Born in Newton le Willows, halfway between Manchester and Liverpool, in 1949, Norman Barratt has been a professional musician all of his working life, with the exception of the first four years. After leaving school, he honed his quite remarkable skills as a guitar player in local bands The Hunters (with whom he sometimes still performs) and Newton's Theory, whilst holding down a day-job as a trainee accountant. After passing his accountancy exams, he turned professional, going to live in London with Newton's Theory in the late Sixties.

In 1970 Norman formed Gravy Train and signed a two-album deal with Vertigo Records, the album titles Gravy Train and Ballad of a Peaceful Man followed, before a switch to Dawn (Pye) records in 1973, for whom he recorded Second Birth and Staircase to the Day. Gravy Train became one of the most well respected progressive rock bands in the early Seventies, with all four albums still available today, having never been deleted.

Two years of studio sessions followed while Norman waited for a publishing contract with ATV Music to expire, which prevented him from recording his own songs. In this period Norman worked with the Mandala Band, and the Victor Brox Blues Train. In 1980 Chapel Lane, a new Christian record company , invited the newly formed Barratt Band to record for it's label, and in 1981 Playing in the City was released and was an instant hit around the world. Again, Norman embarked on a mammoth European, USA, and Scandinavian tour with old friends Larry Norman and Alwyn Wall, recording Alwyn's Invisible Warfare album a year later, and an innumerable amount of Larry's songs, including the live Friends on Tour album at the Dominion Theatre, London. Two more albums Voice and Rock for all Ages by the Barratt Band followed, along with albums and tours in the USA and Europe with artists such as Jesse Dixon, Steve Camp, Sheila Walsh, Phil Keaggy, Steve Taylor, Debbie Boone and Barry McGuire.

Disillusionment with practices from within the CCM industry brought Norman to the decision to wind down his involvement with it. He concentrated on playing in the worship band at his church, and on his studio session career, playing on albums for various artists like Paul Young from Sad Café and the Mike Rutherford Band and Andy Pratt. He also produced albums for Glasgow band Triumph and the German heavy metal band Creed. In 1988, Nigel Coultman of Kingsway convinced Norman that he should release another Christian album, and so the album 'Barratt' came out on the Edge label early the next year. The album was short-lived in this country because of a warehouse fire in Carlisle, and was, along with the rest of the Kingsway contemporary music catalogue, sold on to America. However, a re-release of this album was issued by Daval Music in Autumn 2006 with some bonus material added.

Because of rapidly developing cataracts in the centre of both eyes, causing him to go blind, Norman was forced to reduce his workload dramatically in the following four years. It was during this forced lay-off period, recovering from eye operations, that he decided to start a new music production company. Having put a recording studio together, Norman is currently overseeing DML, producing Alwyn Wall's recordings, working on the Jessy Dixon Roots Blues album, helping to develop new Christian artists like Sally Williamson and Jan Wall. He is writing and recording a 35th Anniversary Gravy Train Reunion album and recording songs for a new Barratt Band CD, as well as a new Alwyn Wall Band album and working on the new Barry McGuire album featuring John York who used to be in The Byrds and the Mama's and Papa's band.