Let this mystical singer captivate you with his haunting folk and jazzy pop.
Van Morrison: Chill
Lean back and relax with some of the mellowest cuts.
Van Morrison: Influences
A soul steeped in exultant blues, raw gospel and the crafty improvisation of jazz.
Inspired by Van Morrison
His influence spreads across genres, continents, and generations.
Van Morrison: Deep Cuts
He's one intense dude and these underappreciated tunes prove it.
Van Morrison: The Songwriters
Whether stormy or tender, the Irish great’s songs flow with feeling.
About Van Morrison
Artist Biography
One of the most expressive, instantly recognizable voices ever to emerge from Ireland, Van Morrison has spent over half a century internalizing his deep ardor for and understanding of American soul and R&B, jazz, and country, to say nothing of his Irish folk roots, forming a hybrid popularized as “Celtic soul.” He was born in Belfast in 1945; by age 12 he was playing in a skiffle band. He first tasted success fronting the short-lived Irish R&B-driven garage-rock band Them, scoring a minor hit with “Here Comes the Night” and recording the future rock anthem “Gloria.” But Morrison established his voice as a solo artist in 1967, cutting one of his most indelible songs, “Brown Eyed Girl.” Following a contract dispute with Bang Records that silenced him for a year, he launched a relationship with Warner Bros., which released the 1968 album Astral Weeks. This emotionally dark, paradigm-setting collection, made with jazz veterans such as Richard Davis and Connie Kay, introduced the sort of elastic arrangements that would allow the singer to use his full-bodied voice to alter the rhythms of his phrasing, stretching syllables like putty and rendering every performance unique. He made another six albums from 1970 to 1974, balancing punchy, horn-spiked soul with expansive post-folk ruminations, while drawing upon many stripes of American music, his lyrics becoming increasingly spiritual. After a three-year break from recording, he picked up with Period of Transition in 1977, co-produced by Dr. John. By the 1980s, Morrison was exploring the constituent ingredients of his sound, devoting albums to jazz, country, soul, and Irish folk, including a collaboration with The Chieftains on 1988’s Irish Heartbeat. With more than 40 studio albums to his name, he stands as a peerless model for reinvention and stylistic fusion.
Hometown
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genre
Rock
Van Morrison: Member of
Van Morrison is also a member of, or has been a member of the following groups