“People hear the name Norman Greenbaum and they say, ‘Who?’,” notes the singer from his adopted California home. But they hear the words ‘Spirit in the Sky’ and they say, ‘Oh yeah, I love that!’” ...

The musical variety show—which also gave Dolly Parton her first big career break—almost always featured Wagoner and other notable guests performing a gospel song toward the end of the program.

In 1970, Norman Greenbaum’s life changed when his song “Spirit in the Sky” became a hit. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 18, 1970, just four months after it was released as ...