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Van Morrison is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer renowned for his unique blend of soul, R&B, jazz, blues, gospel, country, folk, and Celtic influences, marked by his distinctive vocals, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and spiritually searching themes.Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Morrison rose to fame as the frontman of the garage rock band Them in the mid-1960s with hits like 'Gloria' and 'Here Comes the Night'. His solo career, launched in 1967, became legendary with the album 'Astral Weeks' (1968), followed by critically acclaimed works like 'Moondance' (1970), 'Tupelo Honey' (1971), and 'Wavelength' (1978). Known for his intense live performances and prolific output spanning over five decades, he has earned numerous awards, including multiple Grammys, an Ivor Novello, an OBE, and a knighthood. Despite his commercial success, Morrison maintains a fiercely independent and often reclusive persona.

• Morrison is notoriously private and known for his gruff stage presence; he often performs with his back to the audience or walks off stage abruptly.
• He has been involved in several high-profile feuds, including a bitter legal dispute with his former manager/producer Bert Berns in the late 1960s and a very public falling out with his daughter Shana Morrison in the 2000s (widely reported in media but personal details remain private).
• His lyrics frequently explore themes of spiritual longing, mysticism, nostalgia for his Belfast childhood, and transcendence through music, reflecting a lifelong spiritual quest.
• Morrison was knighted in 2016 for services to music and tourism in Northern Ireland.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, he released protest songs criticizing lockdowns, leading to controversy and the cancellation of some planned BBC performances (widely reported in news outlets like BBC News and The Guardian).