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George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known
as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a Grammy Award-winning
Northern Irish singer, songwriter, author, poet and
multi-instrumentalist, who has been a professional musician during the
last five decades. He plays a variety of instruments, including the
guitar, harmonica, keyboards, drums, and saxophone. Featuring his
characteristic growl — a unique mix of throaty folk, blues, Irish, scat,
and Celtic influences — Morrison is widely considered one of the most
unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and
roll.[1][2][3]Critic Greil Marcus has gone so far as to say that "no
white man sings like Van Morrison."
Known as "Van the Man" by his fans, Morrison first rose to prominence as
the lead singer of the Northern Irish band, Them, penning their seminal
1964 hit "Gloria". A few years later, Morrison left the band for a
successful solo career.
Morrison has pursued an idiosyncratic musical path. Much of his music is
tightly structured around the conventions of American soul and R&B, such
as the popular singles "Brown Eyed Girl", "Moondance", "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 his classic album 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's career, spanning some five decades, has influenced many
popular musical artists. In 1993 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2000, Morrison
ranked #25 on American cable music channel VH1's list of its 100
greatest artists of rock and roll, and in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine
ranked Van Morrison[4] 42nd on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest
Artists of All Time.[5]Paste Magazine ranked him 20th in their list of
100 Greatest Living Songwriters In 2006[6]and Q Magazine ranked him 22nd
on their list of 100 Greatest Singers in April 2007.[7]
****
Background information
Birth name George Ivan Morrison
Born August 31, 1945 (1945-08-31) (age 61)
Origin Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genre(s) Rock
Blue-eyed soul
R&B
Folk
Blues
Jazz
Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instrument(s) vocals, guitar, harmonica, saxophone, keyboards, drums and
tambourine
Years active 1960–Present
Associated
acts Them
Website VanMorrison.co.uk
****
Biography
Early life
George Ivan (Van) Morrison was born on August 31, 1945, and grew up at
125 Hyndford Street[8] in Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland as the
pampered, only child of George, a shipyard worker and Violet, a singer.
Morrison was exposed to music from an early age, as his father, having
spent time working in Detroit, Michigan collected American jazz, country
and western, and blues albums.[9] His father's taste in music was passed
on to him and he grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton,
Ray Charles, Lead Belly and Solomon Burke. In a 2005 Rolling Stone
article he said, "Those guys were the inspiration that got me going. If
it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now."[10]
In a taped 1969 interview, his mother said that he was listening to
recordings from the age of two, when he would tug at her apron strings
urging her to play more records. (His grandmother) "used to come up and
take turns, because he'd have you play them morning, noon and night."
There were sing-songs in the house on Saturday nights with family and
friends and, although shy, the young Morrison would always sing upon
request. He gave his first performance as a child with a rendition of
Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene".[11] He would perform this same song
years later with another of his boyhood idols, Lonnie Donegan, on his
album, The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998.
Young Morrison's father, noting his son's genuine interest, bought him
his first guitar at age twelve. Van learned to play rudimentary chords,
while studying the songbook The Carter Family Style. He soon formed a
skiffle band named the Sputniks with school friends. They played at some
of the local cinemas, and even at this young age, Van was already taking
the lead and doing most of the singing and arranging. At fourteen, he
formed another modified skiffle band, Midnight Special and played at a
school concert. When this band broke up he wanted to join the
Thunderbolts, but they turned him down because they already had a guitar
player. After talking his father into buying him a saxophone, Van took
lessons in tenor sax and music reading from George Cassidy, a local
teacher, and practiced playing unremittingly for a month. [12] He then
joined the Thunderbolts, playing in church dance halls and hospitals
around town. The young Morrison was already noted for his
uncommunicative nature and his inadequate social skills by his fellow
band members, who remarked that his parents were remarkably patient with
their only child. His mother disclosed that she took him aside one day
to tell him he needed to learn to talk to people. According to his
mother, "Van said to me that it wasn't that he didn't want to talk but
tunes were running through his head all the time. He said he didn't know
whether he'd been blessed or cursed because the words and music wouldn't
leave him."[13]
When Morrison finished school at fourteen, coming from a hard working
family, he was expected to get a regular, full-time job.[14]After
several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a
window cleaner,[15] referenced in the autobiographical songs, "Cleaning
Windows" and "Saint Dominic's Preview". Young Morrison also played with
the Harry Mack Showband, the Great Eight, with his older workplace
friend, Geordie Sproule. He was later to name Sproule as one of his
biggest influences. Morrison was drinking wine regularly by the age of
fifteen, and had learned to perform an outlandish and attention-getting
stage act by watching Sproule.[16]
Many of the places of Morrison's childhood, such as "Cyprus
Avenue",[17]Fitzroy, Hyndford Street, Sandy Row and "Orangefield", (the
boys' school he attended), would find their way into the lyrics of some
of his most famous songs. His contented and self-absorbed childhood
would be an important factor in the nostalgic and searching tone of much
of his music throughout his long career.
After the death of his father in April 1988, Van would honour his
father's memory with the song, "Choppin' Wood", which he often performs
in concert.[18]
1960s
Morrison left home at seventeen to tour Europe with the group the
Monarchs alongside his boyhood friend, George Jones, who later founded
the showband Clubsound. Upon returning to East Belfast, the Monarchs
disbanded.[19] Morrison connected with Geordie Sproule again and played
with him in the Manhattan Showband along with guitarist Herbie
Armstrong. When Armstrong auditioned to play with Brian Rossi and the
Golden Eagles, Morrison went along and both were hired. He had acquired
his first position as a blues singer as the band was not in need of a
saxophonist, but he soon left to form an R&B Club at the Maritime Hotel.
