Van Morrison

Sir
Van Morrison
OBE
Morrison in 2015
Morrison in 2015
Background information
Birth nameGeorge Ivan Morrison
Also known asVan the Man
The Belfast Cowboy
Born (1945-08-31) 31 August 1945 (age 79)
Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
  • saxophone
DiscographyVan Morrison discography
Years active1958–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitevanmorrison.com

Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE (born 31 August 1945)[1] is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s.

Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40, as well as internationally, including in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, following the success of 2021's Latest Record Project, Volume 1.[2] Eighteen of his albums have reached the top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017.[3] Since turning 70 in 2015, he has released – on average – more than an album a year. His accolades, include two Grammy Awards,[4] the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and he has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland.[5][6]

Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans,[7] Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Belfast R&B band Them, with whom he wrote and recorded "Gloria", which became a garage band staple. His solo career started under the pop-hit-oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967.

After Berns's death, Warner Bros. Records bought Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968).[8] While initially a poor seller, the album has come to be regarded as a classic.[9] Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist,[10] and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances.

Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and early rhythm and blues. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and stream of consciousness narrative, of which Astral Weeks is a prime example.[11][12] The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul",[13] and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence".[14]

  1. ^ Van Morrison biography at AllMusic Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Van Morrison". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Van Morrison". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Artist: Van Morrison". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. ^ Rayner, Gordon (13 June 2015). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Van Morrison knighted". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  6. ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Sir Van overjoyed at knighthood". BBC News. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ^ Turner (1993). pages 86 – 90
  9. ^ "Van Morrison: Astral Weeks". BBC Radio 6 Music. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  10. ^ Eskow, Gary (1 April 2005). "Classic Tracks: Van Morrison's Moondance". Mix (magazine). Archived from the original on 19 April 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  11. ^ "SHOF: Van Morrison biography". Songwritersshalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  12. ^ Ballon, John (28 December 2008). "Musthear review: Veedon Fleece". Musthear.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2001. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  13. ^ Light, Alan (13 November 2006). "The All-Time 100 Albums". Time. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  14. ^ Hale, James. "Van Morrison: "The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)"". soundstageexperience.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021.