Good Vibes, Great Times
Step into the rhythm of nostalgia and fun! At Norm’s Hall of Legend, we’re bringing back the magic of sock hops, rock ‘n’ roll, and timeless connections. Join us for good times and great vibes that never go out of style.
The Day Music Found Me
I was in foster care when I was a kid. It was 1967, and I remember this one day we went to the beach. All the other kids were playing in the surf, but not me. I wouldn’t go near the water—I wasn’t confident enough to get in. So, I leaned up against this building by myself, just watching. That’s when I heard Leaving on a Jet Plane on the radio. I don’t know why, but I started tapping my foot and singing along to it, real quiet-like. Something about the music just clicked. I didn’t know it then, but music was going to be my thing.
Fast forward to 1968. It was December 3rd, and I’ll never forget it. I came home from school, sat down in front of the TV, and I was watching my cartoons—Dark Shadows was one of my favorite shows. I’ll tell you, back then, that show was a big deal on weekends. But that day, an announcer came on and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, he’s back—bigger and better than ever. Here comes the king!”
I didn’t know who they were talking about, but then this sharp-looking guy comes walking out onto the stage. He was 33 years old at the time. Just walking—he wasn’t doing anything fancy—but the girls in the audience were going absolutely batty. I couldn’t believe it. I sat there watching and thought to myself, What is this guy doing to make people react like that?
Hooked on the King
I looked over at my foster mom and said, “Who is that man?” She gave me this look and said, “Norm, you’re not gonna tell me you don’t know who that is! That’s Elvis Presley—America’s King of Rock and Roll!” I didn’t know much about the name, but I kept watching. And there he was, just shaking his leg and strumming his guitar, and the crowd was eating it up.
At the end of that show, I sat back and said, “I want to be just like that. I’m gonna grow up and be just like that man.” I was hooked.
When I got out of foster care, my younger brother Earl—he was only nine years old—gave me my first Elvis album for my 13th birthday. I’ll never forget it. He put it in a paper bag and taped it shut. He handed it to me and said, “Happy Birthday, Normie.” I thought to myself, What’s this? A paper bag for a gift? But when I opened it, there it was: Flaming Star.
I played that album over and over again. I wiggled and jiggled to every track. Then, one day, I managed to save up $2.50 and went down to a place back home called the Berlin Auction. That’s where I bought my very first 45 record—Heartbreak Hotel.
Building My Soundtrack
When I brought it home, I put it on and started mimicking everything Elvis did—shaking my leg, the whole bit. My stepfather noticed and called my mom into the room, saying, “Roberta, come here and look at this!” My mom watched me for a minute and said, “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s pretty good for a kid who didn’t even know who Elvis was a year ago.”
I didn’t care about what they said, though. I just kept playing that record. I played it so much my mom finally said, “Norm, don’t you have any other records?” I told her, “No, I don’t have the money to buy more.” So she gave me a $5 bill and said, “Go get three more records. I’m getting tired of Heartbreak Hotel.”
I took that money and bought All Shook Up, Don’t Be Cruel, and Hound Dog. I still had 50 cents left, so I started building up a collection—record by record.
I loved Elvis, but I didn’t stop there. I got into country music too—Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, George Jones. Then there was Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bo Diddley—those guys were my kind of thing. I don’t know why, but I always liked the bluesy rock—the stuff with a slower beat and a bit of a bump to it. Have you ever heard Steamroller Blues? Now that’s a song!
Finding Hope in the Rhythm
But life wasn’t always easy. See, I couldn’t get a job because of my disability. I wanted to work like everybody else, but nobody would hire me. I even thought about being a truck driver once, but they wouldn’t let me do that either. So I spent a lot of years feeling like I couldn’t do anything. I had to live off this meager little paycheck, and let me tell you, it was just enough to survive, not enough to live.
But I never gave up. I always had music. I spent years listening to records, studying musicians, and dreaming about what I could do. When the internet and all this new technology started coming around, I thought, Maybe there’s still a way for me to make something of myself.
Music gave me hope when I was just a scared kid at the beach. It gave me something to hold onto when life got tough. Elvis and all those other artists—they showed me that you didn’t have to have a lot to be somebody. You just needed a little bit of rhythm, a little bit of shake, and a whole lot of heart.
And that’s what I’ve got.