Needing a group to perform with there, he joined up with the members of
The Gamblers. Before the first opening night at the Maritime in April
1964, the group changed their name to Them from a Fifties horror
movie.[20] Morrison soon came to prominence fronting the band, as he was
the only song-writer. Them had a number of chart hits, most notably the
rock standard "Gloria", subsequently covered by many artists, including
The Doors, Shadows of Knight, and Jimi Hendrix. In June 1966, while Them
was headlining a three-week residency at the famed Whisky-a-Go-Go, Jim
Morrison and The Doors were the opening act on the last week. Van's
influence on Jim's developing stage performance was noted by John
Densmore in his book Riders On The Storm, "Jim Morrison learned quickly
from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air
of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat,
even his habit of crouching down by the bass drum during instrumental
breaks."[21] On the last night the two Morrisons and the two bands
jammed together on "Gloria".[22] Van and Jim would eventually become
good friends, often joking that they were brothers.
Morrison and the other Them band members became involved in a dispute
with their manager, Decca Records' Phil Solomon, over the revenues paid
them on the two month United States of America west coast tour.[23] He
returned to Belfast, intending to quit the music business. Them’s
one-time producer, Bert Berns, persuaded him to return to New York and
record solo for the Bang Records label.[24] From these early sessions
emerged one of his best-known songs, "Brown Eyed Girl", which reached
No.10 in the US charts in 1967. Master session drummer Gary Chester
played on that song.[25] The album that came from those sessions was
Blowin' Your Mind!. Morrison later admitted he wasn't pleased with the
results, claiming in a Rolling Stone interview in 1969, "It came out
wrong and they released it without my consent."[26] Recordings from
these sessions have been occasionally re-released by Bang and in bootleg
form, under various names. Most of these recordings were remixed and
repackaged in 1991 as the Bang Masters. The compilation included an
alternate take of "Brown Eyed Girl", as well as early versions of
"Beside You" and "Madame George", songs that would appear with slightly
different chord changes, instrumentation, and lyrics on Morrison's
second album.
After Berns’ death in 1967, Morrison was involved in a contract dispute
with Berns' widow that prevented him from performing on stage or
recording in the New York area .[27] The song, "Big Time Operators",
released in 1991, chronicled his dealings with the New York music
business during this time period.[28] He then moved to Boston,
Massachusetts and was soon confronted with personal and financial
problems; he had "slipped into a malaise" and had trouble finding
gigs.[29] However, through the few gigs he could find, he regained his
professional footing and started recording with the Warner Bros. Records
label.[30][31]The record company was able to buy out his contract with
Bang Records, and Morrison fulfilled a highly unusual clause that bound
him to submit thirty-six original songs within a year by recording
thirty-two nonsense songs in one session.[32]
His first album for Warner Bros. Records was Astral Weeks (which he had
already performed in several clubs around Boston), a mystical song
cycle, considered by many to be his best work.[33] Morrison has said,
"When Astral Weeks came out, I was starving, literally."[34] Released in
1968, the album was critically acclaimed, but received an indifferent
response from the public. To this day, it remains in an unclassifiable
music genre and has been described as hypnotic, meditative, and having a
unique musical power. It has been compared to French Impressionism and
mystical Celtic poetry.[35][36][37] Perhaps the best known review in
rock history was written by the influential music journalist Lester
Bangs in 1979, describing the effect that Astral Weeks had on his
life.[38] It has often been placed on the most authoritative lists of
best albums of all time. In the 1995 MOJO list of 100 Best Albums, it
was listed as #2, and was #19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500
Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.[39]
1970s
Van Morrison in concert, mid 70s.Morrison then moved to Woodstock, New
York, and released his next album, Moondance, in 1970. Moondance reached
#29 on the Billboard charts. The style of this album was in great
contrast to that of Astral Weeks. Whereas Astral Weeks was a sorrowful
and vulnerable album, Moondance was a much more optimistic and cheerful
affair. The title track, although not released in the US as a single
until 1977, was heavily played in many radio formats. The evocative song
"Into the Mystic" has also gained a wide following over the years. The
single released was "Come Running", which reached the US Top 40.
Moondance was both well received and favourably reviewed. Lester Bangs
and Greil Marcus had a combined full page review in Rolling Stone
Magazine, stating that Morrison now had "the striking imagination of a
consciousness that is visionary in the strongest sense of the
word."[40]"That was the type of band I dig," Morrison said of the
Moondance sessions. "Two horns and a rhythm section - they're the type
of bands that I like best." He produced the album himself as he felt
like nobody else knew what he wanted.[41]Moondance was listed at #65 on
the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[42]In
March 2007, Moondance was listed as #72 on the NARM Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame list of the "Definitive 200".[43]
Over the next few years, he released several acclaimed albums, among
them a second one in 1970. His Band and the Street Choir had a freer,
more relaxed sound than Moondance, but not the perfection, in many
critics' opinions, and contained the hit single "Domino". The last song
"Street Choir" took on a more serious tone.
In 1971, he moved with his family to a hilltop home in Fairfax,
California[44] and released another popular album, Tupelo Honey. This
album produced the hit single "Wild Night", and the catchy title song
that has a very country and western feel about it. It ended with another
country tune, "Moonshine Whisky". Morrison said he originally intended
to make an all country album.[45] His co-producer, Ted Templeman, was
impressed with Morrison's ability as a musician, arranger and producer,
describing it at the time as the "scariest thing I've ever seen. When
he's got something together, he wants to put it down right away with no
overdubbing."[46]He claimed later, "I'd never work with Van Morrison
again as long as I live, even if he offered me two million dollars in
cash. I aged ten years producing three of his albums."[47] He later
regretted the statement, however.[48]
Released in 1972, Saint Dominic's Preview, was an indication that
Morrison was breaking away from the more accessible style of the last
three albums and moving back towards the more daring, adventurous,
meditative aspects of Astral Weeks. The combination of two styles of
music gave it a versatility that had been lacking before in his previous
albums. Two songs ("Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)"
and "Redwood Tree") reached the Hot 100. Two other songs ("Listen to the
Lion" and "Almost Independence Day") were ten and eleven minutes long
and employed the same poetic imagery not heard since Astral Weeks.[49]
It was his highest charting album ever.
