Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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GREENBAUM, Norman

(b 20 Nov. '42, Malden MA) Singer, guitarist. Began singing folk at Boston U.; moved to L.A. and formed jug band Dr West's Medicine Show and Junk Band with Evan Engber, percussion; Bonnie Walach on guitar and vocals; Jack Carrington, guitar, vocals, percussion. LP with title track 'The Eggplant That Ate Chicago' (minor hit, no. 52 '66), lightshows and makeup in live act could not resist the tide of psychedelia: they split '67. Solo Spirit In The Sky '69 on Reprise was produced by Erik Jacobson, a no. 23 LP USA; third single was title track, driven by fuzz guitar and with fashionable quasi-spiritual lyrics, was no. 3 USA, no. 1 UK (where it stayed in the charts for 20 weeks), his first and last top 40 hit. Follow-up single 'Canned Ham' flopped; LP Back Home '70 was patchy despite help from ex-Charlatan Dan Hicks; third and last LP Petaluma '72 was named after the area of California where he retired and turned to breeding goats. Doctor & The Medics covered 'Spirit In The Sky' for a no. 1 UK hit '86.