Chords for Chris Norman. Ireland tour 2023

[F] _ _ _ Hello again.
Now the music of Smokey saw me through my youth with hits like
Living Next Door to Alice, If You Think You Know How to Love Me, Oh Carol, Lay
Back in the Arms of Someone and I'll Meet You at Midnight.
The frontman with
the Smokey voice was Chris Norman who left the band in the 1980s and a
successful solo career followed.
His first single Midnight Lady became a
massive hit throughout Europe and many more followed and I'm [B] delighted Chris is
joining me this evening so let's have a reminder of some of those hits. _ _ _
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_ _ _ _ Oh Chris when I heard you were coming on the program I was [N] so excited.
That voice
is iconic. _
Congratulations.
Oh well that's very kind of you.
Thank you very much.
It's
lovely to be here.
Because so many people just love the music of Smokey.
That must
have been a really amazing time to be in the music industry when you started.
_ Yeah
I mean we started _ in the 60s believe it or not.
Me and Alan Silson who was the
guitar player from Smokey went to school together along with Terry but me and
Alan started the group originally and so we got in at the beginning of this
sort of whole thing you know in a way and then we went professional in 68.
_ Took
us a while but eventually we had our first hit in 1975 which was called If
You Think You Know How To Love Me.
Oh I do indeed.
And that took us you know that
started it all and then we traveled the world and it was like a big adventure
you know.
I know with bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles they had
their rivalry.
I mean the bands that were around you at the time was there sort of
a rivalry or was there a camaraderie the likes of you know Slade and Mud and
Jowadywady and that.
Well you know I mean it depends on who it was you were friends
with some and you were just you know not in terms with others.
Mud were a
great bunch of guys.
Les Gray was an amazing guy.
We hung out with them quite a bit.
Jowadywady we did.
They were great guys.
So yeah all those people.
Suzie Quatro I
made a record with later on and all those guys you know.
Sweet.
Yeah it's
amazing.
I mean if you go back into the archives because people just think oh
that was pop music but those were brilliantly written songs as well that
you were all performing at the time too and working with Suzie must have been
an absolute delight.
She's been on a program a few times.
Has she?
Yes.
She's a lovely lady.
Well I mean you know Suzie and I we knew each other from about
1974 because we were both on the same record label so we saw each other all
the time you know going into rack records to see making most or whatever
and Suzie how you doing?
_ And that came that that thing with me doing a duet
with her was just by accident because we were getting Smokey we're getting an
_ award in Germany and she was in Germany with Mike Chapman who was both our
producers and she was doing an album so they came to see us and then there was
an after-show party of course and in the corner was some band equipment so we're
all getting up and singing you know and it was just that me and Suzie got up and
sang I think Long Tall Sally or something some old rock and roll song
and Mike who was there Mike Chapman said you know you two look great together we
should do a song and so I stayed in Germany went into the studio on their
session and we recorded Stumbling In and another song and then I went back to
Smokey we went on tour and everything and then a few months later it came out
because your voice is married so beautifully on that track.
Yeah and it was so quick.
Fantastic.
I think we spent two days went in put the tracks down you know I played
acoustic everybody played the stuff with her band _ and then we spent I don't know
an hour or so doing the vocal round one microphone none of this mailing it off like we do now.
Round one microphone me and Suzie standing singing our parts and the vocal
was done in no time. _
You mentioned Mike Chapman and it comes full circle
because your new album is being produced by him.
Well not this one I've got one
out now called Rediscovered Love Songs which is a covers album with of all my
favorite love songs over the years but the one before was called Just a Man
which I recorded in _ 2019 just before everything locked down.
And we recorded that and that was the first time I'd worked with Mike
Chapman for like 40 odd years and we had a blast.
I mean we went in the studio in
London and just got a bunch of musicians in and it was just like the old days
let's go you know it was like take it so there was none of this kind of like well
we'll do that bit later and we'll do it we recorded it like as we as we were
playing it you know so.
You're going to be in the Waterfront Hall on the 17th
and obviously people are dying to see you so what can the audience expect from
from Chris?
Well I'm doing the three shows together one in Dublin at Vicar
Street one at Waterfront and one in Monaghan. _ _ _
Monaghan _ sorry. _ _
Yeah _ _ _ _ _ and so we'll be doing I've got like a five-piece band
six including me and a big production you know with all the business and _ we'll
be doing a load of smoky songs we'll be doing some of these songs from the new
album you just saw _ _ a couple of ones that are kind of favorites now for me to do
from over the years but we do all those you know Meet at Midnight Live Next Door to
Wally's, don't play a rock and roll to me.
I'm there.
I do them all.
Come along. _
You'll have a great night.
We have a ball really.
And you obviously still love it.
Well I enjoy it more than I ever did yeah to be honest because when you're
like in your 20s and that it's all kind of new and nerve-wracking and then you
kind of get used to it with experience and everything so now I've got the best
of both worlds I go on and I feel comfortable.
And you get to an age where
you just want the people around you that you want around you.
That's right well
I've got my band and crew now most of my band have been with me for about 20 years
so we're like a family you know we're on the road and we need to be because when
you're in each other's company all the time if you're on tour and stuff you
need to know the people and feel comfortable.
You don't want any egos.
No no no we don't do egos.
Well listen Chris it's an absolute pleasure to see you here
back in Belfast because I know you've been coming here for many many years.
Thank you so much indeed.
You're gonna be in the Waterfront Hall on Friday the
17th and everybody is so looking forward to seeing you.
Thanks very much indeed
for joining us this evening.
Pleasure thank you very much.
Well any motorbike enthusiast will