Van Morrison
There has never been a suggestion that Morrison, one of the most prolific recording artists and hardest working live performers of his era, would rest on his laurels.
Born in 1945, Van heard his Shipyard worker father’s collection of blues, country and gospel early in life. He was a travelling musician at 13 and singing, playing guitar and sax in several bands, before forming Them in 1964.
Making their name at Belfast’s Maritime Club, Them soon established Van as a major force in the British R&B scene. Van's matchless vocal and songwriting talents then found full astonishing range in his solo career, from the beautiful Top 40 pop hit Brown Eyed Girl (1967) through to the 21st century.
Awards and accolades - a knighthood, a Brit, an OBE, an Ivor Novello, 6 Grammys, honourary doctorates, entry into The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres - attest to the international reach of Van’s musical art.
Yet Van shows no sign of slowing things down. New Arrangements And Duets represents a small percentage of the huge amount of unreleased material he's hoping to roll out in the near future.
The big band tracks were recorded in 2014, individually picked by Paul Moran and Chris White. The duets, recorded across 2018 and 2019, highlight an array of leading vocalists in the shape of Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers, Joss Stone and Willie Nelson. The Willie Nelson duets – What’s Wrong With This Picture and Steal My Heart Away – also showcase the guitar talents of Lukas Nelson of Promise Of The Real.
Presented by Kennedy Street
