Steve Norman was born in Stepney, east London and was considered a musical child prodigy. He started pursuing an interest in popular music as a guitarist in a Dame Alice Owen’s School band called The Cut with Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley and John Keeble in 1976. The band was later named The Makers, The Gentry and then Spandau Ballet.

Spandau Ballet signed with Chrysalis Records. By the third Spandau Ballet album, Norman brought percussion to the mix and introduced the alto saxophone, which has since become his signature instrument. With Spandau Ballet, Norman toured the globe and continued to have hits throughout the 1980s. In 1985 Norman appeared with the band at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium.

In 2001, Norman and Rafa Peletey formed a production team called Cloudfish and invited Shelley Preston to provide the vocals. As a result, Cloudfish became a band with Norman, Preston and Peletey writing and producing their own songs. Peletey left in 2003 to front his own band, joining up with Norman and Preston from time to time.

Because of a dispute over royalties, the band split up in the early 1990s. After a 20-year hiatus, newspaper reports claimed early in 2009 that Spandau Ballet was set to reform later that year. On 25 March 2009, Norman, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Tony Hadley and John Keeble announced their reunion at a press conference on board HMS Belfast. The band also announced their ‘Reformation Tour’ starting in October 2009.

Norman continued to play live at house music events throughout the UK and on the international club scene, performing with his saxophone, or occasionally percussion alongside such musicians as Byron Stingily of Ten City, Frankie Knuckles, Angie Brown, Steve Edwards, Alison Limerick, Jeremy Healy and Brandon Block. Norman formed a partnership with Hed Kandi, DJ John Jones and Martin Ikin from Soul Purpose called ‘The Collective’. Their first production was a re-working of Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land” featuring Peyton on lead vocals and Shelley Preston (formerly of Bucks Fizz) on backing vocals. In 2013, Norman played on three tracks on Bruce Foxton’s album, Back in the Room. He also played on James Stevenson’s album Everything’s Getting Closer To Being Over released in 2014.