George Ivan Morrison was born on August 31, 1945, at 125 Hyndford Street, Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland, as the only child of shipyard electrician George Morrison and singer and tap dancer Violet Stitt Morrison. The house’s previous occupant was the writer Lee Child’s father. Morrison’s family were working-class Protestants descended from Belfast’s Ulster Scots population.
Morrison, who became known as “Van” during this time, attended Elmgrove Primary School from 1950 to 1956. His father had one of the largest record collections in Northern Ireland at the time (acquired during his time in Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1950s), and the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Ray Charles, Lead Belly, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Solomon Burke, of whom he later said, “I grew up listening to Solomon Burke.” “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for guys like Ray and Solomon. Those guys were the motivation that got me started. I couldn’t do what I’m doing now if it weren’t for that type of music.”
What is Van Morrison’s biggest hit?
“Brown Eyed Girl,” one of the songs from Blowin’ Your Mind!, was released as a single in mid-June 1967 and peaked at number ten in the US charts. “Brown Eyed Girl” quickly became Morrison’s most popular song. The song spent sixteen weeks on the charts. It is widely regarded as Morrison’s signature song.
