Norman Bergen

Norman Bergen (born May 17, 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, band leader, musical director, and vocalist.

Norman comes from a musical family. He is the younger son of Pauline and Sam Bergen. The largest item in their small apartment was a baby grand piano which was played by his mother Pauline. His older brother Danny played trumpet. Norman started playing piano at the age of three. Bergen’s early influences were the pianists played by New York DJs Alan Freed and Symphony Sid: Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Thelonious Monk, Ramsey Lewis, and Dave Brubeck.

Norman went on to perform in New York’s Catskill Mountains sitting in with his brother's band in 1957. He was a band leader and pianist at the early age of 14. In that same year, 1959, he also appeared on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon with his own band. During his years in the Catskills,from 1959 until the mid 1960s, Norman backed up many stars including Cab Calloway, Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Mason, Dick Shawn, and jazz great Joe Williams.

While still in high school, Bergen would take the subway train to Manhattan after school to play his demos for companies in the Brill Building. During this period, at age 17, he toured with Neil Sedaka, playing piano and guitar. Norman also met two well-known Brooklyn singing groups: Vito & the Salutations with whom he performed as a member for two years as well as writing songs and arrangements for their recordings, and The Tokens. Bergen's musical arrangements for The Tokens' Bright Tunes Productions include records by The Chiffons, The Happenings, the Tokens themselves, and the first two hits by Tony Orlando and Dawn: “Candida” and multi-million seller “Knock Three Times”. Norman later re-joined forces with Tokens founding members Phil and Mitch Margo along with Dennis Marcellino, to form a “west coast Tokens”, touring the U.S. from 1985 to 1993 during which time they recorded two albums: “Re-Doo-Wopp” (RCA) and “Oldies Are Now” (BT Puppy). It was during those years that the group appeared in the acclaimed sketch “City Of Strangers” on “The Tracey Ullman Show”.

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