He was born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast, Northern Ireland on August 31^st, 1945. His mother was a singer and his father was an avid collector of classic American jazz and blues recordings.

By the age of 12, Morrison joined a local skiffle band called "Deannie Sands And The Javelins", and within two years had moved on to a showband called "The Monarchs". They took their brand of soul and R&B to military bases in Scotland and England before travelling to Germany, where they recorded a single for CBS Records, "Bozoo Hully Gully", before disbanding. By this time, he had taken up vocals, saxophone and harmonica, and soon teamed up with a local attraction called "the Gamblers" to form a new group they called simply, "Them".

"Them" earned a local following and in late 1964, recorded their first single, "Don't Start Crying Now". Though the first effort went nowhere, the follow-up, a hard rocking version of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go," cracked the UK Top Ten in early 1965. The band's next release, "Here Comes The Night" also hit the UK chart, but is best remembered for its "B" side, a Morrison composition called "Gloria".

In the clamour to promote any English recording, "Gloria" was shopped around radio stations in the U.S., but was always turned away because of its suggestive lyrics. A Chicago band called "The Shadows of Knight", changed the words from, "She comes in my room, just about midnight", to "She comes around here, just about midnight", and scored a U.S. Top Ten hit with it.

Line-up changes plagued the band throughout its lifespan, and at the insistence of producer Bert Berns, session musicians were used on follow-up recordings. In frustration, Morrison finally left "Them" following a 1966 tour of the U.S., quitting the music business and returning to Belfast.

After Berns relocated to New York City to form Bang Records, he convinced Morrison to join him stateside and record as a solo artist. The pair's first U.S. sessions produced Morrison's first solo hit, a 1967 Top Ten smash called "Brown-Eyed Girl", which would go on to become a rock and roll classic. Once again though, Morrison's original writing would have to be "cleaned up" from its original title, "Brown-Skinned Girl". The following album, a blues laden L.P. called "Blowin' Your Mind", was in sharp contrast to the light garage band style of the single and sold poorly.

Somewhat desperately, Bang Records issued a collection of early recordings and released it as "The Best Of Van Morrison", without the singers permission. An angry Morrison promptly returned to Ireland, but after Berns suffered a fatal heart attack in late 1967, the singer was freed of his contract and began writing new material. He signed with Warner Brothers and recorded some of his finest work for an album called "Astral Weeks", a jazz oriented effort that critics loved, but record buyers largely ignored. The follow-up L.P., 1970's "Moondance", cracked the Top 40, generating the singles "Caravan", "Into the Mystic", and the title song.

Morrison's records reflected a profoundly mystical outlook, spurred on in large part by his marriage to wife Janet Planet and the couple's relocation to California. After the album, "His Band and the Street Choir" yielded his biggest chart hit, "Domino", Morrison released 1971's "Tupelo Honey", highlighted by the single "Wild Night". A strong cult following helped his next three albums sell, but in 1973, he not only dissolved his band, but also divorced Planet and moved back to Belfast. 1974's "Veedon Fleece" chronicled Morrison's emotional turmoil, after which, he remained silent for three years, reportedly working on a number of aborted projects, but releasing nothing until 1977's aptly-titled "A Period of Transition".

Despite chronic stage fright, Morrison launched his first tour in nearly five years in support of 1978's "Wavelength", but his performances became more and more erratic. During a 1979 show at New York's Palladium, he stalked offstage in mid-set and did not return. "Into the Music", released later that year, had a more spiritual perspective than before, a pattern that continued on successive recordings for years to come. 1983's "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart", 1985's "A Sense of Wonder" and 1986's "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" are all in the same venue, employing beautiful musical backdrops to explore themes of faith and healing.

1988's "Irish Heartbeat", changed styles completely, as Morrison teamed up with one of his homeland's musical institutions, the famed Chieftains, for a collection of traditional folk songs. 1989's "Avalon Sunset", meanwhile, started a commercial comeback, while "Whenever God Shines His Light," a duet with Cliff Richard, became Morrison's first UK Top 20 hit in over twenty years. After a short dry spell, Morrison returned with one of his strongest efforts, "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You", that Rod Stewart took into the U.S. Top Five in 1993.

The rest of the decade saw a continued string of strong albums. 1993's "Too Long In Exile" returned Morrison to his musical roots with covers of blues and R&B classics, while on 1995's "Days Like This" featured a duet with his daughter Shana, on "You Don't Know Me."

Signing with the Verve label in 1996, he cut "How Long Has This Been Going On", a traditional jazz record co-credited to pianist Georgie Fame, while for the follow-up, "Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison", he worked with guest of honour, Allison himself.

Morrison also appeared on albums by B.B. King and Lonnie Donegan, before releasing his first album for the Virgin Records subsidiary, PointBlank, in 1999. "Back On Top" was yet another classic Morrison album, which became his most commercially successful release in many years. He found himself with a hit single on his hands when "Precious Time" hit the UK Top 40 in March, 1999. It was followed by 2000's "The Skiffle Sessions" and "You Win Again".

In January, 2001, it was reported by the press that he would play at George W. Bush's inauguration week ceremonies, but this was quickly denied by Morrison's staff, saying:
"Reports that Mr. Van Morrison will be performing or attending the inauguration ceremonies of President elect George W. Bush are absolutely false. Mr. Morrison was never slated to appear at this event and has no intention of doing so."

Although he has always made music on his own terms, Van Morrison has had more than his share of commercial success, and continues to write and perform.