George Ivan Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland as the solitary child of Violet Morrison and George Morrison, a steel worker. Morrison's father had a very large record collection and Van grew up listening to blues artists.
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.
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.
At age seventeen, he toured Europe for the first time with the Monarchs, now calling themselves the International Monarchs. This Irish showband, with Morrison playing saxophone, guitar and harp, in addition to back-up duty on bass and drums, toured steamy clubs and US Army bases in Scotland, England, and Germany, often playing five sets a night. While in Germany, the band recorded a single, "Boozoo Hully Gully"/"Twingy Baby", under the name Georgie and The Monarchs. This was Morrison's first recording, taking place in November 1963 at Ariola Studios in Cologne with Morrison on saxophone; it made the lower reaches of the 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.
While being managed by Bert Berns, Van Morrison released the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. Warner Brothers bought out his contract shortly after due to the death of his manager. He recorded Astral Weeks in 1968 which was critically acclaimed, but sales were initially poor, although it has now grown to become an all-time classic. The album 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, returning to live performances of Astral Weeks in 2008 and in to 2009.
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.
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.
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.
At age seventeen, he toured Europe for the first time with the Monarchs, now calling themselves the International Monarchs. This Irish showband, with Morrison playing saxophone, guitar and harp, in addition to back-up duty on bass and drums, toured steamy clubs and US Army bases in Scotland, England, and Germany, often playing five sets a night. While in Germany, the band recorded a single, "Boozoo Hully Gully"/"Twingy Baby", under the name Georgie and The Monarchs. This was Morrison's first recording, taking place in November 1963 at Ariola Studios in Cologne with Morrison on saxophone; it made the lower reaches of the 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.
While being managed by Bert Berns, Van Morrison released the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. Warner Brothers bought out his contract shortly after due to the death of his manager. He recorded Astral Weeks in 1968 which was critically acclaimed, but sales were initially poor, although it has now grown to become an all-time classic. The album 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, returning to live performances of Astral Weeks in 2008 and in to 2009.
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.
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