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George Ivan Morrison has gone so far as to say that "no white man sings like Van Morrison." Known as "Van the Man" by his fans, Morrison first rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Northern Irish band, Them , penning their seminal 1964 hit " Gloria ". A few years later, Morrison left the band for a successful solo career. Morrison has pursued an idiosyncratic musical path. Much of his music is tightly structured around the conventions of American Soul and R&B , such as the popular Singles " Brown Eyed Girl ", " Moondance ", " Domino " and " Wild Night ". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, Jazz , and Stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as his classic album '' Astral Weeks '' and lesser known works such as '' Veedon Fleece '' and '' Common One ''. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul". Morrison's career, spanning some five decades, has influenced many popular musical artists. In 1993 he was inducted into the ranked him 20th in their list of ''100 Greatest Living Songwriters'' In 20063and Q Magazine ranked him 22nd on their list of ''100 Greatest Singers'' in April 2007.4 BIOGRAPHY Early life George Ivan (Van) Morrison was born on , Northern Ireland as the pampered, Only Child of George, a Shipyard worker and Violet, a Singer . Morrison was exposed to music from an early age, as his father, having spent time working in Detroit , Michigan collected American Jazz , Country And Western , and Blues albums.Rogan 2006. p17. His father's taste in music was passed on to him and he grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton , Ray Charles , Lead Belly and Solomon Burke . In a 2005 '' Rolling Stone '' article he said, "Those guys were the inspiration that got me going. If it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now." In a taped 1969 interview, his mother said that he was listening to Recording s from the age of two, when he would tug at her apron strings urging her to play more records. (His grandmother) "used to come up and take turns, because he'd have you play them morning, noon and night." There were sing-songs in the house on Saturday nights with family and friends and, although shy, the young Morrison would always sing upon request. He gave his first Performance as a child with a rendition of Lead Belly's " Goodnight Irene ".Rogan 2006. pp20-21. He would perform this same song years later with another of his boyhood idols, Lonnie Donegan , on his album, ''The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998''. Young Morrison's father, noting his son's genuine interest, bought him his first Guitar at age twelve. Van learned to play rudimentary Chord s, while studying the Songbook ''The Carter Family Style''. He soon formed a Skiffle Band named the Sputniks with school friends. They played at some of the local Cinemas , and even at this young age, Van was already taking the lead and doing most of the singing and arranging. At fourteen, he formed another modified skiffle band, Midnight Special and played at a school Concert . When this band broke up he wanted to join the Thunderbolts, but they turned him down because they already had a guitar player. After talking his father into buying him a Saxophone , Van took lessons in Tenor Sax and music reading from George Cassidy, a local teacher, and practiced playing unremittingly for a month. Turner 1993. p26. He then joined the Thunderbolts, playing in church Dance Hall s and hospitals around town. The young Morrison was already noted for his uncommunicative nature and his inadequate Social Skills by his fellow band members, who remarked that his parents were remarkably patient with their only child. His mother disclosed that she took him aside one day to tell him he needed to learn to talk to people. According to his mother, "Van said to me that it wasn't that he didn't want to talk but tunes were running through his head all the time. He said he didn't know whether he'd been blessed or cursed because the words and music wouldn't leave him."Rogan 2006. pp23-31. When Morrison finished school at fourteen, coming from a hard working family, he was expected to get a regular, full-time job. Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) 1985 New Age interview After several short Apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a Window Cleaner , referenced in the Autobiographical songs, " Cleaning Windows " and " Saint Dominic's Preview ".Rogan 2006. p.48. Young Morrison also played with the Harry Mack Showband, the Great Eight, with his older workplace friend, Geordie Sproule. He was later to name Sproule as one of his biggest influences. Morrison was drinking Wine regularly by the age of fifteen, and had learned to perform an outlandish and attention-getting stage act by watching Sproule.Rogan 2006. pp43-44. Many of the places of Morrison's childhood, such as "", (the boys' school he attended), would find their way into the lyrics of some of his most famous songs. His contented and self-absorbed Childhood would be an important factor in the nostalgic and searching tone of much of his music throughout his long career. After the death of his father in April 1988, Van would honour his father's memory with the song, "Choppin' Wood", which he often performs in concert.Rogan 2006. p375 1960s Morrison left home at seventeen to tour Europe with the group the Monarchs alongside his boyhood friend, George Jones , who later founded the showband Clubsound . Upon returning to East Belfast , the Monarchs disbanded.Rogan 2006. pp55-70. Morrison connected with Geordie Sproule again and played with him in the Manhattan Showband along with guitarist Herbie Armstrong. When Armstrong auditioned to play with Brian Rossi and the Golden Eagles, Morrison went along and both were hired. He had acquired his first position as a blues singer as the band was not in need of a saxophonist, but he soon left to form an R&B Club at the Maritime Hotel. Needing a group to perform with there, he joined up with the members of The Gamblers. Before the first opening night at the Maritime in April 1964, the group changed their name to Them from a Fifties horror movie.Rogan 2006. pp71-83. Morrison soon came to prominence fronting the band, as he was the only song-writer. Them had a number of chart hits, most notably the rock standard " Gloria ", subsequently covered by many artists, including The Doors , Shadows Of Knight , and Jimi Hendrix . In June 1966, while Them was headlining a three-week residency at the famed Whisky-a-Go-Go , Jim Morrison and The Doors were the opening act on the last week. Van's influence on Jim's developing stage performance was noted by John Densmore in his book ''Riders On The Storm'', "Jim Morrison learned quickly from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat, even his habit of crouching down by the Bass Drum during instrumental breaks."Hinton 1997. p67. On the last night the two Morrisons and the two bands jammed together on "Gloria". Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) The Doors Van and Jim would eventually become good friends, often joking that they were brothers. Morrison and the other Them band members became involved in a dispute with their manager, ''. The compilation included an alternate take of "Brown Eyed Girl", as well as early versions of " Beside You " and " Madame George ", songs that would appear with slightly different chord changes, instrumentation, and lyrics on Morrison's second album. After Berns’ death in 1967, Morrison was involved in a Contract dispute with Berns' widow that prevented him from performing on stage or recording in the New York area .Rogan 2006. pp212-215. The song, "Big Time Operators", released in 1991, chronicled his dealings with the New York music business during this time period.Rogan 2006. p216. He then moved to Boston , Massachusetts and was soon confronted with personal and financial problems; he had "slipped into a Malaise " and had trouble finding gigs.Rogan 2006. p217. However, through the few gigs he could find, he regained his professional footing and started recording with the Warner Bros. Records label.Heylin 2003. p170.Heylin 2003. pp176,177.The record company was able to buy out his contract with Bang Records, and Morrison fulfilled a highly unusual clause that bound him to submit thirty-six original songs within a year by recording thirty-two nonsense songs in one session.Rogan 2006. pp212-222. His first album for Warner Bros. Records was '' list of ''100 Best Albums'', it was listed as #2, and was #19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine 's The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time in 2003.5 1970s Morrison then moved to Woodstock, New York , and released his next album, '' Moondance '', in 1970. ''Moondance'' reached #29 on the '' Billboard '' charts. The style of this album was in great contrast to that of ''Astral Weeks''. Whereas ''Astral Weeks'' was a sorrowful and vulnerable album, ''Moondance'' was a much more optimistic and cheerful affair. The Title Track , although not released in the US as a single until 1977, was heavily played in many Radio Format s. The evocative song " Into The Mystic " has also gained a wide following over the years. The single released was "Come Running", which reached the US Top 40 . ''Moondance'' was both well received and favourably reviewed. Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus had a combined full page review in ''Rolling Stone Magazine'', stating that Morrison now had "the striking imagination of a consciousness that is visionary in the strongest sense of the word."Rogan 2006. pp250,251."That was the type of band I dig," Morrison said of the ''Moondance'' sessions. "Two horns and a Rhythm Section - they're the type of bands that I like best." He produced the album himself as he felt like nobody else knew what he wanted.''Heylin 2003. p226.Moondance'' was listed at #65 on the ''Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time .''In March 2007, ''Moondance'' was listed as #72 on the NARM Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame list of the "Definitive 200".6 Over the next few years, he released several acclaimed albums, among them a second one in 1970. '' His Band And The Street Choir '' had a freer, more relaxed sound than ''Moondance'', but not the ''perfection'', in many critics' opinions, and contained the hit single "Domino". The last song "Street Choir" took on a more serious tone. In 1971, he moved with his family to a hilltop home in Fairfax, California Rogan 2006. p259. and released another popular album, '' Tupelo Honey ''. This album produced the hit single " Wild Night ", and the catchy title song that has a very Country And Western feel about it. It ended with another country tune, "Moonshine Whisky". Morrison said he originally intended to make an all country album.Rogan 2006. pp267,268. His co-producer, Ted Templeman , was impressed with Morrison's ability as a Musician , Arranger and Producer , describing it at the time as the "scariest thing I've ever seen. When he's got something together, he wants to put it down right away with no overdubbing."Hinton 1997. p137.He claimed later, "I'd never work with Van Morrison again as long as I live, even if he offered me two million dollars in cash. I aged ten years producing three of his albums."Hinton 1997. p135. He later regretted the statement, however. Released in 1972, '' Saint Dominic's Preview '', was an indication that Morrison was breaking away from the more accessible style of the last three albums and moving back towards the more daring, adventurous, meditative aspects of ''Astral Weeks''. The combination of two styles of music gave it a versatility that had been lacking before in his previous albums. Two songs (" Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile) "and "Redwood Tree") reached the Hot 100. Two other songs (" Listen To The Lion " and " Almost Independence Day ") were ten and eleven minutes long and employed the same poetic imagery not heard since ''Astral Weeks''.Heylin 2003. pp255,256. It was his highest charting album ever. By 1972, despite being a performer for nearly 10 years, he began experiencing and ventured on a three month US tour with them. The tour was captured for posterity on the live Double Album , '' It's Too Late To Stop Now '', regarded as one of the great Live Album s in rock history. Soon after recording the album, Morrison restructured the Caledonia Soul Orchestra into a smaller unit, the Caledonia Soul Express. For many years, his parents, George and Violet, owned a record store in Fairfax, California named Caledonia Records. In 1973, Morrison divorced his wife of five years, Actress and Model , Janet (Planet) Rigsbee, with whom he had a daughter, the singer-songwriter, Shana Morrison . Shana has appeared on stage with her father on several occasions and has duetted with him on his albums, (1994s) ''A Night in San Francisco'' and (1995s) ''Days Like This''. Morrison had mixed, but mostly negative, reviews with his 1973 album, '' Hard Nose The Highway ''. It contained the popular song " Warm Love " but otherwise has been largely dismissed.Heylin 2003. pp265-267.The Rolling Stone Magazine reviewer concluded: "''Hard Nose the Highway'' is psychologically complex, musically somewhat uneven and lyrically excellent." RS review Hard Nose the Highway He then released the introspective and poignant album, '' Veedon Fleece '', in 1974. Though it attracted little attention at the time of its release, its critical stature has grown over the years, and ''Veedon Fleece'' is now considered one of Morrison's best works."Rogan 2006. p301."You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River", one of the album's side closers, exemplifies the long, hypnotic, cryptic Morrison with its references to visionary poet William Blake and to the apparently Grail -like Veedon Fleece object. Morrison would not release a follow-up album for the next three years. After ten years without taking time off, he said in an interview, that he just needed to get away from music completely and even ceased listening to it for several months. Also suffering from Writer's Block , he later confessed that he seriously considered leaving the music business for good. During this time, he lived in isolation "far from the beaten path." Greil Marcus said that he drove by on the road one time and there was this big sign that said, ''Van Morrison's Self-Improvement Camp.'' "I have no idea if someone put it up there as a prank or if he'd put it up; (nor whether) you went there to improve yourself or whether you went there to improve him, but it somehow struck me as very appropriate."Heylin 2003. p305. A new album was often rumoured to be ready for release under such titles as ''Mechanical Bliss'', ''Naked in the Jungle'' and ''Stiff Upper Lip''. Morrison later was to say the project was nothing more than an extended jamming session.Rogan 2006. p304. In November 1976, Morrison performed at the farewell concert for The Band , which took place on Thanksgiving Day . It was his first live performance in quite some time and Morrison considered skipping his appearance until the last minute, even refusing to go on stage when his name was called. His manager, Harvey Goldsmith , said he "literally kicked him out there." Morrison was on good terms with The Band. They were near-neighbours in Woodstock , and they had shared experience of Stage-fright . At the concert, Van performed two songs, one of them being, " Caravan ", from his 1970 album ''Moondance'' which was described by All Movie Guide as "a rousing performance."7 Greil Marcus was even more impressed and wrote that "Van Morrison turned the show around...singing to the rafters and ...burning holes in the floor. It was a triumph, and as the song ended Van began to kick his leg into the air out of sheer exuberance and he kicked his way right offstage like a Rockette. The crowd had given him a fine welcome and they cheered wildly when he left."8 The concert was filmed and later issued in Martin Scorsese 's 1978 film, '' The Last Waltz '', which is considered a landmark concert film. It was during his association with The Band, that he acquired both of his , Richard Manuel calls him, "Oh, Belfast Cowboy". It would be included in The Bands album '' Cahoots ''. When he left the stage, after performing "Caravan" on ''The Last Waltz'', Robbie calls out "''Van the Man!"'' Morrison, in 1977, finally released '' A Period Of Transition '', a collaboration with Dr. John , who also appeared at ''The Last Waltz''. It received a mild critical reception and began a very prolific period of song making. The following year, Morrison released '' Wavelength ''; It was the fastest selling album of his career, at the time, and soon went Gold . The engaging title track became a modest hit and peaked at #42. The opening track, "Kingdom Hall", about Morrison's own childhood experience around Jehovah's Witnesses also foreshadowed the religious turn in Morrison's next album, '' Into The Music ''. Released in 1979, ''Into the Music'', was hailed as a masterpiece: "An erotic/religious cycle of songs that culminates in the greatest side of music Morrison has created since ''Astral Weeks''".Dave Marsh, ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide, 2nd Edition This album for the first time alludes to the healing power of music, which had become an abiding interest of Morrison's, and would dominate his music from this point on. " Bright Side Of The Road " was a joyful, uplifting song that would appear on the Soundtrack of the popular movie Michael . 1980s With his next album, the new decade saw Morrison following his own ."Heylin 2003. p364. Morrison's next album, '' agent, who would share Morrison's spiritual interests and serve as a steadying influence on him throughout most of the 1980s.Heylin 2003. p371.He had quit drinking alcohol, sometime during the years of 1973 or 1974,Rogan 2006. p286. and now drank ''" Gallons "'' of Coffee a day, according to friends. However, he was to once again have Problems With Alcohol , beginning later in the decade, after his father's sudden death.Rogan 2006. p384. In the early 1980s, Morrison moved back to Europe and at first settled in the Notting Hill Gate area of London .Rogan 2006. p342.Later, he moved to Bath , where he bought Wool Hall Studios.Rogan 2006. p400.He became increasingly more in control of the music that he produced.Rogan 2006. p340. Much of the music Morrison released throughout the 1980s continued to focus on themes of Spirituality and faith as Morrison's compositions steered towards New Age territory. He gave a special thanks to L. Ron Hubbard on his 1983 album, '' Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart '', although he has never been formally associated with Scientology or any other Church. Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) 1985 Interview New Age Steven Davis In 1985, he released a new album, '' A Sense Of Wonder '', that contained the opening track "Tore Down A La Rimbaud". Morrison said he had been reading about Rimbaud in 1974, when he was suffering through a period of Writer's Block . He then carried this song around with him for eight years, before he could complete it.Heylin 2003. p308. Morrison's 1986 release, '' No Guru, No Method, No Teacher '', earned enthusiastic reviews from many, but not all critics. During the recording, the artist's characteristic deep growl was in grand form and the album featured some of the grittiest Acoustic arrangements since the days of ''Astral Weeks'', but not all critics were comfortable with the increasingly religious content. Unflustered, Morrison was slightly less gritty and more Adult Contemporary with the well received 1987 album, '' Poetic Champions Compose '', considered to be one of his highlights of the 1980s.9 The romantic ballad, " Someone Like You ", from this album was featured in the soundtrack of several popular movies, including 1995's French Kiss and, in 2001, both Someone Like You and Bridget Jones's Diary . In 1988, he released '' Irish Heartbeat '', with the Irish group, The Chieftains . It was a popular-selling album, which demonstrated the full range of Morrison's unique vocal power on a collection of traditional Irish folk songs. Morrison played drums on this album. In 1989, Morrison released an even more popular seller, '' in the ending of this song, indicative of his belief that music should be spontaneous. He often completed albums in two days time, with first takes being the norm. Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) Review Q Magazine Toby Manning Heylin 2003. pp429,448,449,463. Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) 2003 Interview Shana Morrison 1990s Morrison was able to capitalise on the success of ''Avalon Sunset'' with the release of '' The Best Of Van Morrison '', in 1990. Not to be mistaken with a similarly-titled Compilation , released in 1967, (and long out of print), this was the first collection ever to survey his entire career. Compiled by Morrison himself and focusing on his hit singles, it became a multi-platinum success and was one of the best selling albums of the 1990s.Heylin 2003. p437. In 1990, Morrison joined many other guests for Roger Waters ' Massive Performance of The Wall in Berlin . He sang " Comfortably Numb " with Roger Waters, and his friends from the Band, Levon Helm , Garth Hudson and Rick Danko . This version of the song was included in the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese 's 2006 film The Departed . in your hand."Hinton 1997. p299. In January 1993, Van Morrison was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame . He became the first inductee ever to not attend his induction ceremony.Rogan 2006. p411. His friend from The Band , Robbie Robertson accepted the award on his behalf.Turner 1993. p177. Although Morrison's commercial success would continue throughout the 1990s, the critical reception to his work began to decline. 1990's '' Enlightenment '' yielded one hit single, " Real Real Gone ", (first recorded ten years earlier); 1991's double album '' Hymns To The Silence '' was one of his most ambitious works; 1993's '' Too Long In Exile '' and 1995's '' Days Like This '' had large sales even though the critical reviews were not always favourable.Heylin 2003. pp450,457,458. In contrast, the 1994 live double album, '' A Night In San Francisco '' was a "tour-de-force", showing Morrison's talents and his influences in equal measure. On February 14 , 1994 , Van Morrison was awarded the BRIT Award for his ''Outstanding Contribution to British Music''. He was presented with the award by former Beirut hostage, John McCarthy who testified to the importance of Morrison's song, "Wonderful Remark": Morrison performed before an estimated audience of 60-80,000 people when US President Bill Clinton visited Belfast , Northern Ireland on November 30 , 1995 . His song " Days Like This " had become the official Anthem for the Northern Irish Peace Movement .Rogan, 2006, p. 437 In June 1996, Morrison was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his service to music. This period was also marked by a number of side projects, including the live jazz performances of 1996's '''', and 2000's '' The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast 1998 '', all of which found Morrison paying tribute to his long-time favourites. In 1997, Morrison released '' The Healing Game ''. The following year, Morrison finally released some of his unissued studio recordings in a warmly received two-disc set, '' The Philosopher's Stone ''. His next release, 1999's '' Back On Top '', was a modest success, being his highest charting album in the US since 1978's '' Wavelength ''. In September 1999, Morrison became the first musician to be inducted into the newly opened Irish Music Hall Of Fame . Bob Geldof presented Morrison with the award remarking, "I believe there is only one genius in Irish music, and that's Van Morrison." During this decade, Morrison developed a close association with two vocal talents at opposite ends of their careers: Georgie Fame , with whom Morrison had already worked occasionally, lent his voice and Hammond Organ skills; and Brian Kennedy 's vocals complimented the grizzled voice of Morrison, both in studio and live performances. Taking this concept of association a stage further, the 1990s saw an upsurge in Morrison's collaborations with other artists, a trend that has continued into the new Millennium . These include:
