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Van Morrison

Van Morrison was born in Belfast in 1945, the son of a shipyard worker who collected American blues and jazz records. Van grew up listening to the music of Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson, Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. Surrounded by every kind of musical influence - country, blues, jazz, and folk - from 13 he was playing guitar, sax and harmonica with a series of local Irish showbands, skiffle and rock'n'roll groups. By the time he rose to the fore of Britain’s nascent blues-rock scene as leader of Them, Morrison had already pulled years in the trenches, singing and playing with some of Belfast’s cagiest combos. His music has always incorporated the widely-varied influences he heard and absorbed since his childhood days on the streets of Belfast - long before the bands of his youth and his initial 1964 breakthrough with the band he formed, Them.

Backed by The Jim Daly Trio, Morrison began his solo career in Belfast supporting Alexis Korner. He toured Holland singing with Cuby and The Blizzards before, in 1967, going to New York where he recorded an LP titled Blowin Your Mind with the producer Bert Berns, who had previously produced Them. Following Berns' death in 1968 Morrison recruited a group of jazz musicians to record Astral Weeks, a timeless classic which brought together elements of Celtic music, improvised jazz and r&b.

Based initially in Boston and then California, Morrison produced a string of albums including Moondance, Tupelo Honey and St Dominic's Preview while touring extensively with his band the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. His 1974 live set It's Too Late To Stop Now marked the end of this prolific early phase as Van returned to Ireland to explore further his Celtic roots. The ensuing album Veedon Fleece (1974) featured a quieter, more pastoral sound and was to be his last release for three years.

He returned to the public eye in 1977 with the aptly titled A Period Of Transition, an album co-produced by Mac 'Dr John' Rebennack. Following his re-location to London he released Wavelength (1978) and Into The Music (1979) by which time Morrison's interest in spiritual matters was finding regular expression in his recordings.

The theme of spiritual quest came to prominence in the albums he made in the 1980's: Common One, Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart, A Sense Of Wonder, No Guru No Method No Teacher and Poetic Champions Compose established Morrison's status as an artist of unrivalled integrity and vision.

In 1988 he revisited his Irish roots with The Chieftains on Irish Heartbeat. The following album, 1989s Avalon Sunset, was his most commercially successful for many years and concluded what had been a remarkably productive decade for Van Morrison. As prolific as ever, Van varied his musical approach in the 1990s. Enlightenment (1990) and Hymns To The Silence (1991) continued down the road of spiritual self-discovery, while 1993s Too Long In Exile leaned towards the blues, returning Van to the singles chart again with a re-working of Gloria, performed with his blues buddy John Lee Hooker.

After the acclaimed Days Like This (1995) came How Long Has This Been Going On (1995), an album of mostly jazz standards featuring his old sparring partner Georgie Fame.

Following the release of 1997s Healing Game came The Philosopher's Stone (1998), an album containing 30 previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1971 and 1988, a mixture of new songs and interpretations of Morrison classics like Wonderful Remark and Bright Side Of The Road. In the same year (1998) Van won a Grammy for his collaboration with John Lee Hooker on Don't Look Back, which he also produced.

Back On Top was released in March 1999 and was widely heralded as one of Morrison's most accomplished and successful albums in years, spawning his first solo Top 40 hit with the single Precious Time.

After a career spanning some four decades, it seemed appropriate that the year 2000 saw Van returning to his roots, a musical full-circle, with The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast. Re-uniting with the musical heroes of his youth, Van joined skiffle maestro Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber on stage at Belfast's Whitla Hall for a magical performance, and the energy and enthusiasm of both the performers and the crowd was captured in full on this album, which met with huge critical acclaim.

In 2002, Van Morrison returned to Polydor Records and released his new album Down The Road. The album featured 13 brand new songs alongside a unique version of Georgia On My Mind and Evening Shadows, an Acker Bilk instrumental to which Van added his own lyrical magic.

In recognition of his unique position as one of the most important songwriters of the past century, Van Morrison was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony in New York City in June 2003.

Later in the same year (2003) he signed a worldwide deal with the legendary Blue Note Records, a natural home for one of music's most creative figures. Morrison's debut release at the prestigious jazz label was What's Wrong With This Picture? This album draws upon the jazz & blues influences that he has explored consistently throughout his career. What's Wrong with this Picture? received a Grammy Awards nomination for Van Morrison in the 'Best Contemporary Blues Album' category.

Magic Time, released on Van's own Exile Music Recordings label in 2005, showcased some of his most powerful songs to date like Stranded, Magic Time, Celtic New Year and Gypsy In My Soul. It was followed by Pay The Devil, a seamless combination of three originals (including the title track) and 12 covers of classic country songs written by such masters as Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Merle Kilgore, Rodney Crowell, Curly Williams and Leon Payne.

Two originals, Playhouse and This Has Got To Stop, were among five songs reprised on a limited edition DVD filmed at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, and packaged with Pay The Devil. This was the only Morrison footage available commercially at the time of its 2006 release, but was soon followed by , a two-disc showcase of his performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and 1980. This was acclaimed by one reviewer as as 'The chance to see a legend in his prime' and another as 'a truly rewarding experience from one of music's most distinguished figures.'

Van Morrison was honoured at the US-Ireland Alliance Awards in early 2007 for his contribution to the film world. Presented by Al Pacino, the award highlighted the depth and breadth of Van's compositions as used by directors Scorsese, Hackford, Landis, Stone and more.

The likes of Brown Eyed Girl through Days Like This and Have I Told You Lately were gathered for release as At The Movies - Soundtrack Hits, one of three separate collections of Van’s hits to be released in 2007, a schedule possibly unprecedented for any living artist. June saw the release of The Best Of Van Morrison Volume 3, a collection of Van’s later material featuring his duets with Tom Jones, John Lee Hooker, BB King and Ray Charles among others. It became yet another UK chart album, while at the end of the year Still On Top " the definitive collection of Van’s original recordings - entered the UK charts at number two and sold platinum, proving the ongoing appetite for his unrivalled work..

2008 sees the release of Keep It Simple, the 35th album which Van Morrison has produced himself. Morrison’s first new album of new material since 2005, and the first in several years in which he penned all 11 songs specifically for one album. On this new record, Morrison honours all his varied influences " jazz, folk, blues, Ulster Scots, country, soul and gospel (even making uniquely innovative use of the mighty ukulele) " at times melding them all together at once in his own signature sound.

Keep It Simple does not boast the big horns or string arrangements of some of Morrison’s previous work. What it does feature are gorgeous songs rich with emotion, depth and beauty, and Van wonderful trademark saxophone playing. Van has journeyed far and wide since his early days in Belfast but inevitably, the man Bob Geldof called “the one true genius in Irish music” has invariably come back to the philosophy summed up in the title of his new record.

As Keep It Simple is released, its creator continues a busy schedule of concerts across the globe, averaging over 100 gigs a year.

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July 20, 2024

In contrast to his often (always?) irascible peer Chester Burnett, aka Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker has long been amenable to collaborations, reciprocal and otherwise. Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite and Carlos Santana, among others, appeared on The Healer (Chameleon,1989) and all those artists also populate the credits for The Best of Friends. (Santana, the Mexican-born guitar hero, appears with two different iterations of his band). Fittingly titled, this anthology is a suitable companion piece to Whiskey ...

Live Review

Michael Dorf Presents The Music of Van Morrison at Carnegie Hall

by Mike Perciaccante
April 7, 2019

Michael Dorf Presents The Music of Van Morrison Carnegie Hall New York, NY March 21, 2019 “I know he doesn't like this version, but I'm thanking him anyway," so stated a sly Patti Smith at New York City's Carnegie hall before launching into her classic version of Van Morrison's anthem “Gloria" at the tribute concert to Belfast's favorite son on a cool rain-soaked late March evening. The founder of City Winery, Michael Dorf, ...

