Van Morrison

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Van Morrison's musical career has bridged such a wide variety of genres that he is difficult to label. He has written and performed some of rock music's most enduring standards, including "Gloria," "Brown Eyed Girl," and "Moondance," and is a member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1993, Robbie Robertson, former member of The Band, said of Morrison, "In the tradition of the great Irish poets and the great soul singers, he is the Caruso of rock and roll."

Morrison's career began as a teenager, covering popular hits at shows and in clubs in Northern Ireland. His first hit came as a member of the band Them when he wrote and recorded "Gloria" in 1964, which was the B-side of the single "Baby, Please Don't Go." Three years later as a solo artist, working for Bang Records executive Bert Berns, he released "Brown Eyed Girl" and while many consider it to be his signature song, he said in an interview with Time that he has "about 300 songs" that are better. Morrison certainly does not have good feelings about the song, which may also impact his lack of desire to perform it live. He has reported in more than one interview that he was never paid for the song. He told the Los Angeles Times in 2008, "I call that 'The Money Song' - because they got all the money and I got none. What happened after that is I ended up with zero money. I was broke and depressed and remained that way for many years after that, and I just decided to make a stand for myself and do things my way, not theirs."

Shortly after "Brown Eyed Girl" became a hit, Berns died and Warner Brothers bought out Morrison's contract. He was given three sessions to records the album Astral Weeks. Morrison said at this point, he was literally a starving artist. He had little time for reflection about his work. He needed money to survive. Rolling Stone magazine later named Astral Weeks #19 on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, saying that it defies easy description and Morrison was "never this open, and naked, again."