Hurricane Norman Blows Out

10 Mar 2008
We are sad to report the passing, on Monday 3rd March, of early Pink Floyd producer Norman Smith, who went on to have hits in his own right as 'Hurricane Smith'.

An EMI engineer who had worked closely with George Martin on the Beatles recordings at Abbey Road, Norman was the designated producer when EMI signed Pink Floyd in 1967, replacing Joe Boyd, who had produced Arnold Layne independently. Norman acted as producer on the early Pink Floyd recordings, including The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and A Saucerful Of Secrets, ceding production control as the band gradually took over, culminating in his Executive Producer credit for Atom Heart Mother.

Norman's other production work included one of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things, while he also developed a role as a solo singing star: using the pseudonym 'Hurricane Smith', he had his first of three UK Top 40 singles in 1971. His self-penned composition Oh Babe What Would You Say? was originally a song demo, which Mickie Most decided was good enough as it was; in 1972 it went to No. 3 in the U.S. Chart and No. 4 in the UK.

In recent years, he had been working on an expanded version of his book John Lennon Called Me Normal, which covered his career, including his time working at Abbey Road Studios.



http://www.pinkfloyd.com/x/news.html?nid=31

http://www.pinkfloyd.com/x/default.html