Fred Norman spent most of the swing era as a busy arranger and his later years working for record labels. He started out playing trombone when he was 14. After working with local bands in Florida, he moved to Washington, D.C. in 1930. Norman worked with Duke Eglin's Bell Hops, Booker Coleman and Elmer Calloway (Cab's younger brother). When he joined Claude Hopkins' Orchestra in 1932, he doubled as a singer and contributed many arrangements. Norman was with the Hopkins big band during its key years (1932-37), and when he departed, gave up the trombone and stuck exclusively to writing. Norman wrote arrangements for many big bands including those of Benny Goodman (1938), Bunny Berigan, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey. Norman was a staff arranger for Krupa from 1940-43 and spent periods writing exclusively for Dorsey and Charlie Spivak. Starting in the 1950s, he began working closely with labels (including MGM and Carlton), often as a musical director for singers (including Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Brook Benton). Norman (who never led his own record date) worked into the 1970s as a freelance arranger. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
