LARRY NORMAN'S HOLIDAY HAS BEGUN

Back in college, someone introduced me to Christian popular music. I did not know it existed at the time. I listended to Led Zepplin and Chicago and Grand Funk Railroad, Traffic, Pogo, CS&N, etc.

One of the first Christian songs I learned to play on the guitar and sing was "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" by Larry Norman. He is one of the guys that started the whole contemporary Christian music idiom.

He died Sunday.

Norman played regular music first. He was the lead singer of People!, a folk-rock band. They covered The Zombies' "I Love You", which reached No. 7 on the pop charts in 1968. He left the band after that and went solo. His album in 1969, "Upon This Rock" was the first Christian rock album.