Biography
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison OBE (born 31 August 1945) is a singer-songwriter and musician from Northern Ireland whose recording career spans seven decades.
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, 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). While initially a poor seller, the album has become regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, 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, such as the album Astral Weeks. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul", and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence".Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, following the success of 2021's Latest Record Project, Volume 1. Eighteen of his albums have reached the top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017. Since turning 70 in 2015, he has released – on average – more than an album a year. He has received two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and 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.
Filmography
all 53
Movies 45
self 36
TV Shows 8
They All Came Out to Montreux (2022)
Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff (2021)
Belfast (2021)
Sweet Thing (2020)
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2020)
John Lee Hooker: The Boogie Man (2019)
Van Morrison: In Concert (2018)
Van Morrison: It's Too Late to Stop Now... The Film (2016)
Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me (2016)
A Fanatic Heart: Geldof On Yeats (2016)
Bang! The Bert Berns Story (2016)
Van Morrison – Up on Cyprus Avenue (2015)
Van Morrison: Another Glorious Decade (2014)
Them and Van Morrison: A Video Anthology (1964-1970) (2013)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl: The Concert Film (2009)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009)
Van Morrison – BBC Four Sessions (2008)
Van Morrison Live In London (2008)
Van Morrison: Under Review: 1964-1974 (2008)
Van Morrison: Live at Montreux 1980 (2006)
Van Morrison - Live at Montreux 1980 & 1974 (2006)
Eco Rock Festival (2004)
Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company (2004)
John Lee Hooker: Come and See About Me (2004)
Red, White and Blues (2003)
Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends (2002)
Jukebox Heroes (2001)
From a Whisper to a Scream: The Living History of Irish Music (2000)
The Irish In America: Long Journey Home (1998)
The Rocker: A Portrait of Phil Lynott (1996)
Beyond the Clouds (1995)
Moondance (1995)
Van Morrison: Why Must I Always Explain (1995)
Van Morrison: One Irish Rover (1991)
The Harmfulness of Tobacco (1991)
Roger Waters: The Wall—Live in Berlin (1990)
Van Morrison: The Concert (1990)
Slim Gaillard's Civilisation (1989)
Van Morrison and The Chieftains: Songs of Innocence - Live in Belfast (1988)
Lamb (1986)
Chet Baker Live at Ronnie Scott's (1986)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Goldmine: The San Francisco Sound (1986)
Van Morrison: Live at Rockpalast (1982)
Van Morrison in Ireland (1981)
The Last Waltz (1978)
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances 1977 (1977)
The Day the Music Died (1977)
Austin City Limits (1975)
Rock Concert (1973)
Slipstream (1973)
Musikladen (1972)
3 American LPs (1969)
Top of the Pops (1964)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1945-08-31 (78 years old)
Birth NameGeorge Ivan Morrison
Birth PlaceBelfast, United Kingdom
ChildrenShana Morrison
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom
AwardsKnight Bachelor, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Officer of Arts and Letters, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, Johnny Mercer Award
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