Norman Greenbaum of 'Spirit in the Sky' Fame Critically Injured in Car Crash

Norman Greenbaum's name may not ring a bell, but just about everyone has heard his huge hit from 1970, "Spirit in the Sky.'

Back in march of 1970, Greenbaum, took his self penned hit all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and, while he never had another hit, the song has more than endured to this day.

This weekend, Greenbaum was involved in a tragic accident which left one person dead and Greenbaum in the hospital in critical condition.

According to the Press Democrat, Greenbaum was riding in a Subaru Outback on Saturday (March 28) when the driver, Bonita Perea, made a left turn. Motorcyclist Ihab Usama Halaweh was traveling in the other direction and struck the car where Greenbaum was sitting. Halaweh was killed instantly, while his passenger, Nhmia Mekonnen Kahsay, was seriously injured and, along with Greenbaum, is in critical condition at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The California Highway Patrol has ruled out alcohol as a cause of the crash and are concentrating on the speed of the motorcycle as a possible culprit. of the motorcycle.

Greenbaum released "Spirit in the Sky" in late 1969. It has frequently been used in commercials and movies, most recently last summer's blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Greenbaum is considered a one hit wonder, but the truth is that he had another little known hit under the name of Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. It was a silly little number that came out in 1967, but failed to make the Top 40. It still got quite a bit of airplay around the country, so I thought that, instead of putting up a video of "Spirit in the Sky," I'd put up the lesser known hit by Greenbaum.

Here's "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago."