Van Morrison

Van Morrison Bio

Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter and musician whose recording career began in the late 1950s. He first achieved prominence as lead singer of the Belfast R&B band Them, co-writing the garage classic “Gloria”, and launched a successful solo career with the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967). His landmark albums Astral Weeks (1968) and Moondance (1970) established his reputation for blending soul, jazz, folk and Celtic influences often described as “Celtic soul”. A prolific recording artist, Morrison has had numerous UK and US charting albums, received multiple major awards including two Grammys, and was knighted in 2016 for services to music and tourism.

Early Life and Background

George Ivan Morrison was born on 31 August 1945 at 125 Hyndford Street, Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the only child of George Morrison, a shipyard electrician, and Violet Morrison (née Stitt), who had been a singer and tap dancer in her youth. The family were working class Protestants descended from the Ulster Scots population that settled in Belfast. From 1950 to 1956, Morrison, who began to be known as “Van” during this time, attended Elmgrove Primary School. His father had one of the largest record collections in Northern Ireland, exposing the young Morrison to various musical genres including blues, gospel, jazz, folk and country music.

Path to Music

Morrison’s musical development began at an early age under the influence of his father’s extensive record collection. His father bought him his first acoustic guitar when he was 11, and he learned to play rudimentary chords from The Carter Family Style song book. In 1957, at age twelve, he formed his first band, “The Sputniks,” a skiffle group named after the Soviet satellite. By age 14, he had formed another skiffle band called Midnight Special and played at a school concert. When he heard Jimmy Giuffre playing saxophone, he convinced his father to buy him a tenor saxophone and took lessons from jazz musician George Cassidy, who became a significant influence on him.

Education and Early Training

Morrison attended Orangefield Boys Secondary School, leaving in July 1960 with no qualifications. As a member of a working-class community, he was expected to get a regular full-time job, so after several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a window cleaner—a job later alluded to in his songs “Cleaning Windows” and “Saint Dominic’s Preview.” However, he continued developing his musical interests and played with various local bands part-time. At age 17, Morrison toured Europe for the first time with the International Monarchs, an Irish showband where he played saxophone, guitar, harmonica, and contributed to bass and drums.

Van Morrison Career

Early Career (1958-1967)

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. He joined the band Them in 1964, which became his breakthrough group. As lead singer of Them, he wrote and recorded “Gloria,” which became a garage band staple. Them had three chart hits including “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (1964), “Here Comes the Night” (1965), and “Mystic Eyes” (1965). In 1966, Them undertook a two-month tour of America that included a residency at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, where The Doors were the supporting act on the final week.

Breakthrough (1967-1970)

Morrison launched his solo career in 1967 under the guidance of producer Bert Berns with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl.” 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 come to be regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist and became his first million-selling album, reaching number twenty-nine on the Billboard charts. This period marked the beginning of Morrison’s distinctive “Celtic soul” style that blended various influences into his unique musical vision.

Notable Works and Milestones

Astral Weeks and Moondance remain Morrison’s signature works, with the former often considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Astral Weeks has been placed on numerous “best albums” lists including number nineteen on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and was voted the top Irish album of all time in a 2009 poll. Moondance was listed at number sixty-five on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number seventy-two on the NARM Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the “Definitive 200.” These albums established Morrison’s reputation for blending soul, jazz, folk and Celtic influences into what became known as “Celtic soul.”

Van Morrison Award Nominations

Throughout his career, Van Morrison has received numerous nominations for prestigious music industry awards. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards in addition to his two wins. In 2022, Morrison and his song “Down to Joy” from the film Belfast were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. His critically acclaimed albums have consistently garnered recognition, with Astral Weeks and Moondance frequently appearing on “greatest albums” lists published by major publications. Morrison’s influence has been acknowledged through various honorific nominations and recognitions from music industry organizations and publications worldwide.

Van Morrison Awards Won

Van Morrison has received numerous major awards throughout his illustrious career. He has won two Grammy Awards for his work, including one for “Have I Told You Lately” in 1990 and another for “Don’t Look Back” in 1998. Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, making him the first living inductee not to attend his own ceremony. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1994, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Morrison was knighted in 2016 for services to music and tourism in Northern Ireland, and in 2017 he received the Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting.

Van Morrison Family

Morrison has been married twice and has several children. His first marriage was to Janet (Planet) Rigsbee in the late 1960s, with whom he had one daughter, Shana Morrison, born in 1970, who has become a singer-songwriter. They divorced in 1973. Morrison later met Irish socialite Michelle Rocca in the summer of 1992, and they married, having two children: a daughter born in February 2006 and a son born in August 2007. They divorced in March 2018. Morrison’s father died in 1988, and his mother, Violet, died in 2016. In December 2009, Morrison’s tour manager Gigi Lee gave birth to a son, who she asserted was Morrison’s, though Morrison denied paternity.

Personal Life

Van Morrison has lived in various locations throughout his career, including Belfast, London, New York, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Woodstock, California, and currently resides in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland. He has been known for his reclusive nature and reluctance to engage with the media. Morrison has faced some legal challenges, including disputes with neighbors over property issues in Ireland and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he made statements against social distancing measures that affected live music events. Despite his private nature, Morrison has been recognized for his contributions to music and tourism in Northern Ireland, receiving the Freedom of Belfast in 2013 and being knighted in 2016. His distinctive vocal style, often described as a mix of folk, blues, soul, jazz, gospel, and Celtic influences, has established him as one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll.