Van Morrison

Background

Sir George Ivan Morrison, popularly known as Van Morrison, is a grammy-award-winning and multi-talented artist whose recording career has been going on for about six decades. He was born on August 31, 1945, in Belfast, Ireland, to George Morrison and Violet Stitt Morrison. He attended Elmgrove Primary school from 1950 to 1956 while being known as ‘Van.’ His father bought him his first acoustic guitar when he was just 11 years. He then attended Orangefield Boys Secondary School and left in 1960. He settled into doing odd jobs before he joined a band called “Monarchs.”

Morrison started his career at the early age of 17 as he toured Europe with his Irish band mates. He played the saxophone, harmonica, and guitar for the band. Morrison left the group when it got disbanded and was hired by “The Wheels,” a rock band, as a blues singer. In 1964, Morrison created another band, “Them,” which enabled him to break into the international scene. The band’s R&B performances at Maritime attracted the attention of many. Dick Rowe of Decca Records recognized the band’s talents and signed them on a two-year contract. They released two albums and ten singles after Morrison left the band.

Morrison’s song, “Brown Eyed Girl,” was released in 1967 and reached number 10 on the US pop charts, becoming his most played song. In 2000, the song was listed on Rolling Stone/MTV’s list of 100 Greatest Pop Songs. He signed a recording deal with Warner Bros Records and his first album with them was “Astral Weeks,” which is considered one of his best albums of all time, released in 1968. In 1993, Morrison was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Morrison also has honorary doctorate degrees in music from Queen’s University Belfast (2001) and the University of Ulster (1992).

Morrison has been married twice and is a father of three children.