Say ‘new artist sensation’ and several come to mind. First among those is probably Smokie Norful.

While the Pinebluff, Arkansas native has been behind the scene for some years as songwriter, he burst onto the recording scene with his solo debut I Need You Now on EMI Gospel in mid 2002.

He hit the Billboard Gospel charts in July 6, 2002 at number 11 (see table below), and consistent with the pattern of many new artists, and indeed, many veteran artists, his album experienced a slow chart decline over the subsequent months, as new music continued to be introduced to retail.

Norful’s debut dipped to mid chart range before becoming buoyant in early 2003, rising back to the #11 spot. The rise continued into mid 2003, with I Need You Now finally coming to the top, hitting #1 in mid August 2003. That's a full fourteen months after release!

Admittedly, charting and album ranking issues can become a bit tedious for some, but before you tune out, consider the magnitude of the event. Most, if not nearly all Gospel albums achieve peak chart success several weeks or perhaps several months after their initial release to the market.

That includes established artists who have developed extensive followings.

So what’s up? The Smokie Norful phenomenon is a rarity in the music industry, let alone the Gospel music industry.

Obviously there are many factors at play. Is it marketing? Publicity perhaps? Is it all about the music? Is the message the big factor? Or perhaps the personality of the Norful himself? Maybe it’s all of that, and maybe it’s more than all that.

Billboard Chart Ranking	Chart Date
11	July 6, 2002
15	July 27, 2002
19	Aug 24, 2002
14	Sept 28, 2002
14	Oct 26, 2002
11	Nov 30, 2002
15	Dec 21, 2002
11	Jan 18, 2003
5	Feb 15, 2003
4	Mar 1, 2003
4	April 19, 2003
3	May 17, 2003
4	June 14, 2003
4	July 12, 2003
3	Aug 2, 2003
2	Aug 16, 2003
1	Aug 23, 2003
1	Sept 20, 2003

In any case, the situation is certainly worthy of a deeper investigation. Gospelflava.com asked a smorgasboard of industry folks, the people behind the scenes, at the record label, at retail and at radio.

It’s fair to say that the story starts with the title track.

EMI Gospel President and industry veteran Ken Pennell explains “We were really excited about it long before it was even released. We knew “I Need You Now” was a powerful song and a great album, and we had great aspirations for the project. We were prepared to support the project to help it reach its full potential, not knowing exactly what that would be.”

While there are similarities with regard to way that any album is marketed, Pennell recalls some particularly crucial moments.

“Every artist is marketed a little different based on their opportunities. We were prepared to maximize the opportunities that came our way. For Smokie, I believe there were several defining opportunities.” One of them was the introduction of Smokie Norful to a crowd notorious for being difficult to impress —the Gospel Announcers Guild of The Gospel Music Workshop of America.

“Nearly a year before the I Need You Now album was released, we took Smokie to the 2001 GMWA. He also performed at an event during the 2002 Stellar Awards, five months prior to release. Both of these instances set the stage in amazing ways,” says Pennell.

Anyone who was at either event knows that the audience response was rapturous. Standing ovations are hard to come by from crowds that have ‘seen it all’, but Norful easily had the people on their feet.

Pennell then recalls, “Smokie was hand-picked by Kirk Franklin to join him, Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams on the Hopeville Tour. This was an incredible opportunity for any artist, not to mention a brand new artist. Another key factor was

Limited Edition EP

Co-produced by Smokie Norful and Myron Butler, many of your favorites from I Need You Now are redone live. Recorded in a session at his home church of Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Chicago, songs like “Still Say Thank You” are allowed to linger a little longer than the previous studio versions.... See full review.

television exposure. Smokie's appearances on the BET Celebration of Gospel as well as the 2003 Stellar Award broadcast put him before millions of people. Lastly, the way that Urban radio is embracing the sound and message of “I Need You Now” is nothing short of phenomenal.”

"There were a number of opportunities —’God Did It!’ scenarios, that were great marketing assets", adds Carla Williams, Director of Marketing for EMI Gospel. “The Hopeville Tour was an answer to prayer —Smokie touring with Gospel royalty like Kirk, Donnie and Yolanda for almost 6 months and in top markets."

Williams credits Kirk Franklin for making this happen for Smokie, but acknowledges that it was two-sided. “While the timing of Kirk's invitation was vital, equally important was the fact that Smokie was prepared to maximize the opportunity.”

“And Smokie’s success at Urban AC & Urban mainstream indicates the still enormous potential of Gospel music in it's pure form, appealing to a mainstream audience,” Williams continues.

Jamillah Muhammed, Program Director at one of the nation’s top 24 hour urban AC FM stations —Detroit's Mix 92.3 WMXD, backs this up.

