About Norman

Norman Blagman has touched the entertainment industry from stage to screen to vinyl and digital media. His musical career spans the last half century with some amazing highlights.

Norm was drafted into the Navy during the Second World War, at the age of 18. He served from 1944 through the end of the war in 1945, and eventually left the Navy in 1946 with the rank of Third Class Petty Officer.

In 1962 Norm wrote and produced the LP "MAD Twists Rock and Roll" For MAD magazine. This comedy album released on the Big Top label was very successful and was followed up by the 1963 album "Fink Along With MAD" - Also Norm's work. Over the next twenty years Norm would create several more projects with MAD magazine, including "It's a Gas (1966)", "Makin' Out (1978)", "MAD Disco-Disco Suicide (1980)", and "A MAD Look at Graduation Day (1981)" to name a few.

In 1960 Norm composed the songs "Give me the right" and "Put the blame on me" for the Elvis Presley album "Something for Everybody", released by RCA Victor in 1961. The album topped out at #1 on the charts and was certified gold in 1999. "Put the blame on me" was featured in the 1965 Elvis film "Tickle me" co-starring Julie Adams. "Give me the right" was included in the 1985 Elvis Presley ablum "A Valentine Gift for you". Norm Blagman wrote 'Love Power' for the 1968 musical The Producers.

In 1964, Baby Washington recorded Norm's song "It'll Never be Over For Me." It hit Billboard's Hot 100 in December, and can still can be heard on the radio today. It has been re-recorded by several artists over the years, including Thee Midniters in 1966, Timi Yuro in 1969, and most recently by Los Lobos in 2004.

In 1977 jazz legend Earl 'Fatha' Hines (regarded as one of the most influential jazz pianists of the 20th century) released his album "Jazz is his old lady and my old man" featuring then up-and-coming vocalist Marva Josie. Norm wrote and produced the album under the Catalyst record label, which was re-released on CD in 2003 by Acrobat Records to the delight of 'Fatha' fans everywhere.

In a 1993 interview Herbert "Tiny Tim" Khaury spoke about Norm (his former manager):

"He (Norm Blagman) managed me for a while in 1960/61 ... He was a great song writer and should have been a big star. He wrote some songs for Elvis Presley here and there... I would not forget him so I used 'The Viper.'"

Norm is also an accomplished chi gung master. Chi gung is the ancient art of aligning breath, movement and awareness to concentrate chi (life energy) - and is very much a reflection of the way Norm lives life. As a master, he teaches his art to students in Bergen County, New Jersey.