George Ivan Morrison AKA Van Morrison, OBE, was born on 31 August 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the only child of George Morrison, a shipyard worker and Violet Stitt Morrison, a singer and tap dancer in her youth. Morrison’s father had one of the largest record collections in Ulster and the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Ray Charles, Lead Belly and Solomon Burke.

He is renowned for being stubborn, but is critically acclaimed with a devoted fan base and he often gives astounding live performances. His albums Astral Weeks and Moondance are often rated as being some of the best records recorded.

When he was eleven, his father bought him his first acoustic guitar and learned a few basic chords from a teach yourself book and it was clear that he had an aptitude for music. Van started performing in the late 1950s having become competent on the harmonica, guitar, keyboards, and saxophone and has already honed his trade in a number of cover bands playing the latest tunes of the era.

His first band “The Sputniks” in 1958 was named after the Russian and shortly after forming, they began to perform in intimate locations with Morrison on bluesy rich vocals and taking care of the arrangements.

Morrison left school in 1960 with no qualifications. As a member of a working-class community, it was expected that he would get a regular full-time job, so after several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a window cleaner” later alluded to in his songs, “Cleaning Windows” and “Saint Dominic’s Preview”. However, he had been developing his musical interests from an early age and continued playing with the Monarchs part-time. Young Morrison also played with the Harry Mack Showband, the Great Eight, with his older workplace friend, Geordie Sproule whom he later named as one of his biggest influences.

He toured Europe for the first time with the International Monarchs at seventeen, with Morrison playing saxophone, guitar and harmonica, and bass and drums as required, touring clubs and Army bases in Scotland, England, and Germany, often playing five sets a night. The band cut a single, which was Morrison’s first recording at Ariola Studios in Cologne. He played saxophone and it just crept in to the German charts.

In the mid-1960s he was the lead singer with Them and recorded the classic “Gloria”, one of the favorites in his sets. When he returned to Belfast the group disbanded and he began his solo career.

Under the tutelage of pop impresario Bert Berns, he released the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. Warner Brothers bought out his contract shortly after his manager had died. In several sessions he recorded Astral Weeks in 1968 which was critically acclaimed, but sales were initially poor. It has now grown to become an all-time classic. The album and title tune Moondance, established him as a major recording artist, and throughout the 1970s he built his reputation. Van Morrison continues to tour, record and collaborate with other artists, producing albums and live performances that are well received. In 2008 and in to 2009 he continues to perform Astral Weeks live always leaving the crowd wanting more.

Morrison has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several “Greatest Artists” lists as well as receiving six Grammy Awards.

George Ivan Morrison AKA Van Morrison, OBE, was born on 31 August 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the only child of George Morrison, a shipyard worker and Violet Stitt Morrison, a singer and tap dancer in her youth. Morrison’s father had one of the largest record collections in Ulster and the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Ray Charles, Lead Belly and Solomon Burke.

Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being stubborn, opinionated and untouchable with his live performances often described as seminal. The studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance frequently top voter charts for being some of the best albums ever made.

Fortuitously, his father bought him an acoustic guitar for his eleventh birthday, and he rapidly learned some basic chords from a guitar book. Van Morrison started performing in the late 1950s playing the harmonica, guitar, keyboards, and saxophone in a range of Irish bands covering popular hits of the day.

Morrison formed his first band “The Sputniks”, named after the recently launched Soviet satellite, Sputnik 1. In 1958, the band played at some of the local cinemas, and Morrison took the lead, contributing most of the singing and arranging. His father was ever supportive and he talked him into buying a saxophone, and took lessons in tenor sax and music reading.

Morrison left school in 1960 with no qualifications. As a member of a working-class community, it was expected that he would get a regular full-time job, so after several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a window cleaner” later alluded to in his songs, “Cleaning Windows” and “Saint Dominic’s Preview”. However, he had been developing his musical interests from an early age and continued playing with the Monarchs part-time. Young Morrison also played with the Harry Mack Showband, the Great Eight, with his older workplace friend, Geordie Sproule whom he later named as one of his biggest influences.

Touring Europe for the first time at seventeen with his band The Monarchs, Morrison played saxophone, guitar and harmonica regularly, and bass and drums as required. He had become a competent musician and learnt his trade touring clubs and US Army bases in England, Scotland and Germany, playing five sets a night on many occasions. The band recorded a single at Ariola Studios in Cologne which was Morrison’s first on which he played saxophone and remarkably it entered the lower part of German charts.

He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the gritty Northern Irish R&B band Them and recording the classic “Gloria”, which he still plays now. Upon returning to Belfast in November 1963, the group disbanded, so Morrison connected with Geordie Sproule again and played with him in the Manhattan Show band.

His solo career began under the guidance of pop impresario Bert Berns with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. Warner Brothers bought out his contract after Berns died and allowed him several sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Poorly received initially by the public, but critically acclaimed, it has grown to become an all-time classic. Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received; sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.

Morrison has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several “Greatest Artists” lists as well as receiving six Grammy Awards.