By 1972, despite being a performer for nearly 10 years, he began
experiencing stage-fright when performing for audiences of thousands, as
opposed to the hundreds that he had experienced in his early career. He
became anxious on stage and would have difficulty establishing eye
contact with the audience. He once said in an interview about performing
on stage, "I dig singing the songs but there are times when it's pretty
agonizing for me to be out there."[50] After a brief break from music,
he started performing in clubs, regaining his ability to perform live,
albeit with smaller audiences. He then formed the backing group The
Caledonia Soul Orchestra and ventured on a three month US tour with
them. The tour was captured for posterity on the live double album, It's
Too Late to Stop Now, regarded as one of the great live albums in rock
history.[51][52] Soon after recording the album, Morrison restructured
the Caledonia Soul Orchestra into a smaller unit, the Caledonia Soul
Express. For many years, his parents, George and Violet, owned a record
store in Fairfax, California named Caledonia Records.
In 1973, Morrison divorced his wife of five years, actress and model,
Janet (Planet) Rigsbee, with whom he had a daughter, the
singer-songwriter, Shana Morrison. Shana has appeared on stage with her
father on several occasions and has duetted with him on his albums,
(1994s) A Night in San Francisco and (1995s) Days Like This. Morrison
had mixed, but mostly negative, reviews with his 1973 album, Hard Nose
the Highway. It contained the popular song "Warm Love" but otherwise has
been largely dismissed.[53]
He then released the introspective and poignant album, Veedon Fleece, in
1974. Though it attracted little attention at the time of its release,
its critical stature has grown over the years, and Veedon Fleece is now
considered one of Morrison's best works."[54]"You Don't Pull No Punches,
But You Don't Push the River", one of the album's side closers,
exemplifies the long, hypnotic, cryptic Morrison with its references to
visionary poet William Blake and to the apparently Grail-like Veedon
Fleece object.
Morrison would not release a follow-up album for the next three years.
After ten years without taking time off, he said in an interview, that
he just needed to get away from music completely and even ceased
listening to it for several months. Also suffering from writer's block,
he later confessed that he seriously considered leaving the music
business for good. During this time, he lived in isolation "far from the
beaten path." Greil Marcus said that he drove by on the road one time
and there was this big sign that said, Van Morrison's Self-Improvement
Camp. "I have no idea if someone put it up there as a prank or if he'd
put it up; (nor whether) you went there to improve yourself or whether
you went there to improve him, but it somehow struck me as very
appropriate."[55] A new album was often rumoured to be ready for release
under such titles as Mechanical Bliss, Naked in the Jungle and Stiff
Upper Lip. Morrison later was to say the project was nothing more than
an extended jamming session.[56]
In November 1976, Morrison performed at the farewell concert for The
Band, which took place on Thanksgiving Day. It was his first live
performance in quite some time and Morrison considered skipping his
appearance until the last minute, even refusing to go on stage when his
name was called. His manager, Harvey Goldsmith, said he "literally
kicked him out there." Morrison was on good terms with The Band. They
were near-neighbours in Woodstock, and they had shared experience of
stage-fright. At the concert, Van performed two songs, one of them
being, "Caravan", from his 1970 album Moondance which was described by
All Movie Guide as "a rousing performance."[57] Greil Marcus was even
more impressed and wrote that "Van Morrison turned the show
around...singing to the rafters and ...burning holes in the floor. It
was a triumph, and as the song ended Van began to kick his leg into the
air out of sheer exuberance and he kicked his way right offstage like a
Rockette. The crowd had given him a fine welcome and they cheered wildly
when he left."[58] The concert was filmed and later issued in Martin
Scorsese's 1978 film, The Last Waltz, which is considered a landmark
concert film.
It was during his association with The Band, that he acquired both of
his fans' nicknames for him: "Belfast Cowboy" and "Van the Man". While
Van was singing the duet "4% Pantomime" that he co-wrote with Robbie
Robertson, Richard Manuel calls him, "Oh, Belfast Cowboy". It would be
included in The Bands album Cahoots. When he left the stage, after
performing "Caravan" on The Last Waltz, Robbie calls out "Van the Man!"
Morrison, in 1977, finally released A Period of Transition, a
collaboration with Dr. John, who also appeared at The Last Waltz. It
received a mild critical reception and began a very prolific period of
song making. The following year, Morrison released Wavelength; It was
the fastest selling album of his career, at the time, and soon went
Gold. The engaging title track became a modest hit and peaked at #42.
The opening track, "Kingdom Hall", about Morrison's own childhood
experience around Jehovah's Witnesses also foreshadowed the religious
turn in Morrison's next album, Into the Music.
“ The album's last four songs, "Angeliou", "When the Healing Has Begun",
and "It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About" are a
veritable tour de force with Morrison summoning every vocal trick at his
disposal from "Angeliou"'s climactic shouts to the sexually-charged,
half-mumbled monologue in "When the Healing Has Begun" to the barely
audible whisper that is the album's final sound.[59] ”
—Scott Thomas Review
Released in 1979, Into the Music, was hailed as a masterpiece: "An
erotic/religious cycle of songs that culminates in the greatest side of
music Morrison has created since Astral Weeks".[60] This album for the
first time alludes to the healing power of music, which had become an
abiding interest of Morrison's, and would dominate his music from this
point on. "Bright Side of the Road" was a joyful, uplifting song that
would appear on the soundtrack of the popular movie Michael.
1980s
With his next album, the new decade saw Morrison following his own muse
into uncharted territory and merciless reviews. In 1980 he took a group
of musicians with him to Super Bear, a studio in the French Alps, on the
site of a former abbey, to record his "most daring and unclassifiable"
album since Astral Weeks.[61]The album, Common One, consisted of only
six songs of varying lengths. The longest, "Summertime In England" was
fifteen and one-half minutes long and ended with the words,"Can you feel
the silence?" NME magazine's, Graham Locke, called the album "colossally
smug and cosmically dull; an interminable, vacuous and drearily
egotistical stab at spirituality."[62] Even Greil Marcus, who had
formerly supported Morrison, said: "It's Van acting the part of the
'mystic poet' he thinks he's supposed to be."[63]Morrison insisted that
the album was never "meant to be a commercial album;"[64] but, perhaps
stung by the harsh reviews, "he would not attempt anything so ambitious
again."[64]Later the critics would reassess the album more favourably
with the success of "Summertime in England" and other tracks that seem
to take on new meaning in live performance. Lester Bangs wrote in 1982,
"Van was making holy music even though he thought he was, and us (sic)
rock critics had made our usual mistake of paying too much attention to
the lyrics."[65]
Morrison's next album, Beautiful Vision, was released in 1982 and saw
him returning once again to his Belfast roots. It was well received by
the critics and public, producing a popular single, "Cleaning Windows",
that documented one of Morrison's first jobs after leaving
school.[66]Several other songs on the album, "Vanlose Stairway", "She
Gives Me Religion", and the instrumental, "Scandinavia", on which
Morrison plays piano, show the presence of a new physical muse: a Danish
Public Relations agent, who would share Morrison's spiritual interests
and serve as a steadying influence on him throughout most of the
1980s.[67]He had quit drinking alcohol, sometime during the years of
1973 or 1974,[68] and now drank "gallons" of coffee a day, according to
friends. However, he was to once again have problems with alcohol,
beginning later in the decade, after his father's sudden death.[69]
In the early 1980s, Morrison moved back to Europe and at first settled
in the Notting Hill Gate area of London.[70]Later, he moved to Bath,
where he bought Wool Hall Studios.[71]He became increasingly more in
control of the music that he produced.[72]
Much of the music Morrison released throughout the 1980s continued to
focus on themes of spirituality and faith as Morrison's compositions
steered towards New Age territory. He gave a special thanks to L. Ron
Hubbard on his 1983 album, Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, although he
has never been formally associated with Scientology or any other
Church.[73]
In 1985, he released a new album, A Sense Of Wonder, that contained the
opening track "Tore Down A La Rimbaud". Morrison said he had been
reading about Rimbaud in 1974, when he was suffering through a period of
writer's block. He then carried this song around with him for eight
years, before he could complete it.[74]
Morrison's 1986 release, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, earned
enthusiastic reviews from many, but not all critics. During the
recording, the artist's characteristic deep growl was in grand form and
the album featured some of the grittiest acoustic arrangements since the
days of Astral Weeks, but not all critics were comfortable with the
increasingly religious content.
Unflustered, Morrison was slightly less gritty and more adult
contemporary with the well received 1987 album, Poetic Champions
Compose, considered to be one of his highlights of the 1980s.[75] The
romantic ballad, "Someone Like You", from this album was featured in the
soundtrack of several popular movies, including 1995's French Kiss and,
in 2001, both Someone Like You and Bridget Jones's Diary.
In 1988, he released Irish Heartbeat, with the Irish group, The
Chieftains. It was a popular-selling album, which demonstrated the full
range of Morrison's unique vocal power on a collection of traditional
Irish folk songs. Morrison played drums on this album.
In 1989, Morrison released an even more popular seller, Avalon Sunset,
which featured the hit duet with Cliff Richard "Whenever God Shines His
Light" and the ballad "Have I Told You Lately" on which "earthly love
transmutes into that for God"[76]This is often said to be his most
spiritual album, but it also contained the sensual song, "Daring Night":
"It deals with full, blazing sex, whatever it's churchy organ and gentle
lilt suggest."[77]Morrison's preoccupation with the erotic/religious
theme was once again in evidence. He can be heard calling out the change
of tempo in the ending of this song, indicative of his belief that music
should be spontaneous. He often completed albums in two days time, with
first takes being the norm.[78][79][80]
1990s
Morrison was able to capitalise on the success of Avalon Sunset with the
release of The Best of Van Morrison, in 1990. Not to be mistaken with a
similarly-titled compilation, released in 1967, (and long out of print),
this was the first collection ever to survey his entire career. Compiled
by Morrison himself and focusing on his hit singles, it became a
multi-platinum success and was one of the best selling albums of the
1990s.[81]
In 1990, Morrison joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive
performance of The Wall in Berlin. He sang "Comfortably Numb" with Roger
Waters, and his friends from the Band, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick
Danko. This version of the song was included in the soundtrack of Martin
Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed.
BBC2 filmed a career overview entitled One Irish Rover in 1991, which
opened with Van Morrison and Bob Dylan singing a duet on the Hill of the
Muses above Athens, Greece. Dylan and Morrison performed duets on "Crazy
Love" "Foreign Window" and "One Irish Rover". The Independent described
"the Irish singer flanked by Bob Dylan and the Acropolis: all three of
them legendary, all looking their age, and all a waste of time talking
to with a microphone in your hand."[82]
In January 1993, Van Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame. He did not attend the award ceremony, and instead his friend
from The Band, Robbie Robertson accepted the award for him.[83]
Although Morrison's commercial success would continue throughout the
1990s, the critical reception to his work began to decline. 1990's
Enlightenment yielded one hit single, "Real Real Gone", (first recorded
ten years earlier); 1991's double album Hymns to the Silence was one of
his most ambitious works; 1993's Too Long in Exile and 1995's Days Like
This had large sales even though the critical reviews were not always
favourable.[84]
In contrast, the 1994 live double album, A Night in San Francisco was a
"tour-de-force", showing Morrison's talents and his influences in equal
measure.
On February 14, 1994, Van Morrison was awarded the BRIT Award for his
Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was presented with the
award by former Beirut hostage, John McCarthy who testified to the
importance of Morrison's song, "Wonderful Remark":
“ ...a song that he wrote more than twenty years ago, which was very
important to us. ”
—John McCarthy
Morrison performed before an estimated audience of 60-80,000 people when
US President Bill Clinton visited Belfast, Northern Ireland on November
30, 1995. His song "Days Like This" had become the official anthem for
the Northern Irish peace movement.[85]
In June 1996, Morrison was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II at
Buckingham Palace for his service to music.
This period was also marked by a number of side projects, including the
live jazz performances of 1996's How Long Has This Been Going On, 1997's
Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, and 2000's The Skiffle
Sessions - Live In Belfast 1998, all of which found Morrison paying
tribute to his long-time favourites.
In 1997, Morrison released The Healing Game. The following year,
Morrison finally released some of his unissued studio recordings in a
warmly received two-disc set, The Philosopher's Stone. His next release,
1999's Back on Top, was a modest success, being his highest charting
album in the US since 1978's Wavelength.
In September 1999, Morrison became the first musician to be inducted
into the newly opened Irish Music Hall of Fame. Bob Geldof presented
Morrison with the award remarking, "I believe there is only one genius
in Irish music, and that's Van Morrison."
During this decade, Morrison developed a close association with two
vocal talents at opposite ends of their careers: Georgie Fame, with whom
Morrison had already worked occasionally, lent his voice and Hammond
organ skills; and Brian Kennedy's vocals complimented the grizzled voice
of Morrison, both in studio and live performances.
Taking this concept of association a stage further, the 1990s saw an
upsurge in Morrison's collaborations with other artists, a trend that
has continued into the new millennium.
These include:
with blues legend John Lee Hooker on Hooker's 1997 album, Don't Look
Back
The title track from this album would go on to win a Grammy Award for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998.
This was not the first time the two had worked together; Morrison
appeared on Hooker's albums Never Get Out of These Blues Alive in 1972,
Born In Mississippi, Raised Up In Tennessee in 1973 and Chill Out in
1995.
with singer Tom Jones on the 1999 album Reload
with Mark Knopfler on his 2000 album Sailing to Philadelphia
with musical legend Ray Charles on his 2004 album Genius Loves Company
with British jazz singer George Melly on his 2006 album The Ultimate
Melly
2000s
Van Morrison continued to record and tour in the 2000s, performing two
or three times a week. Playing fewer of his well-known songs in concert
than almost any other artist from his era, Morrison refuses to be
relegated into a nostalgia act.
Contrary to the days when he felt at the mercy of the music industry, he
now has his own independent label (Exile Productions) and has full
production control of each album he records; which he then delivers as a
finished product to the recording label that he chooses, for marketing
and distributing.[86]
In July 2001, Morrison received an honorary doctorate in music from
Queen's University in his hometown of Belfast. Nine years earlier, in
1992, he had received an honorary doctorate in literature from the
University of Ulster–at the time being the only other university in his
native Northern Ireland.
In 2000, Morrison released a collaboration with Linda Gail Lewis (Jerry
Lee Lewis's sister), You Win Again. Another side project, this time
focusing on R&B and country-and-western standards, Lewis proved to be an
excellent duet partner, and the project set the stage for Morrison's
next album, Choppin' Wood. By the end of 2000 when the album was
essentially finished, Lewis and Morrison had a falling out.[87]
As a result, Morrison went back and re-recorded and/or remixed most of
the tracks, removing Lewis's contributions in the process. A few songs
were removed from the final running order and new ones were added in.
The result was released in 2002 as Down the Road. Clinton Heylin
contends that the original version, Choppin' Wood, would have been a
true return to form. It is doubtful if that notion will ever be put to
the test because the original recordings have yet to circulate,
privately or publicly.
"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. Ray Charles presented the award, following a performance in which
the pair performed Morrison's "Crazy Love", from the album, Moondance.
Morrison's admiration for Charles was evident in the award ceremony and
he later wrote an article published in Rolling Stone Magazine in 2004,
describing Ray Charles' influence on music and on him personally.[88]
In the same year, Morrison released What's Wrong with This Picture? on
the legendary jazz record label, Blue Note Records. The album would
later receive a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
In 2004, his song, "Bright Side of the Road", from his 1979 album Into
the Music was featured in the UNESCO advertisements for World Press
Freedom Day. In October 2004 Van Morrison was honored as a BMI ICON at
the annual London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of
music makers."[89]
Morrison still remains popular with the public: his album, Magic Time,
debuted at #25 on the US Billboard 200 charts upon release in May 2005,
some forty years after first entering the public's eye as the frontman
of Them. Rolling Stone Magazine listed it as #17 on their list of The
Top 50 Records of 2005.[90]
Later in the year, Morrison also donated a previously unreleased studio
track to a charity album, Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now, which
raised money for relief efforts intended for Gulf Coast victims
devastated by hurricanes, Katrina and Rita. The song, "Blue & Green",
was composed by Morrison and featured the late Foggy Lyttle on guitar.
