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Norman Connors

NTS aired an episode dedicated to the music of Norman Connors on 14 February 2023. Norman Connors has been played over 170 times on NTS, first on 22 November 2012. Norman Connors's music has been featured on 142 episodes.

Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, producer, and headliner, who has led some influential jazz and R&B groups. He had some big R&B hits of the day, especially in the area love ballads and songs with a positive statement in both titles and lyrics.

Connors became interested in jazz as a child, and began playing drums early, once sitting in for Elvin Jones at a John Coltrane performance he attended while in middle school. Connors studied music at Temple University and Juilliard; his first recording was on Archie Shepp's 1967 release, Magic of JuJu. He played with Pharaoh Sanders for the next few years until signing with Cobblestone Records in 1972 and releasing his first record as a bandleader. In the mid-1970s, Connors, although fronting some great jazz recordings with Carlos Garnett, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock, began focusing more on R&B tunes, and had several US hits with songs featuring vocalists such as Michael Henderson, Jean Carn, and Phyllis Hyman. The most successful of these was "You Are My Starship". Dee Dee Bridgewater also performed with him on the jazz album "Love from the Sun". His more recent work, "Star Power", has seen him operating more in the vein of smooth jazz and urban crossover music featuring Howard Hewett, Bobby Lyle, Ray Parker, Jr, Peabo Bryson, Michael Henderson, and Antoinette.

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Norman Connors

NTS aired an episode dedicated to the music of Norman Connors on 14 February 2023. Norman Connors has been played over 170 times on NTS, first on 22 November 2012. Norman Connors's music has been featured on 142 episodes.

Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, producer, and headliner, who has led some influential jazz and R&B groups. He had some big R&B hits of the day, especially in the area love ballads and songs with a positive statement in both titles and lyrics.

Connors became interested in jazz as a child, and began playing drums early, once sitting in for Elvin Jones at a John Coltrane performance he attended while in middle school. Connors studied music at Temple University and Juilliard; his first recording was on Archie Shepp's 1967 release, Magic of JuJu. He played with Pharaoh Sanders for the next few years until signing with Cobblestone Records in 1972 and releasing his first record as a bandleader. In the mid-1970s, Connors, although fronting some great jazz recordings with Carlos Garnett, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock, began focusing more on R&B tunes, and had several US hits with songs featuring vocalists such as Michael Henderson, Jean Carn, and Phyllis Hyman. The most successful of these was "You Are My Starship". Dee Dee Bridgewater also performed with him on the jazz album "Love from the Sun". His more recent work, "Star Power", has seen him operating more in the vein of smooth jazz and urban crossover music featuring Howard Hewett, Bobby Lyle, Ray Parker, Jr, Peabo Bryson, Michael Henderson, and Antoinette.

Original source: Last.fm

Artist in focus

Most played tracks

You Are My Starship
Norman Connors (Don Murray, Skip Drinkwater, Tommy Vicari mix)
Buddah Records1976
Butterfly Dreams
Norman Connors
Cobblestone1973
Love From The Sun
Norman Connors
Buddah Records1974
Mother Of The Future
Norman Connors
Sequel Records1990
Be There In The Morning
Norman Connors feat. Miss Adaritha
Arista1979
The Creator Has A Master Plan
Norman Connors
Funky Town Grooves, Buddah Records, Sony Music Commercial Music Group2013
Stella
Norman Connors, The Starship Orchestra feat. Miss Eleanore Mills
Arista1977
Just Imagine
Norman Connors (Don Murray, Skip Drinkwater, Tommy Vicari mix)
Buddah Records1976
The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace)
Norman Connors (Don Murray, Skip Drinkwater, Tommy Vicari mix)
Buddah Records1976
Invitation
Norman Connors feat. Miss Adaritha
Arista1979