For more than 30 years Van Morrison has weathered the vagaries of the music world, single-mindedly pursuing his art while barely paying lip service to notions such as image, chart profile and record company hype. From a background rooted in Belfast-based showbands, he rose to phenomenal acclaim, first with R&B band 'Them', then as a solo star and creator of works of genius such as "Astral Weeks" and "Brown Eyed Girl".
Proving ever adept at tackling new styles with integrity, a varied career has seen him explore rock, jazz, soul, folk and even classical elements, while never forgetting his Celtic roots. Only as a poet and wordsmith is Morrison perhaps more admired, capable as he is of producing lyrics inbued with both awesome beauty and crippling venom.
