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Van Morrison
Biography
Van Morrison, OBE; (born George Ivan Morrison; 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely viewed as among the greatest ever made. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968. Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles "Brown Eyed Girl", "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)", "Domino" and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as Astral Weeks and lesser-known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul". Morrison has received considerable acclaim, including six Grammy Awards, being inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several "Greatest Artists" lists.
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Discography
- Blowin’ Your Mind!
- Gypsy Soul: Lost Demos From a Classic Period, 1996
- Saint Dominic's Preview
- The Genuine Philosophers Stone (disc 3)
- Hard Nose the Highway
- The Complete Bang Sessions, 2002
- Irish Heartbeat, 1988
- Super Hits, 1999
- Poetic Champions Compose, 1987
- Hymns to the Silence, 1991
- The Healing Game, 2008
- Edinburgh Castle
- 2003-07-15: Hoochie Coochie Van: Arena Santa Giuliana, Perugia, Italy (disc 2)
- Van Morrison & Friends
- 2000-04-20: A Night at the Opera: The Opera House, Blackpool, Lancs, UK (disc 2)
- Back on Top, 1999
- Live at the Roxy, 1989
- Magic Time
- 1994-02-26: A Night in Oxford: Apollo Theatre, Oxford, UK (disc 1)
- Astral Weeks, 1987
- How Long Has This Been Going On, 1996
- Down the Road, 2002
- Moondance, 1970
- Into the Music, 2008
- His Band and The Street Choir, 1987
- Common One, 1989
- It's Too Late to Stop Now, 1974
- Still on Top: The Greatest Hits, 2007
- Them
- 1998-05-19: Burning Ground: San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA, USA, 1998
- 1994-02-26: A Night in Oxford: Apollo Theatre, Oxford, UK (disc 2)
- 2000-04-20: A Night at the Opera: The Opera House, Blackpool, Lancs, UK (disc 1)
- 1998-02-18/20: Brighton Dome Memoirs: The Dome, Brighton, Sussex, UK (disc 2), 1998
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Pagan Streams, 1992
- Can You Feel the Silence
- Duets, 2001
- Tupelo Honey, 1990
- The Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast, 2000
- Anthology (disc 2)
- 1998-02-18/20: Brighton Dome Memoirs: The Dome, Brighton, Sussex, UK (disc 1), 1998
- The Lost Tapes, Volume 1, 1992
- Avalon Sunset, 1989
- Enlightenment, 1990
- The Early Years 67-68
- Payin' Dues
- Saint Dominic’s Preview, 1972
- Pure Bootleg
- The Best of Van Morrison, 1990
- Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, 2008
- Precious Time, 1999
- The Lost Tapes, Volume 2, 1992
- Gloria
- 1997-12-03/04: An Esoteric Evening With Van Morrison: St. Davids Hall, Cardiff, UK (disc 1)
- No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, 2008
- Millenium Collection, 1999
- 2003-07-15: Hoochie Coochie Van: Arena Santa Giuliana, Perugia, Italy (disc 1)
- Wavelength, 2008
- Too Long in Exile, 1993
- The Great Van Morrison, 2000
- Beautiful Vision, 1990
- T.B. Sheets, 1973
- Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, 1996
- Veedon Fleece
- 2001-05-25: Around the May Pole: TP Music & Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland (disc 1)
- Madame George, 2005
- Days Like This, 1995
- The Best of Van Morrison, Volume 3, 2007
- You Win Again, 2000
- Keep It Simple, 2008
- New York Sessions '67
- The Masters
- Rocks His Gypsy Soul (Van Morrison Gets His Chance to Wail, Volume 3)
- Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 2009
- Pay the Devil, 2006
- Bang Masters
- I Can't Stop Loving You, 1991
- In Session
- A Night in San Francisco (disc 2), 2001
- At His Best (disc 1)
- It's Allright
- A Sense of Wonder, 1984
- Catlog Strays 1965-2000 (disc 2)
- 1987-06-21: Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury, UK
- This Is Van Morrison
