Van Morrison

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Born:
August 31, 1945, he's 66 and British.
Names:
Birthname: George Ivan Morrison. Alternative names: Van the Man.
Snapshot:
An Artist with 112 releases, a member of 1 group, and credited 17 times on others' music. 20 collaborations.

Biography

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Belfast-born singer-songwriter Van Morrison first found fame in the 60s with Them, before going solo and recording two canonical albums of the period: Astral Weeks (1968) and Moondance (1970).

Them were formed by George Ivan Morrison shortly after he quit school. They enjoyed a UK Top 10 hit with second single "Baby Please Don't Go" in 1965, but the B-side "Gloria" would go on to greater things: it was famously covered by Patti Smith on her seminal proto-punk debut Horses, and has since become a standard of the rock era.

By 1966, Van Morrison had left the group and apparently retired from music altogether, after becoming fed up with the internal politics of the band. The following year he was persuaded by a friend to record for his new label, and came up with the smash-hit "Brown Eyed Girl", now his signature song. In 1968, Van Morrison recorded his second solo album Astral Weeks. It was a massive critical hit, thanks to his powerful and emotive voice, the fluid imagery of the lyrics, and his mixture of sounds from blues, jazz and soul music. Astral Weeks became one of the most critically revered albums of the last fifty years, and the follow-up, 1970's Moondance, was just as good and similarly praised.

Through the 70s Van Morrison continued to record soulful, mystical records of great quality, from 1971's Tupelo Honey to 1979's Into The Music. A live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now (1974), perfectly captured his zealous stage presence and ability.

Through the 80s Van Morrison's output was consistent in sound and standard, while in the 90s he recorded specific blues and jazz LPs.

Music

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Genres

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR), Blues, Celtic, Pop, Soul, Jazz, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Rock, Traditional R&B. Vote on Genres

Discography

129 releases – 112 under his own name, 3 in other groups and 17 credits on others' music Edit
1
Collaborations, Groups and Family
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Van Morrison

Has been in these groups

  • Them

    founder member
      • 1964-1966

Has this family

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In the News

Please Be Sober For Van

May, 19 2010

In our culture, a night out at an entertainment event usually includes the option to indulge in a little alcoholic refreshment. Depending on your viewpoint, a couple of drinks is either a pleasant lubricant to the enjoyment of an evening out, or a bothersome catalyst to bad behavior. Legendary Northern Irish singer Van Morrison is firmly of the latter view: so much so, in fact, that he recently refused to perform in Houston, Texas, unless the bar was closed for the evening. Jerry MacDonald, president of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, told the Houston Chronicle: “We didn't know his feelings about alcohol sales when the show was booked. Van Morrison hadn't performed in Houston for 20 years, so we were thrilled to get him.” Van Morrison’s anti-alcohol policy, which he has imposed sporadically over the last two years, comes from a distaste for audience members leaving to visit the bar or toilets during the show. But beer sales are also an important part of a music venue’s income. “We were negotiating right up to the day before the show,” MacDonald said. “We asked if we could sell beer in the plaza area, away from the stage. But he wouldn't budge, and it was a deal breaker. If we insisted on selling beer, there wouldn't have been a show.” Readers who contacted the Houston Chronicle after the show were split 50-50 on whether the beer ban was a good or bad thing; but all agreed that the gig itself was a little shorter than it should’ve been.

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