Van Morrison

Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison OBE, born on 31st August 1945, Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer. In 2016, Morrison was knighted for his musical achievements and his services to tourism and charitable causes in Northern Ireland. Labelled "Van the Man" he started his professional career when just into his teens in the late 1950s, having played many instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for several Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of the day. Van Morrison rose to fame in the mid-1960s, as lead singer of the Northern Irish R and B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria".