Moondancing with Van Morrison

This talented artist came into the world as Sir George Ivan Morrison on August 31, 1945. Professionally he was known as Irish singer, musician, and songwriter Van Morrison. Morrison has been awarded two Grammy Awards and the 1994 Brit Award for Songwriting. He has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriting Hall of Fame. Morrison was knighted in 2016 for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland.

His debut album Blowin' Your Mind came out in 1967. It contained his first solo pop hit “Brown-Eyed Girl”. Two other singles released were “No No Rosie” and “Midnight Special”. The album genre of the album was a mix of rock, R&B, blue-eyed soul, and the blues.

Astral Weeks the second album was released in 1968. It did not have too much success. However, forty years later Morrison performed all eight of the songs on this album live at two Hollywood Bowl concerts in 2008 and released the Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl album.

The third album Moondance came out in 1970. The album had three singles the title track, “Come Running” and “Crazy Love”. However, the one song from this album that stood out from the rest as a musical masterpiece was “Into the Mystic”, a romantic ballad. It is a song for all true gypsy souls. It became the first dance song in the film “American Wedding” for the characters Jim and Michelle, who had just wed.

His Band and Street Choir also came out in 1970. It was well-received. Among the singles was the US Top Ten single “Domino”. Two other singles from the album were “Blue Money” and “Call Me Up in Dreamland”. All of them charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

The fifth album Tupelo Honey was released in 1971. The album was most successful in the US and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The album had two hit singles, the hymn-like title track and the R&B “Wild Night”. The third single released was “(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball”.

Saint Dominic's Preview the sixth album came out in 1972. It became Morrison's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200. The singles released were “Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)”, “Gypsy”, and “Redwood Tree”.

The seventh album Hard Nose the Highways released in 1973 it contains songs that were not written by Morrison. Among the singles is a cover version of the song “Bein Green”, usually associated with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and “Warm Love” which became a fan favorite.

Into the Music, the eleventh album came out in 1979. It included the popular single “Bright Side of the Road” which charted on the UK Singles chart. Other popular songs from the album are “You Make Me Feel So Free” and “It's All in the Game”.

Irish Heartbeat is the eighteenth album released in 1988 when he returns to Irish roots. The album is a collaboration with the traditional Irish music group The Chieftains. This album includes eight traditional Irish songs along with re-recordings of the Morrison songs “Celtic Ray” and the title track “Irish Heartbeat”.

The nineteenth album Avalon Sunset came out in 1989. It opened with “Whenever God Shines His Light”, a duet with Cliff Richards. It also contains the religious ballad “Have I Told You Lately” which became a hit single for Morrison. This album is among the most commercially successful albums for the singer.

In 1990 the twentieth album Enlightenment was released. The singles that were released are the title track, “Real Real Gone”, and “In the Days Before Rock 'N' Roll” a collaboration between Morrison and Irish poet Paul Duncan. Another song from the album “So Quiet in Here” is a continuation of his song “Into the Mystic” from the Moondance album.

Hymns to the Silence his twenty-first album is also his first double album. It came out in 1991. Among the singles “Why Must I Always Explain?: has the same melody as “Tupelo Honey” from 1970 and the song “Carrying a Torch” was also included in an album by the same name recorded by Tom Jones.

In 1996 his twenty-fifth album Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison was a collaboration between Morrison, Georgie Fame, Mose Allison, and Ben Sidran. The album charted at number one on the Top Jazz Albums chart.

In 2003 What's Wrong with This Picture? The thirtieth album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Two of the songs that charted were “Once in a Blue Moon” and “Evening in June”.

Pay the Devil the thirty-second album in 2006 featured cover versions of American country and western songs plus three original compositions.

In 2018 the thirty-ninth album You're Driving Me Crazy was a collaboration with American jazz organist and trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco and also featured Morrison's daughter, Shana.

He collaborated with DeFrancesco again on his fortieth album The Prophet Speaks in 2018.

His last album Moving On Skiffle the forty-fourth album was released in March 2023 and is his second album in the skiffle genre. Skiffle is a folk music genre influenced by American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz. One favorite on this album is “No Other Baby”.

Van Morrison at the young age of 78 continues to give concerts and we can look forward to more albums by him and enjoy his music and creativity.