Van appeared in The Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway Outer
Hebrides in the summer of 2005, where he was a headline act at the
growing international Celtic music festival.
He released an album with a country music theme, entitled Pay the Devil,
on March 7, 2006. On the day of its release, Van Morrison Day was
declared in Nashville by the Mayor, and Morrison appeared for the very
first time at the historic Ryman Auditorium that evening to a sold-out
crowd. The entire Ryman was sold out twelve minutes after the tickets
went on sale.[91] Pay the Devil debuted at #26 on The Billboard 200 and
peaked at #7 on Top Country Albums. The country album was listed at #10
on Amazon Best of 2006 Editor's Picks in Country in December 2006.
In August 2006, Van and his longtime girlfriend, Michelle Rocca (who was
Miss Ireland 1980) were reported to be the parents of a seven-month-old
daughter, Aibhe Rocca Morrison. Aibhe was born in Dublin, Ireland. Barry
Egan published an article in the Sunday Independent, on August 20, 2006,
revealing that the pregnancy had been kept a secret by Michelle by her
wearing baggy clothes and seldom leaving the house.[92] Morrison, a
notoriously private person, had begun a close and initially highly
publicised relationship with Rocca in 1993. In recent years, they have
seldom been seen in public together, although they are reportedly
sharing a home in Killiney in South Dublin, Ireland.
On September 15, 2006, Morrison was the headline act on the first night
of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Rolling Stone Magazine
reviewed this performance as one of the top ten shows of the 2006
festival.[93] In November 2006, a limited edition album, Live at Austin
City Limits Festival,[94] was issued which is sold only at Van Morrison
concerts and at the official website.
In October 2006, Live at Montreux 1980/1974 was the first ever
commercial DVD released by Morrison, though the Pay The Devil CD was
rereleased in the summer of 2006 with a DVD containing tracks from the
Ryman.[95]This two DVD set illustrates how his songwriting evolved over
this period, and includes some of his best known tracks: "Moondance", "
Street Choir", "Tupelo Honey", and "Ballerina". Pee Wee Ellis, Mark
Isham, and David Hayes are among some of the well-known musicians
featured in the 1980 show; the 1974 show has a line-up that features
Pete Wingfield, Dallas Taylor and Jerome Rimson.
In November 2006, CNN published their list of The All-Time 100
Albums.[96] Two of Van Morrison's albums, 1968's Astral Weeks and 1970's
Moondance, were on the list.
Van Morrison was honoured at the Second Annual Oscar Wilde: Honouring
Irish Writing in Film Pre-Academy Awards Party, in Los Angeles,
California, on February 22, 2007 for his contribution to over fifty
films. He was presented with the award by Al Pacino.[97] Van Morrison at
the Movies - Soundtrack Hits, a new nineteen song album, was released by
Morrison's latest record label, Manhattan EMI, on February 12, 2007, to
coincide with this event.
He appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on the first
evening on April 27, 2007 as the headline act where his longtime
collaborator and friend, Dr. John joined him for one set on stage.[98]
On May 08, 2007 Van Morrison was named Best International Male Singer of
2007 by the first ever International Awards at famed jazz club Ronnie
Scotts in London England.[99]
A new 2CD compilation album The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 was
released on June 11, 2007 in the UK and on June 19 in the US by
Manhattan EMI.[100] It contains 31 tracks, some of which were previously
unreleased. The tracks were personally selected by Morrison to represent
the best of his work from 1993s album Too Long in Exile to the song
"Stranded" from the 2005 album Magic Time.[101]
Influence
Morrison's influence can readily be seen in the music of many major
artists, including U2 (much of The Unforgettable Fire), Bruce
Springsteen ("Spirit in the Night", "4th of July (Sandy)",
"Backstreets"), John Mellencamp ("A Little Night Dancin'", a cover of
Morrison's "Wild Night"), Jim Morrison, Joan Armatrading, Rickie Lee
Jones, Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Patti Smith (her poetic-proto-punk
"Gloria" most explicitly), Elvis Costello (who later toured with
Morrison), Graham Parker, Daryl Hall, Thin Lizzy, Bob Seger ("I know
Springsteen was very much affected by Van Morrison, and so was I." -
interview in Creem), Dexys Midnight Runners, Jimi Hendrix ("Gloria"),
Jeff Buckley ("The Way Young Lovers Do", "Sweet Thing"), numerous
others, including Counting Crows (the "sha-la-la" sequence in Mr Jones,
is a tribute to Morrison) and the The Wallflowers with "Into The
Mystic". Ray Lamontagne,[102] James Morrison,[103][104] and Paolo
Nutini[105] are several of the younger artists influenced by Morrison.
Morrison expressed some grudges in the 1980s, regarding his pervasive
influence on some of the artists, admitting that he was "flattered by
the compliment" but "felt ripped off, in an academic context, because
there are just people who don't know."[106]
On his 1986 album, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, he included the song,
"A Town Called Paradise", which begins with the words: "Copycats ripped
off my words/ Copycats ripped off my songs/ Copycats ripped off my
melody", but then goes on to say: "It doesn't matter what they say/ It
doesn't matter what they do."