2000s Van Morrison continued to record and tour in the 2000s, performing two or three times a week. Playing fewer of his well-known songs in concert than almost any other artist from his era, Morrison refuses to be relegated into a nostalgia act. Contrary to the days when he felt at the mercy of the music industry, he now has his own independent label, Exile Productions Ltd., and has full production control of each album he records; which he then delivers as a finished product to the recording label that he chooses, for marketing and distributing. Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) Discography In July 2001, Morrison received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Queen's University in his hometown of Belfast . Nine years earlier, in 1992, he had received an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the University Of Ulster –at the time being the only other university in his native Northern Ireland . In 2000, Morrison released a collaboration with Linda Gail Lewis ( Jerry Lee Lewis 's sister), '' You Win Again ''. Another side project, this time focusing on R&B and country-and-western standards, Lewis proved to be an excellent duet partner, and the project set the stage for Morrison's next album, ''Choppin' Wood''. By the end of 2000 when the album was essentially finished, Lewis and Morrison had a falling out.Heylin 2003. pp490,491. As a result, Morrison went back and re-recorded and/or remixed most of the tracks, removing Lewis's contributions in the process. A few songs were removed from the final running order and new ones were added in. The result was released in 2002 as '' Down The Road ''. Clinton Heylin contends that the original version, ''Choppin' Wood'', would have been a true return to form. It is doubtful if that notion will ever be put to the test because the original recordings have yet to circulate, privately or publicly. "In recognition of his unique position as one of the most important songwriters of the past century," Van Morrison was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame , at an awards ceremony in New York City in June 2003. Ray Charles presented the award, following a performance in which the pair performed Morrison's " Crazy Love ", from the album, ''Moondance''. Morrison's admiration for Charles was evident in the award ceremony and he later wrote an article published in Rolling Stone Magazine in 2004, describing Ray Charles' influence on music and on him personally.10 In the same year, Morrison released '' What's Wrong With This Picture? '' on the legendary jazz record label, Blue Note Records . The album would later receive a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album . In 2004, his song, "Bright Side of the Road", from his 1979 album ''Into the Music'' was featured in the UNESCO advertisements for World Press Freedom Day . In October 2004 Van Morrison was honored as a BMI ICON at the annual London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers." bmi.com news Morrison to be honored as BMI ICON retrieved 2007-05-26 Morrison still remains popular with the public: his album, '' Magic Time '', debuted at #25 on the US Billboard 200 charts upon release in May 2005, some forty years after first entering the public's eye as the frontman of Them. Rolling Stone Magazine listed it as #17 on their list of The Top 50 Records of 2005.11 Later in the year, Morrison also donated a previously unreleased studio track to a charity album, '''', which raised money for relief efforts intended for Gulf Coast victims devastated by hurricanes, Katrina and Rita . The song, "Blue & Green", was composed by Morrison and featured the late Foggy Lyttle on guitar. Van appeared in The Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway Outer Hebrides in the summer of 2005, where he was a headline act at the growing international Celt ic Music Festival . He released an album with a country music theme, entitled '' Pay The Devil '', on March 7 , 2006 . On the day of its release, Van Morrison Day was declared in Nashville by the Mayor, and Morrison appeared for the very first time at the historic Ryman Auditorium that evening to a sold-out crowd. The entire Ryman was sold out twelve minutes after the tickets went on sale.12 ''Pay the Devil'' debuted at #26 on The Billboard 200 and peaked at #7 on ''Top Country Albums''. The country album was listed at #10 on Amazon Best of 2006 Editor's Picks in Country in December 2006. In August 2006, Van and his longtime girlfriend, in South Dublin , Ireland . On September 15 , 2006 , Morrison was the headline act on the first night of the Austin City Limits Music Festival . ''Rolling Stone Magazine'' reviewed this performance as one of the top ten shows of the 2006 festival.13 In November 2006, a limited edition album, ''Live at Austin City Limits Festival'', Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) Discography Live at Austin City Limits was issued which is sold only at Van Morrison concerts and at the official website. In October 2006, '', Mark Isham , and David Hayes are among some of the well-known musicians featured in the 1980 show; the 1974 show has a line-up that features Pete Wingfield , Dallas Taylor and Jerome Rimson. In November 2006, CNN published their list of ''The All-TIME 100 Greatest Albums ''.14 Two of Van Morrison's albums, 1968's ''Astral Weeks'' and 1970's ''Moondance'', were on the list. His