“Smokie has exceptional talent that can clearly be heard in any recording and live performance he does. Right away I knew the listeners could feel what I felt when I first heard "I Need You Now".

Insider Interview

Check out some insider info that Smokie Norful provided to us in the following "Insider Interview". .... See full interview.

Muhammed credits the strength of lyrics. “Smokie is sending a message that needed is needed today. His voice gets the attention and the lyrics bring the message home. It’s truly an anointed project.”

Echoing many other announcers, she says that when the phones inevitably light up after “I Need You Now” is played, listeners say ‘Can I hear it again?! The songs means so much’. To the urban listener, it's their "church" in the middle of the workday.

Speaking personally, Muhummed says that she believes that Smokie’s success is “all the Lord's doing. I was led to play this single on my station because of the war. People felt helpless with the United States going to war. And I could feel that in my listeners, so I wanted to give them a feeling of relief. They were reaching out to us. In this song, I felt we could meet them and give their spirit a sense of comfort. So we placed listeners greeting their loved ones over the song, and after the war, the requests never stopped. Right now it's one of our most requested songs on Mix 92.3.”

Over in Chicago, respected radio host Effie Rolfe echoes that perspective. Her Sunday morning show “Music of Love & Inspiration” on the city's number one station, 107.5 FM WCGI, has had Smokie topping their playlist for months.

“Obviously it’s talent” that distinguishes Smokie from the rest of the pack, she says. Aside from “I Need You Now” being simple yet melodic and easy to relate to, “it’s a desperate plea for God's help. At some point in your life, you will get to this point, so the song transcends religion, socio-economic levels, ethnicities, ages and gender.

Rolfe agrees that people consider the song to be “a prayer to help get through their tests and trials.” She also elaborates that “since I know Smokie personally, I would definitely say [his success] is a result of his relationship with God, his faith and moreover his musical gift and anointing. He sounds similar to Donnie Hathaway. Smokie is also very business-minded. He loves what he's doing and is anointed to do it, but also, I sense he knows what to do. He is not caught up in the hype, but remains humble, which is very admirable.”

Across the country, Wayne Waller, Music Director of 24-hour, all-Gospel WPGC-AM/Heaven 1580 in the Washington DC area, weighs in with this comment:

I Need You Now

You could say that the Smokie Norful experience is as unique as his name. On I Need You Now, the seasoned singer / songwriter / instrumentalist makes his solo debut on EMI Gospel with a finessed flair and distinctiveness of style.... See full review.

“The distinguishing factors of Smokie's music have been the relativity of his music (the lyrics) and his ability to deliver the message from his heart. As a songwriter and vocalist, he captures the ear and the heart of the listener.”

Waller would know, for his top-ranked station has also been spinning Smokie throughout 2003. “Basically, Smokie continues with tremendous air play with full support from the listener,” he explains.

Waller goes on to attribute Smokie’s success to God's will and purpose for his music ministry gift. “It’s a timely message for the body of Christ at large. Smokie has an ability to effectively translate the failures and triumphs of his personal, professional and spiritual life into a fruitful tool of evangelism, and he accomplishes that both vocally and sonically.”

On the retail side, Kerry Fly, a major account buyer for The Handelman Co. (buying for main chains such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart) is succinct in his analysis. “Great artist, great song equals great interest from the Gospel consumer."

And it doesn’t hurt that Norful is “a virtuoso”, says Carla Williams. She adds that “he’s a highly skilled musician and singer; is educated and was raised in the church. Add to all of that, a healthy dose of life experiences, and you have all of the ingredients for the songs on this record making a great album.”

Another important factor at play in the whole ‘Smokie Norful phenomonon’ was the decisions taken with regard to choice of radio singles beyond the title track. The choice was unorthodox.

Willaims explains that the live version of “I Need You Now” was serviced to Gospel radio some time after the original studio version, and was later made available commercially.

“This took an already great song to the next level. At the labels, we can have the tendency to knee-jerk and go to another song [for radio on an album]. But when Smokie performed "I Need You Now" live at The Potters House, we knew we could use that version to enhance airplay and visibility.

There’s always something intangible about a live performance, and if the recording quality is great (which it is), then the resonance with the audience only ups. In the words of Vera Scarborough, independent retailer and owner of The Gospel King in Raleigh, NC, "'I Need You Now', speaks to the young people where they live, it connects and gives them hope."

Perhaps EMI Gospel head honcho Ken Pennell sums it up best. “At the core of his being, Smokie Norful is authentic Gospel. Smokie embodies both the roots and the future of Gospel music all at once.

Enough said!