Larry Norman & The Grammys & Me Part 3
UPDATE See Below
Over the next few years Larry was busy recording and releasing albums, and I was busy being a teenager in Denver. His albums were hard to come by, but I managed to find them wherever I could. I distinctly remember asking an older woman in a very small Christian bookstore if she had any Larry Norman albums, and her response, "I don't think he's a Christian, dear".
While in high school, my family had a chance to go to Estes Park, Colorado for an annual Christian music event being held there. We knew some people, who knew some people, and when I found out Larry was playing........I pleaded with my parents to make this drive up the hill to see him perform.
The Christian music event had placed him as last artist of the night, which usually denotes a top billing. They had other reasons in mind. Couldn't tell you who else performed that night for sure...........but I clearly remember that just before Larry was to go on, as the last performer of the night, a full third of the audience got up and walked out.
Racial prejudice in the church was the soapbox Larry was standing on that night. When he sang "The Great American Novel", an uncomfortable silence fell on the room. More audience members left. I realized I was watching the rejection of change, of questioning the status quo, of a person speaking the truth as he saw it. I was secretly thrilled. More than ever I was hooked on the music of Larry Norman.
Over the next few years, I listened, usually on a daily basis, to the albums I collected, and yes, I was spiritually moved, and in many ways, shaped by the music of Larry Norman.
#LarryNorman
Over the next few years Larry was busy recording and releasing albums, and I was busy being a teenager in Denver. His albums were hard to come by, but I managed to find them wherever I could. I distinctly remember asking an older woman in a very small Christian bookstore if she had any Larry Norman albums, and her response, "I don't think he's a Christian, dear".
While in high school, my family had a chance to go to Estes Park, Colorado for an annual Christian music event being held there. We knew some people, who knew some people, and when I found out Larry was playing........I pleaded with my parents to make this drive up the hill to see him perform.
The Christian music event had placed him as last artist of the night, which usually denotes a top billing. They had other reasons in mind. Couldn't tell you who else performed that night for sure...........but I clearly remember that just before Larry was to go on, as the last performer of the night, a full third of the audience got up and walked out.
Racial prejudice in the church was the soapbox Larry was standing on that night. When he sang "The Great American Novel", an uncomfortable silence fell on the room. More audience members left. I realized I was watching the rejection of change, of questioning the status quo, of a person speaking the truth as he saw it. I was secretly thrilled. More than ever I was hooked on the music of Larry Norman.
Over the next few years, I listened, usually on a daily basis, to the albums I collected, and yes, I was spiritually moved, and in many ways, shaped by the music of Larry Norman.
#LarryNorman
Comments