# Charles Normal

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**Charles Edward Norman** (born March 8, 1965), known by the stage name **Charles Normal**, is an American record producer, audio engineer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is perhaps best known for his work with [Frank Black](/source/Frank_Black), [Pete Yorn](/source/Pete_Yorn), [Jetboy](/source/Jetboy_(band)), and his brother, musician [Larry Norman](/source/Larry_Norman). He has collaborated with [Guns N' Roses](/source/Guns_N'_Roses), [Steve Jones](/source/Steve_Jones_(musician)), [Isaac Brock](/source/Isaac_Brock_(musician)), [Courtney Taylor-Taylor](/source/Courtney_Taylor-Taylor), and actor [Kiefer Sutherland](/source/Kiefer_Sutherland).

## Early life

Norman was born in [San Jose](/source/San_Jose,_California), [California](/source/California), and was exposed to the performing arts at a young age, coming from a family of musical and theatrical performers. His grandfather was a [vaudeville](/source/Vaudeville) actor, his aunt a [burlesque](/source/Burlesque) circuit pianist, and his brother Larry Norman had a national Top 20 Hit record with the San Jose-based rock band [People!](/source/People!) when Normal was three years old.[citation needed]

In 1982, at the age of 17, Normal became the lead guitarist of the influential[1][2] [Bay Area](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Area) hardcore [punk](/source/Punk_rock) rock band Executioner.[3] By the age of 20, he had grown disillusioned with the San Jose and [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) punk scenes and moved to [Hollywood](/source/Hollywood,_Los_Angeles), California, at the behest of his older brother Larry, who offered Normal the role of bassist in his band for a series of national and international tours starting in 1985.

## Career

### 1988–1995

After a lengthy residence in the Netherlands and Sweden working as a record producer, Normal moved back to America in 1989 and joined MCA recording artists Jetboy, replacing [Sam Yaffa](/source/Sam_Yaffa) ([Hanoi Rocks](/source/Hanoi_Rocks), [New York Dolls](/source/New_York_Dolls)) as bass player. He spent the following year touring the U.S. and Canada with the band in support of their album *Damned Nation*. It was during this time period that he forged a strong relationship with [Guns N' Roses](/source/Guns_N'_Roses) keyboardist [Dizzy Reed](/source/Dizzy_Reed), eventually moving in with Reed and Sinisstar drummer/record producer Sid Riggs.

In 1991, Normal returned to Scandinavia, spending seven months in Norway producing and co-writing Larry Norman's album, *[Stranded in Babylon](/source/Stranded_in_Babylon)*. His band The Merchants of Venus signed a record deal with [Warner Music](/source/Warner_Music_Group) in 1994 and Normal produced and engineered their album *Wish Across The Land*,[4] which was nominated for the [Spellemannprisen](/source/Spellemannprisen) in the Rock category the following year.[5]

### 1996–2005

1996, brought Normal back to the U.S. when Dizzy Reed asked him to sit in for Guns N' Roses bassist [Duff McKagan](/source/Duff_McKagan) who was touring with another group. Normal took part in the recording sessions for what would eventually become the *[Chinese Democracy](/source/Chinese_Democracy)* album, but after several months of rehearsing with the rapidly dissolving line-up of Guns N' Roses, he moved back to Norway to form a band of his own.

The Guards of Metropolis (née Softcore) was the result, a Norwegian pop rock group that spent the next few years touring Europe and America. In 2003, the band signed to actor Kiefer Sutherland's recently formed indie label [Ironworks](/source/Ironworks_(record_label)) Music and began to record their first album. Creative differences between Normal and Ironworks producer [Jude Cole](/source/Jude_Cole) led to the band's departure from the label and the recording of their self-produced album, *Alligator*.[6] While Normal was finishing the album he, co-wrote, produced, and engineered [Mark Lemhouse](/source/Mark_Lemhouse)'s album, *The Great American Yard Sale*, which won the 2005 Muddy Award for Best National Recording.[7]

### 2007–2013

Normal began working with [Pixies](/source/Pixies_(band)) singer Frank Black (aka Black Francis) in 2007 as a touring and session guitarist. He has appeared on two albums by Black's side-project [Grand Duchy](/source/Grand_Duchy_(band)), and played guitar on Pete Yorn's self-titled 2010 album which was produced by Black.

In 2012, Normal signed with Los Angeles based independent label [SideOneDummy Records](/source/SideOneDummy_Records) with his latest incarnation, the self-described "audioarcheological" solo project Thriftstore Masterpiece. For its [debut album](/source/Thriftstore_Masterpiece_Presents_Lee_Hazlewood's_Trouble_Is_a_Lonesome_Town), a cover of [Lee Hazlewood](/source/Lee_Hazlewood)'s 1963 album *[Trouble Is a Lonesome Town](/source/Trouble_Is_a_Lonesome_Town)*, Normal enlisted members of [Modest Mouse](/source/Modest_Mouse), [The Dandy Warhols](/source/The_Dandy_Warhols), Pixies, [Art Brut](/source/Art_Brut_(band)), and The Guards of Metropolis. The album had a July 2013 release.[8][needs update]

## Personal life

In 1997, Normal married Norwegian singer/artist Kristin Blix. They live in [Salem](/source/Salem,_Oregon), [Oregon](/source/Oregon), with their son, where Normal owns and operates Magnetic Real recording studio.

## Select discography

- *Hellbound* – Executioner
- *Anthology* – Executioner
- *[Stranded in Babylon](/source/Stranded_in_Babylon)* – Larry Norman
- *Wish Across the Land* – The Merchants of Venus
- *Hi-Fi Demonstration Record* – Wondergroove
- *Alligator* – Guards of Metropolis
- *[Tourniquet](/source/Tourniquet_(album))* – Larry Norman
- *Let the People Speak* – Grand Duchy
- *[Pete Yorn](/source/Pete_Yorn_(album))* – Pete Yorn
- *[Seven Fingers](/source/Svn_Fngrs)* – Black Francis
- *Petits Fours* – Grand Duchy
- *[Presents Lee Hazlewood's Trouble Is a Lonesome Town](/source/Thriftstore_Masterpiece_Presents_Lee_Hazlewood's_Trouble_Is_a_Lonesome_Town)* – Thriftstore Masterpiece

## References

1. ["Executioner – Hellbound"](https://punkvinyl.com/2010/07/22/executioner-hellbound/). *Punkvinyl.com*. July 22, 2010.

1. ["7 i n c h e s: Executioner on Patac Records"](http://7inches.blogspot.com/2011/08/executioner-on-patac-records.html). *7inches.blogspot.com*. August 30, 2011.

1. ["Dave Burks"](http://www.punkglobe.com/daveburksinterview0810.html). *Punkglobe.com*

1. ["The Merchants of Venus : Wish Across The Land"](http://www.discogs.com/Merchants-Of-Venus-Wish-Across-The-Land/release/2038749). *Discogs.com*

1. [Spellemannprisen 1995](https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellemannprisen_1995)

1. ["Alligator - Guards of Metropolis | Album"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/alligator-mw0000492544). *[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)*

1. ["Muddy Award"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101121035449/http://cascadeblues.org/joomla/index.php/muddy-awards/annual-muddy-award-winners?start=15). Archived from [the original](http://cascadeblues.org/joomla/index.php/muddy-awards/annual-muddy-award-winners?start=15) on November 21, 2010.

1. ["Wall Street Journal Speakeasy article"](https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/05/08/pete-yorn-pixies-modest-mouse-make-a-thriftstore-masterpiece). *Blogs.wsj.com*

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charles Normal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Normal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Normal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.