- 1997-02-2/3: Belfast Child: Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, 1998
- A Period of Transition
- Together, 1992
- The Best of Van Morrison, Volume 2, 1993
- Bright Side of the Road, 1979
- I Wanna Go Home, 2000
- Meet Me in the Indian Summer
- Anthology (disc 1)
- At the Movies: Soundtrack Hits, 2007
- 1987-06-21: And If You Get It Right This Time: Glastonbury, Somerset, UK
- 1991-04-01: Pagan Streams: Muziekcentrum Vrendenburg, Utrecht, The Netherlands (disc 1)
- Talking to the Spirit
- The Genuine Philosphers Stone One
- 1996-06-19: Wembley Arena, London, UK
- Celtic New Year
- The Philosopher's Stone, 1998
- What's Wrong With This Picture?, 2003
- Live at Montreux 1974, 2006
- Here Comes, 2007
- The Blues Buddies
- Gets His Chance to Wail
- 1990-07-11: Live in Montreux: Montreux Jazz Festival, Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland
- Meets Bob Dylan / John Lee Hooker / The Chieftains / The Danish Radio Band, 1992
- 2001-05-25: Around the May Pole: TP Music & Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland (disc 2)
- It's Too Late to Stop Now (disc 2), 2008
- Van Morrison
- I Like Candy
- Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast, 1984
- The Genuine Philosophers Stone (disc 2)
- Anthology (disc 3)
- A Night in San Francisco, 1994
- Spanish Rose
- How Long Is a Piece of String?
- Live at Austin City Limits Festival, 2006
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Recently Played on Dig Music.
| Song | The Great Deception |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Album | Hard Nose The Highway |
| Label | Polydor |
| Year | 1973 |
| Song | Spanish Steps |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Album | Poetic Champions Compose |
| Label | Polydor |
| Year | 1987 |
| Song | They Sold Me Out |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Album | Magic Time |
| Label | Exile/UMA |
| Year | 2005 |
| Song | Streets Of Arklow |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Album | Veedon Fleece |
| Label | Polydor |
| Year | 1974 |
| Song | The Lion This Time |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Album | Magic Time |
| Label | Exile/UMA |
| Year | 2005 |
Media
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- YouTube Van Morrison Into The Mystic Original Version 3:31
- YouTube Van Morrison Tupelo Honey Live with great solo by Pee Wee Ellis 7:25
- YouTube Van Morrison Brown Eyed Girl Original Version 3:07
- YouTube The Last Waltz Van Morrison Caravan 4:58
- YouTube Van Morrison And It Stoned Me 4:35
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Links
Artist Website
On the ABC
- RN Into The Music - 21 August 2010 - Van Morrison - Belfast ...
- Van Morrison a dad again at 64 - ABC Arts
- Einstein Factor: Life & Music of Van Morrison
- DIG Radio - All New Material From Van Morrison
- Van Morrison Relives Astral Weeks - DIG Digital Radio
- Music Track: Van Morrison from the new Astral Weeks Live ...
- What's wrong with Van Morrison's picture? :: Music Review ...
- dig Internet Radio - dig New Music: Sounds Like Cafe @ Home ...
- DIG Radio - dig New Music: Van Morrison
- Van Morrison will Comfort You - ABC WA - Australian ...
Elsewhere on the Web
- VAN MORRISON (music artist) - music, MP3s, songs, lyrics, CDs ...
- Karaoke - Van Morrison on Yahoo! Music
- Van Morrison music - Listen Free on Jango || Pictures, Videos ...
Links suggested here are generated automatically. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Page created on Mar 30, 2009. 11:38am and updated on May 16, 2012. 9:25am.
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Veteran singer Van Morrison has denied press reports that he has become a father again, saying they are "completely and utterly without foundation".
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Comments
Hadn't heard this song ('Blue Money') for ages ...
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