Overall, Morrison has typically been supportive of other artists and has
often shared the stage with them during his concerts. On the live album,
A Night in San Francisco, he had as his special guests, among others,
his childhood idols, Jimmy Witherspoon, John Lee Hooker and Junior
Wells. Although he often expresses his displeasure (in interviews and
songs) with the music industry and the media in general, he has been
instrumental in promoting the careers of many other musicians and
singers, such as Brian Kennedy[107] and James Hunter.[108] In an
interview with Jazziz, he was generous with his praise of artists that
have covered his work, and the many artists that have influenced
him.[109]
Awards and Recognition
Grammy Awards:
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, 1996, "Have I Told You Lately" (with
The Chieftains)
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, 1998, "Don't Look Back" (with John
Lee Hooker)
Hall of Fame, 1999, Astral Weeks
Hall of Fame, 1999, Moondance
Hall of Fame, 1999, "Gloria"
Hall of Fame, 2007, "Brown Eyed Girl"
Other recognition:
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1993
BRIT Award - Outstanding contribution to Music, 1994
OBE award, 1996
First Musician inducted into the Irish Music Hall of Fame, 1999
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2003
Ronnie Scotts Club Best International Male Singer of 2007 First
Inaugural Awards
Discography
Albums
Blowin' Your Mind! (1967) #182 US
Astral Weeks (1968) Did Not Chart
Moondance (1970) #29 US
His Band and the Street Choir (1970) #32 US
Tupelo Honey (1971) #27 US
Saint Dominic's Preview (1972) #15 US
Hard Nose the Highway (1973) #27 US
It's Too Late to Stop Now (1974) #53 US
Veedon Fleece (1974) #53 US
A Period of Transition (1977) #43 US
Wavelength (1978) #28 US
Into the Music (1979) #43 US, #12 UK
Common One (1980) #73 US
Beautiful Vision (1982) #44 US, #31 UK
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1983) #116 US, #14 UK
Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast (1984)
A Sense of Wonder (1985) #61 US, #25UK
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986) #70 US, #27 UK
Poetic Champions Compose (1987) #90 US, #22 UK
Irish Heartbeat (1988); with The Chieftans #102 US, #18 UK
Avalon Sunset (1989) #91 US, #13 UK
Enlightenment (1990) #62 US, #5 UK
Hymns to the Silence (1991) #99 US, #5 UK
Too Long in Exile (1993) #29 US, #4Uk
A Night in San Francisco (1994) #125 US, #8 UK
Days Like This (1995) #33 US, #5 UK
How Long Has This Been Going On (1996) with (Georgie Fame) #55 US, #1
Top Jazz Albums
Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison (1996) #1 Top Jazz Albums
The Healing Game (1997) #32 US
Back on Top (1999) #28 US
The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast 1998 (2000); with (Lonnie Donegan
and Chris Barber) #14 UK
You Win Again (with Linda Gail Lewis) (2000) #161 US, #34 UK
Down the Road (2002) #25 US, #6 UK
What's Wrong with This Picture? (2003) #32 US
Magic Time (2005) #25 US, #4 UK
Pay the Devil (2006) #26 US
Compilations
The Best of Van Morrison (1990) #41 US, #4 UK
The Best of Van Morrison Volume Two (1993) #176 US
The Philosopher's Stone (1998)
Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits (2007) #35 US, #17 UK
The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 (2007) #23 UK
Limited Editions
Live at Austin City Limits Festival (2006)
DVDs
Live at Montreux 1980/1974 (2006)
Selected Singles
In UK and US and Charting when known
"Brown Eyed Girl" (1967) #10 US
"Ro Ro Rosey" (1967)
"Come Running" (1970) #39 US
"Domino" (1970) #9 US
"Blue Money" (1971) #23 US
"Call Me Up In Dreamland" (1971) #95 US
"Wild Night" (1971) #28 US
"Tupelo Honey" (1971) #47 US
"Like a Cannonball" (1972)
"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" (1972) #61 US
"Redwood Tree" (1972) #98 US
"Gypsy" (1973)
"Warm Love" (1973)
"Green" (1973)
"Ain't Nothing You Can Do" (1974]])
"Bulbs" (1974)
"Moondance" (1977) #92 US
"Wavelength" (1978) #42 US
"Kingdom Hall" (1979)
"Full Force Gale" (1979)
"Bright Side of the Road" (1979) #63 UK
"Cleaning Windows" (1982)
"Cry For Home" (1983) #98 UK
"Celtic Swing" (1983)
"Dweller on the Threshold" (1984)
"A Sense of Wonder" (1984)
"Tore Down à la Rimbaud" (1985) #19 US Mainstream Rock Tracks
"Ivory Tower" (1986) #21 US Mainstream Rock Tracks
"Got To Go Back" (1986)
"Did Ye Get Healed? (1987)
"Someone Like You" (1988) #28 US
"Queen Of The Slipstream" (1988)
"Have I Told You Lately" (1989) #12 US Adult Contemporary, #74 UK
"I'll Tell Me Ma" (1988)
"Whenever God Shines His Light" (with Cliff Richard) (1989) #20 UK
"Coney Island/Have I Told You Lately" (1990) #76 UK
"Real Real Gone" (1990) #18 US Mainstream Rock Tracks, #79 UK
"In The Days Before Rock 'N' Roll" (1990) #94 UK
"Gloria" (1993) #36 US Mainstream Rock Tracks, #31 UK
"Days Like This" (1995) #65 UK
"No Religion" (1995) #54 UK
"The Healing Game" (1997) #46 UK
"Precious Time" (1999) #36 UK
"Back On Top" (1999) #69 UK
"Hey Mr DJ" (2002) #58 UK
Notes
1.
Rolling Stone biography
2.
All Music biography
3.
Rock And Roll HOF biography
4.
Van Morrison. Peter Wolf.
Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
5.
The Immortals: The First Fifty.
Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
6.
