Dedication to Norm—
So, let me introduce you to Norman Harris. I think the first time I walked into Norm’s shop was 1988. I had just made a little money so I could afford to walk into his store. It was a small spot on the corner of Tampa and Vanowen Streets in Reseda. I had been hanging around with Cher and her son, Elijah Allman, who was getting to know the guitar. I was giving him a little bit of a hand, and I said, “Let’s go down and see this rare guitar shop,” which I’d heard great things about but had never been there. When we got there, I met Norman. He was gracious enough to let us play some instruments that he knew I couldn’t afford. Then he gave me a really good deal on things that were appropriate for my income bracket. It was very, very nice of him. When you believe in doing that for a musician, you give him an opportunity to grow to the next level, and that is very important.
It was at that moment I knew that Norm and I were friends; we could talk to each other in a language that we both understood.
Lord knows, he was very lenient to me in the lean years, and I love him for that. He knows that when it comes to a starter kit of your first vintage axe, you’ll fall in love and never fall out.
So thank you, Norm. I’m a junkie now, a vintage guitar junkie, and it’s all your fault, but that is a healthy habit. All I know is, when you walk into Norm’s store, it’s like heaven. At any given time you know you’re going to fall in love four or five times before you leave, and the interesting part about that is you’re almost walking back in time, because the instruments you can acquire are timeless. So you’d better bring your checkbook.
•••
Norm has helped a tremendous amount of musicians reach their goals through supplying them with the instruments to hone their craft. He understands a musician’s needs and that’s no easy task. Guess what, Norm? That’s it!
I don’t know if you know this but Norm is quite an accomplished musician himself. Norman is a Hammond organ specialist who has played with numerous top musicians. He has backed up Little Richard, Bo Didley, Dobie Gray, and Albert Collins on many occasions, as well as Lowell Fulsom, Eddie “Clean Head” Vinson, Roy Milton, Big Mama Thornton, and numerous other iconic bluesmen and women. He has had songs in several movies. He currently has a song on John Legend’s latest album and has even had a huge hit with the rapper Common.
Supplying dreams is something else amazing about Norm. You walk into his store or call him and he says, “What do you need to fulfill that dream?” So you tell him what it is, and he says, “I got it, I got it!” You know that’s a very special thing. Then he’ll call you up at any moment, out of the blue, and say, “You need this guitar, Rich, this is for you, and this is your guitar.” Norm and I have a relationship that spans almost thirty years, so he knows me, the player, and he knows me, the person. ’Cause it ain’t about the money for him. I mean, let’s face it. Everyone must make a living. He’s a musician, and it’s a pleasure for him to see all the musicians he knows flourish, prosper, and make a living playing music, especially with a guitar. That’s Norm.
He’s the vintage guitar pusher, because he knows you’ll become addicted. I say that in the best of ways.
When you give a musician the right instrument, it’s a very important day in his or her life, like an angel has come down and tapped him on the shoulder with the right wand. Norm does that every day. Music has been my life for as long as I can remember; it’s my sanctuary, my church, and a source of spirituality for me. Whenever I take the stage, whether it’s in front of seventy people or a stadium filled with seventy thousand people, it is the guitars that Norm has bestowed on me that I use to light the candles on the altar of spirituality.
Norm’s vibe is one at the heart and soul of a musician. He inherently understands each musician’s needs at his or her present level of development. His extreme knowledge of these fine instruments is rare. He is a master of knowing what instrument to put in the hands of which musician and how they will both be best served.
Norm is the guy who granted me that 1959 Les Paul and a Broadcaster when I needed it, and then he’d call me up and, lo and behold, I have a Strat No. 13. His instruments are not only rare in their being but also in tone and work. They stay in tune, and as a professional musician, you have to have instruments that work.
If you work with Norm, he never misses your birthday, and when you need a break, he’ll give it to you. Norm gives deep from the heart and never speaks of it or boasts.
Over the thirty years that we’ve known each other, I have known him as a wonderful husband to Marlene and an amazing father to Jordan and Sarah (and now he’s a granddad, HAH!). He’s just a few years older than me (I just started a little later).
Norm has been a mentor to me by sharing his knowledge, his love, and his friendship, and also his endless philanthropic quest.
A few years back, my buddy Norm and my dear friend, assistant, and right arm, Denise Smith-Salazar, began collaborating on a project. They wanted to produce a three-show benefit concert series at the Malibu Performing Arts Center to raise money for The Midnight Mission (LA’s premier homeless shelter). They invited me to lend a hand in the most obvious way by asking, “Will you perform?” I said, “Of course!”
This was my introduction to the incredible body of work being done by The Midnight Mission, and Norm’s dedication resonated with me. So, for over a decade, I’ve been humbled and proud to support the Mission however I can, and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences, more than anything else I’ve done in my life. Thank you, Norman.
Let’s not forget the acoustics! Bring cash or trades if you’re holdin’. The Martins and the Gibsons and the Epiphones that I use on every record that I make are the cornerstone of my tone, and I got them from Norm.
When Norman gets to know you and drops his guard he’s like one big, open heart. He would do anything for you. I’m sure reading the stories in this book, you’ll gain a lot of insight about the man that resides in Norm’s body, it’s Norman!
I’m writing this as I’m walking out of my house to go to my gig with my trusty 1938 Martin 000-42 that I’ve now played on countless albums . . . (yes, I’m sure since I’ve had it, it has gone up incredibly in value). Yes, brother, I’ll buy you a car someday . . . probably already have. Every time I pick up any of the amazing instruments that I have gotten from Norm, I know they have become an appendage that I can rely on in any situation, in the studio or on the stage.
So now that I’m done masturbating your ego . . .
Norm,
You are family to me, and your family is family to me, and your family loves my family and mine, yours.
So enough of that . . . Love you much, bro and “don’t stop shakin’ the tree.”
Enjoy the book.
—Richie Sambora