Van Morrison And His Music In The Early Years
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.
Leaving school in 1960 with no qualifications he was expected to get a regular full-time job, finally settling for life as a window cleaner, later writing songs about his experiences. Van had been developing his musical interests from an early age and had some clear ideas about his musical direction.
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.
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.
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. - 18758
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.
Leaving school in 1960 with no qualifications he was expected to get a regular full-time job, finally settling for life as a window cleaner, later writing songs about his experiences. Van had been developing his musical interests from an early age and had some clear ideas about his musical direction.
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.
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.
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. - 18758
About the Author:
There is some great information about the latest van morrison tour available at the official Van Morrison tickets site. Extensive news and official reviews are also available here.
posted by X - Men at
12:35 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home