Van the Man
George Ivan Morrison OBE was born August 31, 1945 Morrison is widely considered one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll.
He grew up at 125 Hyndford Street in Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is the 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. 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.”
His first album was released in 1967. Over five decades he has influenced many popular musical artists.
