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British composer and singer, best known for composing the iconic James Bond Theme for the film 'Dr. No'.Born in London, Norman began as a singer in big bands before shifting to composition. He achieved success writing for West End musicals in the 1950s and early 1960s. His career-defining moment came in 1962 when he composed the theme for the first James Bond film. Despite later arrangements by John Barry, Norman retained the legal authorship and royalties for the theme throughout his life. He continued composing for stage and television until his death at age 94.

• Norman's authorship of the James Bond Theme was fiercely contested for decades, particularly by composer John Barry who arranged it for the film and claimed primary creation. Norman successfully sued The Sunday Times for libel in 2001 over such claims, proving in court (using musical analysis by an expert witness) that the theme was based on a melody he had written earlier for an unproduced musical adaptation of V.S. Naipaul's 'A House for Mr. Biswas'.
• Before focusing on composition, Norman was a successful pop singer in the UK during the early 1950s, scoring hits like "False Hearted Lover" and performing with big bands.
• He served in the Royal Air Force during his National Service.
• His stage musicals included 'Expresso Bongo' (1958), which satirized the music industry and was adapted into a film starring Cliff Richard, and 'Songbook' (also known as 'The Moony Shapiro Songbook', 1981), which ran in the West End.
• He died peacefully at his home in Slough, Berkshire, in 2022.