continuing popularity with music fans was evident when he was voted as #13 on the list of WXPN s 885 All Time Greatest Artists in 2006.15 Van Morrison was honoured at the Second Annual ''Oscar Wilde: Honouring Irish Writing in Film'' Pre-Academy Awards Party, in Los Angeles , California , on February 22 , 2007 for his contribution to over fifty films. He was presented with the award by Al Pacino .16 '' Van Morrison At The Movies - Soundtrack Hits '', a new nineteen song album, was released by Morrison's latest record label, Manhattan EMI , on February 12 , 2007 , to coincide with this event. He appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on the first evening on April 27 , 2007 as the headline act where his longtime collaborator and friend, Dr. John joined him for one set on stage.17Morrison also drew the largest crowd ever (35,000) on July 4 2007 at the Ottawa Canada Bluesfest.18 On May 08 2007 Van Morrison was named Best International Male Singer of 2007 by the first ever International Awards at famed Jazz Club Ronnie Scotts in London England .19 A new 2CD Compilation Album '' The Best Of Van Morrison Volume 3 '' was released on June 11 , 2007 in the UK and on June 19 in the US by Manhattan EMI . Official Van Morrison website It contains 31 tracks, some of which were previously unreleased. The tracks were personally selected by Morrison to represent the best of his work from 1993s album ''Too Long in Exile'' to the song "Stranded" from the 2005 album ''Magic Time''.20 There was an announcement on August 16 2007 on Van Morrison's official website that his complete catalogue of albums dating from 1971 through 2002 will be available as of September 3 2007 exclusively from ITunes Store appearing at the rate of four albums per week. Official Van Morrison website Van and Michelle Rocca became the parents of a son born during the first weekend of September 2007. As with their first child Aibhe, the pregnancy was kept secret from the public and revealed in an article in the RTE on September 05 2007 .21 INFLUENCE Morrison's influence can readily be seen in the music of many major artists, including U2 (much of '' The Unforgettable Fire ''), Bruce Springsteen ("Spirit in the Night", "4th of July (Sandy)", "Backstreets"), John Mellencamp ("A Little Night Dancin'", a cover of Morrison's "Wild Night"), Jim Morrison , Joan Armatrading , Rickie Lee Jones , Rod Stewart , Tom Petty , Patti Smith (her poetic-proto-punk "Gloria" most explicitly), Elvis Costello (who later toured with Morrison), Graham Parker , Daryl Hall , Thin Lizzy , Bob Seger ("I know Springsteen was very much affected by Van Morrison, and so was I." - interview in '' Creem ''), Dexys Midnight Runners , Jimi Hendrix ("Gloria"), Jeff Buckley ("The Way Young Lovers Do", "Sweet Thing"), numerous others, including Counting Crows (the "sha-la-la" sequence in ''Mr Jones'', is a tribute to Morrison) and the The Wallflowers with "Into The Mystic". Ray Lamontagne ,22 James Morrison ,2324 and Paolo Nutini 25 are several of the younger artists influenced by Morrison. Canadian blues-rock singer Colin James also covers "Into The Mystic" frequently at his concerts. Glen Hansard of Irish rock band The Frames , who lists Van Morrison as being part of his holy trinity with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen , commonly covers his songs in concert.26 Morrison expressed some grudges in the 1980s, regarding his pervasive influence on some of the artists, admitting that he was "flattered by the compliment" but "felt ripped off, in an academic context, because there are just people who ''don't know.''" Van Morrison Website (Unofficial) 1984 Interview Bill Flanagan On his 1986 album, ''No Guru, No Method, No Teacher'', he included the song, "A Town Called Paradise", which begins with the words: "Copycats ripped off my words/ Copycats ripped off my songs/ Copycats ripped off my melody", but then goes on to say: "It doesn't matter what they say/ It doesn't matter what they do." Overall, Morrison has typically been supportive of other artists and has often shared the stage with them during his concerts. On the live album, ''A Night in San Francisco'', he had as his special guests, among others, his childhood idols, Jimmy Witherspoon , John Lee Hooker and Junior Wells . Although he often expresses his displeasure (in interviews and songs) with the Music Industry and the media in general, he has been instrumental in promoting the careers of many other musicians and singers, such as Brian Kennedy 27 and James Hunter.28 In an interview with Jazziz, he was generous with his praise of artists that have covered his work, and the many artists that have influenced him. Van Morrison Website (Unoffical) 2004 Interview Jazziz AWARDS AND RECOGNITION Grammy Awards :
Other recognition:
DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Van Morrison discography NOTES REFERENCES
FURTHER READING
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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