Album Review

Van Morrison: The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)

Read "The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
March 30, 2019

As enigmatic as Van Morrison is, the archiving of his vault reveals some logic with the reissue of The Healing Game in expanded form. Following on the heels of It's Too Late to Stop Now... Volumes II, III, IV (Legacy Recordings, 2016) and The Authorized Bang Collection (Legacy Recordings, 2017), this three-CD package of one of his better latter-day albums reaffirms an underlying theme of those previously-released titles--Morrison's predilection for spontaneity. The Healing Game is one of most ...

Film Review

BANG! The Bert Berns Story

by Doug Collette
July 14, 2018

BANG! The Bert Berns Story Abramorama 2018 BANG! The Bert Berns Story compares favorably to The Terry Kath Experience (FilmRise, 2017), not just in the elevated quality of its conception and execution, but in its authorship by an offspring of the subject. Just as the Chicago guitarist's daughter, Michelle Sinclair, helmed the documentary she produced and directed in homage to her late father, this feature is the result of exhaustive research and collation by the late ...

Album Review

Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco: You're Driving Me Crazy

Read "You're Driving Me Crazy" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
May 23, 2018

Van Morrison has been busy, releasing three recordings in quick succession, Roll With the Punches (Exile, 2017), Versatile (Exile, 2017), and presently You're Driving Me Crazy with jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco. At this point in his career, Morrison can pretty well sing what he damn well pleases. On his past several recordings, Morrison has revisited his catalog, recasting some of his older songs in new frames and You're Driving Me Crazy proves no exception. Revisited here are “The Way Young ...

Book Review

Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968

by Doug Collette
April 14, 2018

Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 Ryan H. Walsh 368 Pages ISBN: # 978-0735221345 Penguin Press 2018 Before thoroughly delving into Ryan H. Walsh's Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968, a reader can thumb randomly through its three-hundred fifty-some pages and find nary a reference to Van Morrison or the epochal album after which this story of a pivotal year in Boston, Massachusetts is named. But that perception is as ...

Film Review

Van Morrison In Concert

by Doug Collette
February 17, 2018

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Music Industry

Inside Music Analytics: Chris Stapleton Has More In Common With Etta James, Van Morrison, Otis Redding Than You Think

Source: HypeBot
December 8, 2017

In this piece Glenn Peoples looks at the rise of Chris Stapleton's cross genre success with is cover of “Tennessee Whiskey" and how the soulful country number has been able to capture the attention of audiences typically more focused on R&B/soul legends. Guest post by Glenn Peoples, Music Insights and Analytics at Pandora, of Medium “Tennessee Whiskey” plays well with songs in the country, Americana, singer-songwriters, rock, R&B, and soul genres. Stapleton’s music has a close relation to Etta James ...
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Festival

David Sanborn And Van Morrison Headline Limerick Jazz Festival September 25-28

Source: All About Jazz
September 19, 2014

The Limerick Jazz Festival returns for another eagerly anticipated edition between September 25th and 28th. For its third edition the LJF has upped the stakes by bringing in some big names, not the least of which are Belfast’s legendary Van Morrison, American saxophonist David Sanborn and English saxophonist Julian Siegel. The festival opens at 8pm on Thursday 25th with the sold out concert of Van the Man at the University College Hall. There’s nothing to say that hasn’t already been ...
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Recording

Van Morrison Moondance Deluxe Five Disc & Expanded Two Disc Editions Available October 22 From Warner Bros. Records

Source: 1888 Media
September 12, 2013

Moondance Shines Brighter Van Morrison’s Classic Revisited With Five-Disc Deluxe Edition Loaded With Unreleased Takes From The Sessions, Including The Lost Track “I Shall Sing” The Newly Remastered Album Also Available As Single Disc And As Double Disc Featuring 11 Unreleased Tracks All Three Available October 22 From Warner Bros. Records LOS ANGELES, CA – In the fall of 1969, Van Morrison entered the studio to record MOONDANCE, the album that would soon become his commercial breakthrough and one of ...
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221

TV / Film

Van Morrison Rediscovers "Astral Weeks" in "To Be Born Again" Doc

Source: All About Jazz
August 17, 2009

What started as a few shows to revisit Van Morrisons 1968 classic Astral Weeks an album hed never previously performed live has blossomed into a much larger celebration of the LP.

