Editing Van Morrison (section)

{{short description|Northern Irish musician (born 1945)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| honorific_prefix  = [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]]
| name              = Van Morrison
| honorific_suffix  = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image             = Van morrison, slieve donard 2015.jpg
| image_size        = 
| caption           = Morrison in 2015
| birth_name        = George Ivan Morrison
| alias             = Van the Man
<br />The Belfast Cowboy
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1945|8|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland
| origin            = 
| death_place       = 
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Blue-eyed soul]]
* [[Celtic music|Celtic]]
* [[Rock music|rock]]
* [[rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[folk music|folk]]
* [[blues]]
* [[jazz]]
* [[Country music|country]]
* [[Gospel music|gospel]]
* [[Christian music|Christian]]
}}
| discography       = [[Van Morrison discography]]
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Singer-songwriter
* musician
}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|harmonica|saxophone}}
| years_active      = 1958–present
| label             = {{flatlist|
* [[Decca Records|Decca]]
* [[Parrot Records|Parrot]]
* [[Bang Records|Bang]]
* [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[London Records|London]]
* [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* Exile
* [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
* [[Verve Records|Verve]]
* [[Point Blank Records|Point Blank]]
* [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
* [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
* [[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]]
* [[Lost Highway Records|Lost Highway]]
* Listen to the Lion
* [[EMI]]
* [[Manhattan Records|Manhattan]]
* [[RCA Records|RCA]]
* [[BMG Rights Management|BMG]]
* [[Legacy Recordings|Sony Legacy]]
}}
| past_member_of    = [[Them (band)|Them]]
| website           = {{URL|vanmorrison.com}}
}}

'''Sir George Ivan''' "'''Van'''" '''Morrison''' {{small|[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]}}  (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40, as well as internationally, including in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. 

He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, following the success of 2021's ''[[Latest Record Project, Volume 1]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27399/van-morrison/ |title=Van Morrison |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref> Eighteen of [[Van Morrison discography|his albums]] have reached the top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/van-morrison/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Van Morrison |magazine=Billboard |access-date=21 June 2021 }}</ref> Since turning 70 in 2015, he has released – on average – more than an album a year.  [[List of awards and nominations received by Van Morrison|His accolades]] include two [[Grammy Award]]s,<ref name="Grammy">{{cite web|title=Artist: Van Morrison|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/van-morrison|publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|access-date=17 August 2017}}</ref> the 1994 [[Brit Award]] for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 [[Americana Music Honors & Awards|Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award]] for Songwriting, and inductions into both the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]. In 2016 he was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news|first=Gordon|last=Rayner|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/honours-list/11671979/Queens-Birthday-Honours-Van-Morrison-knighted.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/honours-list/11671979/Queens-Birthday-Honours-Van-Morrison-knighted.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Queen's Birthday Honours: Van Morrison knighted|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=13 June 2015|access-date=13 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-queens-birthday-honours-2015|title=The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|access-date=3 July 2018}}</ref>

Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various [[Irish showband]]s, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans,<ref>{{cite news|date=4 February 2016|title=Sir Van overjoyed at knighthood|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35494713|access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the [[Belfast]] [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] band [[Them (band)|Them]], with whom he wrote and recorded "[[Gloria (Them song)|Gloria]]", which became a [[garage band]] staple. His solo career started under the pop-hit-oriented guidance of [[Bert Berns]] with the release of the hit single "[[Brown Eyed Girl]]" in 1967.

After Berns's death, [[Warner Bros. Records]] bought Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record ''[[Astral Weeks]]'' (1968).<ref>Turner (1993). pages 86&nbsp;– 90</ref> While initially a poor seller, the album has come to be regarded as a classic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0409fsg |title=Van Morrison: Astral Weeks |work=BBC Radio 6 Music |access-date=20 July 2021 }}</ref> ''[[Moondance]]'' (1970) established Morrison as a major artist,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_van_morrisons_moondance/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050419192209/http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_van_morrisons_moondance/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2005|website=Mix (magazine)|title=Classic Tracks: Van Morrison's Moondance|date=1 April 2005|last=Eskow |first=Gary |access-date=26 May 2009}}</ref> and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances.

Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of [[soul music]] and early [[rhythm and blues]]. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and [[stream of consciousness]] narrative, of which ''Astral Weeks'' is a prime example.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C333S|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607161658/http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C333S|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 June 2011|title=SHOF: Van Morrison biography |publisher=Songwritersshalloffame.org|access-date=7 July 2008}}</ref><ref name="VF review">{{cite web|url=http://www.musthear.com/reviews/veedonfleece.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010530211144/http://musthear.com/reviews/veedonfleece.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 May 2001|author=Ballon, John|date=28 December 2008|title=Musthear review: Veedon Fleece |publisher=Musthear.com|access-date=18 May 2010}}</ref> The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul",<ref name="Astral Weeks, Light">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,Astral_Weeks,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307081905/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,Astral_Weeks,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2007|magazine=Time|date=13 November 2006|author=Light, Alan|title=The All-Time 100 Albums|access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref> and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/music-movies-a-shows-menu/by-category/cd-music/913-van-morrison-the-healing-game-deluxe-edition |title=Van Morrison: "The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)" |website=soundstageexperience.com |last=Hale |first=James |access-date=20 July 2021 }}</ref>