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For the Georgia-native who's no stranger to exploring various terrains, "home" for Bebo Norman has always been wherever he happened to be. But with a recent move to Nashville, and the completion of his second national release, Big Blue Sky, he has found himself settling down in more ways than one. By boldly offering what is arguably his most mature work to date, Bebo seems to have landed at the grounding point on his proverbial compass, and in the process found his way to a respectable career as a solo artist.
Bebo began his musical journey at the age of 17, but it wasn't until he entered college that he started to understand the impact music had on him. While studying Biology at a small South Carolina college in hopes of one day becoming a doctor, Bebo began playing at Young Life camps in his spare time. The friends he met at these camps encouraged him to pursue his talents, and with such constant support as a driving force, it was then that his road took a detour. After completing his degree in Biology and deciding to take "one year off" before medical school, Bebo started down the path that has taken him further and further away from the world of medicine.
From college, Bebo went on to record a successful independent record, The Fabric of Verse, and soon his ardent group of followers began inviting Bebo to play at their college campuses and hometown coffeehouses. Before long, Bebo's poignant songwriting sparked the interest of Cliff Young, frontman of the folk-rock group, Caedmon's Call. Following two tours as the band's opening act, Young snagged Bebo for his newly birthed label, Watershed Records. Upon signing, Bebo soon released his national debut project, Ten Thousand Days, with astounding response.
The album proved to be a major success, debuting at #3 on the Internet Sales Chart ahead of Backstreet Boys and Sarah MacLachlan. It has sold more than 125,000 copies in the US, and was also the top-selling new artist release in Europe for the year 2000. The album not only earned numerous accolades, but it also put Bebo on the covers of CCM, Release, Christian Single and Believe Magazines. This exposure and high-acclaim has expanded Bebo's impact far beyond the college-folk scene, proving his potential as a major player in Christian music.
Today, ten years after a small-town boy first picked up a guitar, this 27-year-old man has barely had time to stop and realize how far he's come. Touring for almost 10 months out of the past year, Bebo has found only scarce pockets of time to rest and concentrate on songwriting at his family's river cabin on the outskirts of Georgia. What he encountered during those brief respites was a humbling perspective of God, and the emergence of eleven carefully poured over stories that speak eloquently to the masses. In the end, this collection of songs has become Bebo's most satisfying work to date.
"I feel like the progression of these songs has developed from a more clear understanding of who I am as a person. And that understanding has afforded me a new freedom to be more creative on a musical level," Bebo says. "The way I look at what a song should be has definitely changed. Even though I still enjoy the mysterious nature of very lyrical songs, I've begun to appreciate how profound a simple and repetitive pop song can be."
Big Blue Sky represents as much of a progression in the production as it does the song writing. Taking subtle departures from his signature rootsy guitar sounds and richly woven lyrics, Bebo shows his willingness to change and explore a variety of different sounds. "It definitely feels bigger than my last record," explains Bebo. "While some of the production is still really simple and acoustic, just me and my guitar, quite a bit is more layered and pop-oriented."
The accessibility of his music is affirmed in Bebo's connection with audiences of every age. "I've always thought that college students were the audience I most easily related to because, like them, I could feel myself consistently battling who I was as a person," Bebo confesses. "But I've realized that even after college you don't just necessarily figure everything out or somehow instantly find your place in this world. " Over the years, Bebo has found his audience to continually define themselves; the more he has stretched, the more his audience has. With an opening spot on Jennifer Knapp's Back Forty tour in Spring 2001, a new album full of self-revealing songs, and a CD release tour spanning the country, expect to see Bebo's music and audience continue to grow.
Despite the confidence offered by people's heartfelt response and enduring respect for his music, deep down, Bebo is still just a regular guy. With a humble spirit, he approaches touring with apprehensive anticipation. "I am looking forward to but also very nervous about playing new songs for people. It's frightening when you've kept to yourself something so personal and intimate and then suddenly you have to put it out in the open where it's subject to the judgment of other people. My only hope is that these songs would just be very real to the people who hear them."
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