100 Best Living Songwriters.
Paste Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
7.
100 Greatest Singers.
rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
8.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Belfast Map Hyndford Street.
9.
Rogan 2006. p17.
10.
Renaissance Van. Rolling Stone
(2005-06-02). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
11.
Rogan 2006. pp20-21.
12.
Turner 1993. p26.
13.
Rogan 2006. pp23-31.
14.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) 1985 New Age interview
15.
Harbottle's Encyclopedia Former
Jobs (2007-03-18). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
16.
Rogan 2006. pp43-44.
17.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Belfast Map Cyprus Avenue
18.
Rogan 2006. p375
19.
Rogan 2006. pp55-70.
20.
Rogan 2006. pp71-83.
21.
Hinton 1997. p67.
22.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) The Doors
23.
Turner 1993. pp72-73.
24.
Rogan 2006. p188.
25.
Gary Chester website
26.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Reviews Greil Marcus
27.
Rogan 2006. pp212-215.
28.
Rogan 2006. p216.
29.
Rogan 2006. p217.
30.
Heylin 2003. p170.
31.
Heylin 2003. pp176,177.
32.
Rogan 2006. pp212-222.
33.
Rogan 2006. p223.
34.
Hinton 1997. p100.
35.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Reviews Scott Thomas
36.
Van Morrison. Geocities website.
Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
37.
Hinton 1997. pp88,89.
38.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Reviews Lester Bangs
39.
(19)Astral Weeks. Rolling Stone
Magazine online. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
40.
Rogan 2006. pp250,251.
41.
Heylin 2003. p226.
42.
65 Moondance. Rolling Stone
(2003-11-01). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
43.
NARM The Definitive 200".
Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
44.
Rogan 2006. p259.
45.
Rogan 2006. pp267,268.
46.
Hinton 1997. p137.
47.
Hinton 1997. p135.
48.
1982 Rolling Stone interview.
49.
Heylin 2003. pp255,256.
50.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) 1972 Interview Scott Grissom Jr.
51.
MOJO Top 50 Live Albums. Muziek.
Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
52.
Top 50 Live Albums. Stylus.
Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
53.
Heylin 2003. pp265-267.
54.
Rogan 2006. p301.
55.
Heylin 2003. p305.
56.
Rogan 2006. p304.
57.
The Last Waltz. allmovie.com.
Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
58.
Rolling Stone Magazine The Bands
Last Waltz. Rolling Stone Magazine online. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
59.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Review Scott Thomas
60.
Dave Marsh, The Rolling Stone
Album Guide, 2nd Edition
61.
Rogan 2006. p330.
62.
Rogan 2006. pp330,331.
63.
Heylin 2003. p334.
64.
a b Heylin 2003. p365.
65.
Heylin 2003. p364.
66.
Rogan 2006. pp337,338.
67.
Heylin 2003. p371.
68.
Rogan 2006. p286.
69.
Rogan 2006. p384.
70.
Rogan 2006. p342.
71.
Rogan 2006. p400.
72.
Rogan 2006. p340.
73.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) 1985 Interview New Age Steven Davis
74.
Heylin 2003. p308.
75.
Poetic Champions Compose.
allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
76.
Hinton 1997. p278.
77.
Hinton 1997. p280.
78.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Review Q Magazine Toby Manning
79.
Heylin 2003. pp429,448,449,463.
80.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) 2003 Interview Shana Morrison
81.
Heylin 2003. p437.
82.
Hinton 1997. p299.
83.
Turner 1993. p177.
84.
Heylin 2003. pp450,457,458.
85.
Rogan, 2006, p. 437
86.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Discography
87.
Heylin 2003. pp490,491.
88.
Ray Charles by Van Morrison.
Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
89.
bmi.com news Morrison to be
honored as BMI ICON retrieved 2007-05-26
90.
The Top 50 Records of 2005.
rolling stone magazine. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
91.
Van Morrison Ryman Auditorium
Nashville TN by Barry Mazor. nodepression.net. Retrieved on
2007-03-31.
92.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Transcript Barry Egan article:Sunday Independent
93.
10 Best Shows at Austin City
Limits. rollingstone.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
94.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Discography Live at Austin City Limits
95.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) Discography LIve at Montreux 1980/1970
96.
The All-Time 100 Albums.
Time/CNN. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
97.
Van Morrison, Terry George and
Bill Monahan honored in LA. US-Irish Alliance. Retrieved on
2007-03-30.
98.
Baptism By Choir. nola.com.
Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
99.
Van Morrison receives jazz
award. 4NI.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
100.
The Official Van Morrison
website
101.
Van Morrison's The Best of Van
Morrison, Volume 3. abcnewsaksuperstation. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
102.
Ray Lamontagne Under the
Influence. harpmagazine.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
103.
popmatters music reviews James
Morrison Undiscovered. popmatters.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
104.
Morrison Trys to Live up to
Hype. canoe.ca. Retrieved on 2007-04-14.
105.
Bonnaroo 2007 Artists Paolo
Nutini. bonnaroo.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
106.
Van Morrison Website
(Unofficial) 1984 Interview Bill Flanagan
107.
Biography-Brian Kennedy. 2006
briankennedy.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
108.
James Hunter in Concert. npr.org.
Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
109.
Van Morrison Website (Unoffical)
2004 Interview Jazziz
References
Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New
Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison,
Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074169X
Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison:No Surrender, London:Vintage Books
ISBN 9780099431831
Turner, Steve (1993). Too Late to Stop Now, Viking Penguin, ISBN
0-670-85147-7
Van Morrison Website (Unofficial). A collection of information on Van
Morrison gathered from many sources. Michael Hayward.
Van Morrison. Peter Wolfe. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
****
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