Morrison, Van (actually, George Ivan)

Morrison, Van (actually, George Ivan ), lead singer of the Irish R&B band Them, then as a solo artist with a long and varied career performing his own blend of rock, blues, jazz, and folk; b. Belfast, Northern Ireland, Aug. 31, 1945. THEM: MEMBERSHIP: Van Morrison, voc, sax., har.; Billy Harrison, gtr. (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oct. 14, 1942); Jackie McAuley, org. (b. Coleraine, Northern Ireland, Dec. 14,1946); Alan Henderson, bs. (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oct. 26, 1944); Ronnie Millings, drm.

An eccentric figure on the rock scene, like Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Morrison has been able to continue to produce music—of varying quality—on his own terms, without selling out to commercial pressures.

Born into a musical family, Van Morrison picked up guitar and saxophone as a child and was singing in local bands at age 11. In 1960, at 15, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. He initially played and sang with Deanie Sands and the Javelins, and joined the R&B band the Monarchs in 1961 for engagements throughout Great Britain and Europe.

Around 1964 Van Morrison formed Them in Belfast, and the group soon secured a regular engagement at a local R&B club, attracting a considerable following. Signed to British Decca (Parrot in the United States), Them traveled to London to record, scoring their first major British and American hit with producer- songwriter Bert Berns’s “Here Comes the Night” in spring 1965. The group’s debut album also included their second hit, “Mystic Eyes,” and Morrison’s rock classic “Gloria” twice a minor hit, the second time backed with “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” which featured studio guitarist Jimmy Page playing lead. They next recorded Them Again and conducted their first and only tour of the United States. Upon returning to Britain in June 1966, Van Morrison quit the band. Them recruited a new lead vocalist, but then disbanded late in the year.

Invited to the United States by record producer Bert Berns, Van Morrison initially settled in Boston and began recording for Berns’s Bang Records. In summer 1967 Morrison achieved his first major solo hit with his own “Brown-Eyed Girl,” and by fall Bang had assembled Blowin’ Your Mind from songs originally recorded as singles, much to Morrison’s chagrin. Nonetheless, the album did contain two songs that served as precursors to his landmark album Astral Weeks,“T.B. Sheets” and “Who Drove the Red Sports Car.” Berns died of a heart attack on Dec. 31, 1967, and Morrison played East Coast clubs as a member of a trio for six months, until his recording contract was bought out by Warner Bros. Records.

Van Morrison’s debut album for Warner Bros., Astral Weeks, recorded in 48 hours with a veteran jazz rhythm section, was issued before the end of 1968. Greeted by critical acclaim but poor sales, the album featured an impressionistic kind of lyricism that was at once evocative, intelligent, and undeniably compelling. Propelled by Morrison’s unique vocal style and distinctive streamof-consciousness lyrics, the album showcased his stirring “Cypress Avenue” and “Madame George” and contained “Ballerina” and “Slim Slo Slider.” His next effort, Moondance, appeared more than a year later. Produced by Morrison, the album sported a diversity of mature original material. It yielded a moderate hit with “Come Running” and included the Morrison favorites “These Dreams of You,” “Stoned Me,” “Crazy Love,” “Caravan,” “Into the Mystic” (often regarded as one of the most finely crafted songs in rock history), and the title cut.

Established as an album artist, Van Morrison moved to Woodstock, N.Y., and quickly recorded His Band and Street Choir.The album produced two major hits, “Domino” and “Blue Money,” and contained “I’ve Been Working,” “Gypsy Queen,” and “Call Me Up in Dreamland.” In spring 1971 Morrison moved to northern Calif.’s Marin County; he dismissed his band and street choir, recording the countrified Tupelo Honey with guitarist Ronnie Montrose. Coproduced by Morrison, the album yielded the major hit “Wild Night” and included favorites such as “Old Woodstock,” “I Wanna Roo You,” and “Moonshine Whiskey.”

Saint Dominic’s Preview, ostensibly the first album over which Morrison exercised total artistic control, continued his best-selling ways while producing only two minor hits, “Jackie Wilson Said” and “Redwood Tree”; it included the stunning “Listen to the Lion.” Hard Nose the Highway sold quite well without producing even a minor hit. Morrison then embarked on his first full-scale tour of Europe and America with the Caledonia Soul Orch., which resulted in the live doublerecord set It’s Too Late to Stop Now.

However, in 1974 Van Morrison disbanded his group and recorded Veedon Fleece before “retiring” for nearly three years, including more than a year’s exile in England. Eventually reemerging in 1977 with the appropriately titled A Period of Transition, recorded with Doctor John, Morrison took on rock impresario Bill Graham as his manager in 1978. He staged a dramatic comeback with Wavelength, thought to be his finest album in years, and conducted his first American tour in more than four years. The album produced his final albeit moderate hit with the title song. In 1979 Morrison recorded Into the Music and again toured. With 1980’s Common One, Van Morrison began exploring new dimensions in his music as his songs began to become even more personal and esoteric.

Touring infrequently during the 1980s, Van Morrison switched to Mercury Records for 1985’s A Sense of Wonder.He returned to Ireland and later recorded the enchanting Irish Heartbeat album with the Chieftains, Ireland’s top Celtic music group. The album featured eight traditional folk songs arranged by Morrison and Chieftains leader Paddy Moloney, plus new versions of the previously released “Irish Heartbeat” and “Celtic Ray.” Moving to Polydor for 1991’s Hymns to the Silence, one of the most engaging albums of his career, Morrison returned to his blues roots with 1993’s Too Long in Exile. He later recorded A Night in San Francisco with John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, and Geòrgie Fame, and Days Like This with his daughter Shana. Van Morrison again surprised critics and fans with his early 1996 release, a collection of jazz standards recorded at the famous London nightclub, Ronnie Scott’s.

Discography

them:Them(1965); Them Again(1966); Now and Them(1968); Them in Reality(1970); Them Featuring V. M.(1972); Backtracking(1974); Story of Them(1977). van morrison:Blowin’ Your Mind(1967); Best(1970); T.B. Sheets (1974); Astral Weeks(1968); Moondance(1970); His Band and Street Choir(1970); Tupelo Honey(1971); Saint Dominic’s Preview(1972); Hard Nose the Highway (1973); If’s Too Late to Stop Now (1974); Veedon Fleece(1974); A Period of Transition(1977); Wavelength(1978); Into the Music(1979); Common One(1980); Beautiful Vision (1982); Inarticulate Speech of the Heart(1983); A Sense of Wonder(1985); Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast(1985); No Guru, No Method, No Teacher(1986); Poetic Champions Compose (1987); Avalon Sunset(1989); Best (1990); Enlightenment (1990); Hymns to the Silence(1991); Bang Masters(1991); Best, Vol. 2(1993); Too Long in Exile (1993); A Night in San Francisco(ree. live, December 1993; rel. 1994); Days Like This(1995). van morrison and georgie fame and friends:How Long Has This Been Going On?(1996). van morrison and the chieftains:Irish Heartbeat (1988).

Bibliography

Ritchie Yorke, V. M.: Into the Music (London, 1975); Johnny Rogan, V. M.: The Great Deception (London, 1982); Howard A. DeWitt, V. M.:The Mystic’s Music(Fremont, Calif. 1983).

—Brock Helander