First, Morrison turned a November 2008 performance in Los Angeles into the live film/album Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Now hes on a full-blown “Astral Weeks" tour that will run at least through this fall, and there are more related releases in the near future: Morrison is ...
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211

Performance / Tour

Van Morrison Will Bring 'Astral Weeks' Show Back to California

Source: Michael Ricci
March 24, 2009

The resurrection of Van Morrisons watershed 1968 album Astral Weeks in concert continues to expand with the Irish singers announcement of plans to bring it back to California in May for several more performances.

Morrison will present the work in its reconfigured entirety at Berkeleys Greek Theatre on May 2 and 3 and then will return to Los Angeles for three more nights at the 2,000-seat Orpheum Theatre downtown May 7-9. The band and orchestra that will accompany him includes ...
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176

Recording

A Precise, but Mirthless, Tribute to ‘Astral Weeks’

Source: Michael Ricci
March 1, 2009

Van Morrison was shouting his way through “A Fool for You” — “Ray Charles!” he yelled after the song’s opening line — when the cord fell out of his microphone, leaving the Irish soul man singing unaided for a brief spell before musing, “We’ll have to do that again, right?”

But even when the mic was rebuilt, he held it far from his mouth, roaring the words while still leaving the audience straining to hear. Everyone in the room was ...
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Technology

Ask Van Morrison

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

10 QUESTIONS With his signature growl and unique blend of blues, jazz and celtic folk, Van Morrison is consistently ranked as one of the most iconic and influential rock artists of all time.

Writer of such classic songs as “Gloria", “Moondance" and “Brown Eyed Girl", his 1968 masterwork, Astral Weeks, is listed by almost every major music publication as one of the most essential albums ever made.

A newly recorded, live version Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood ...
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202

Performance / Tour

Van Morrison on Bringing 'Astral Weeks' Shows to NYC

Source: Michael Ricci
January 9, 2009

Van Morrison said that his Hollywood Bowl shows in November would be the only time he would perform his classic 1968 album Astral Weeks live.

But that was before the two performances, which he says in an exclusive Times interview, “was more than I could have hoped for." The whole thing just worked, he told The Times by e-mail. One rehearsal -- that was not even that good -- and we hit the stage and the Magi or whoever just ...
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271

Performance / Tour

Van Morrison at the Hollywood Bowl

Source: All About Jazz
November 9, 2008

For anyone who wasn't at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night, there'd be little chance of explaining how Van Morrison's repetition of one seemingly innocuous sentence -- “This is a train" -- could turn into a deeply spiritual incantation. But transcendence is what Morrison has been after with his music from the beginning, and it's what he achieved frequently on Friday, when he played his watershed 1968 album “Astral Weeks" live in its entirety for the first time. That included ...
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Performance / Tour

Van Morrison Discusses the 'Poetry and Mythical Musings' of a Classic

Source: Michael Ricci
November 4, 2008

Van Morrison discusses Astral Weeks, which he'll perform at the Hollywood Bowl

If necessity is the mother of invention, it might follow that desperation is the father of inspiration. That was certainly the case 40 years ago, when Belfast-bred blue-eyed soul singer Van Morrison found himself broke and stranded on the East Coast despite coming off his first hit as a solo artist, the Top 10 single “Brown Eyed Girl."

I call that 'The Money Song' -- because they got ...
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