As the applause ebbs, Rick Norman towels his bald pate (rhymes with "date" it means "head") and shares a laugh with someone in the crowded club. His shirt is soaked with sweat as he moves about the stage. Guitar swinging from his neck, earrings glinting in the colored stage lighting, Rick gives a wry smile as the band rips into the next song. The familiar strains blast into the night and a young couple standing close to the stage bounce happily along with the rhythm. As Norman leans into the microphone and begins to sing, she pumps her fist in the air as she dances and hollers at the stage, "all right, Mr. Norman!"

Mr. Norman? Yes. It seems this is a rock & roller who spends most of his life in the Principal's office. Nothing new there, except that this rocker IS the Principal.

Rick Norman, rock musician and school principal, has long dedicated his days to educating children, while spending his nights with rock and roll. The passion and urgency with which he has attacked both are immediately evident on stage, in the school, and on his latest CD, Clouds Over OZ.

Growing up in Northern New Jersey (Hoboken & Palisades Park) and playing guitar, Rick was inexorably drawn to the legendary New York and New Jersey rock clubs. Places like Kenny's Castaway, CBGB's and The Bitter End, across the river in lower Manhattan and The Stone Pony, The Fast Lane and The Green Parrot, at the Jersey shore. Following his passion for music he began playing those venues, living a double life of rock by night and pursuing a career in education by day. A highly effective and wildly popular teacher, despite - or maybe because of - his unique demeanor, Norman rose through the ranks to high level administration positions but soon realized what he liked best about education was the kids and happily settled in as a principal. All the while though, the dream lived.

Through the years, Norman reveled in the hotbed of area rock clubs, playing with bands such as Snow, The B's and Rick & the Apostles, showcasing his high-wire act performance style, while continually creating and refining his own material. He made friends like Jules Shear (noted songwriter & performer who wrote hits for Cindy Lauper, The Bangles, The Band and many others) and singer/songwriter Pal Shazar and played with Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens along the way. Rick continued to play and take in the hum of the world around him and never did he stop crafting, nurturing and fine-tuning a sound of his own.

Twenty years had passed since his long time friend Roger Moutenot left Snow for a career as a record producer and engineer, working with Lou Reed, Patti Scialfa, Jill Sobule, Guster, Paula Cole, Yo Lo Tango, They Might Be Giants, among others. When the pair was reunited in 2002, Moutenot heard in his former band mate's music a distinctive poignancy and sense of melody Rick had honed along the road.

Out of this reunion came Rick's dream record. Recorded and produced in Nashville, (with additional tracks recorded in New Jersey) Clouds Over OZ is a triumphant culmination of a life's work. The influences of the early and innocent club years as well as the relentless determination of a rock & roll die hard can be heard in Norman's music. Those dreams from so long ago have served him well.

While he continues to write songs and perform at clubs in New York and New Jersey, Rick Norman's passion for children and their education is similarly unabated. He still spends his days in the Principal's office and to many, this musician with the new CD and hard driving performance style will always be known as "Mr. Norman".


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