To Alice they became an international success,
selling millions of records and touring extensively.
In 1982 Chris released a solo album and Smokie
later disbanded. In 1986 Chris rejoined his former
bandmates to play a charity show in aid of the
Bradford City Fire relief fund and toured Germany
and Australia with them before finally leaving to
concentrate on his own projects. Chris still enjoys a
busy and hugely successful solo career in Europe.
Smokie’s current lead singer, Mike Craft, also
attended Bradford College.
Photograph supplied by Chris Norman