VAN MORRISON Hall of Fame 2003

De Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is opgericht door Ahmet Ertegün, Jan Wenner en Suzan Evans.
Sinds 1986 komt hier jaarlijks een beperkt aantal mensen of groepen bij via de Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York City. De eersten waren op 23 januari 1986. Over de opname in de Hall Of Fame beslissen zowat 600 musici en muziekdeskundigen. Voorwaarde is dat een groep of artiest al 25 jaar geleden een eerste album of single op de wereld hebben losgelaten. De ceremonie is dit jaar gehouden op 10 maart 2008. Tegenwoordig is een artiest of groep pas gekwalificeerd, 25 jaar na het uitkomen van de eerste opname.

In January 1993 werd Van Morrison ingewijd in de Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hij was gelijk ook de eerste en enige artiest die niet op zijn eigen introductie ceremony aanwezig was. Robbie Robertson van The Band nam de award namens Van in ontvangst. De Counting Crows speelden Morrison's song, "Caravan" wat hun nationale doorbraak betekende.

Als erkenning en waardering van zijn unieke positie als een van de belangrijkste songwriters van deze tijd werd Van Morrison alsnog geintroduceert in de Hall of Fame in 2003 Ray Charles presenteerde het, en samen speelde en zongen ze Crazy Love .Van schreef later een artikel in de Rolling Stone waarin hij beschreef hoe hij door Ray Charles beinvloed is ,zowel door zijn muziek als persoonlijk


Ray Charles & Van Morrison Crazy Love


You Steal My Heart Away

Van over Ray Charles in Rolling Stone

Ray Charles is proof that the best music crosses all boundaries, reaches all denominations. He can do any type of music, and at the same time he's always true to himself. It's all about his soul.

His music first hit me when I heard a live version of "What'd I Say" on American Forces Network in Germany, which I used to listen to late at night. Then I started buying his singles. His sound was stunning -- it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing -- it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing, soulful thing.

As a singer, Ray Charles doesn't phrase like anyone else. He doesn't put the time where you think it's gonna be, but it's always perfect, always right. He knows how to play with time, like any great jazzman. But there was more to him than that voice -- he was also writing these incredible songs. He was a great musician, an amazing record maker, a great producer and a wonderful arranger.

There's a reason they called Ray Charles "the Genius." Think of how he reinvented country music in a way that worked for him. He showed there are no limitations, not for someone as good as he is. Whatever Ray Charles does, whatever he touches, he makes it his own. He's his own genre. It's all Ray Charles music now.

I always learn something listening to him. It's music that set a tough standard. For me, two albums that stand out are Ray Charles at Newport and Ray Charles In Person. Then there's Genius + Soul = Jazz with the Basie orchestra and Quincy Jones. And of course Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. There's so much to live up to -- these days, you almost have to go backwards to go forwards.

Recently I did a duet with him on one of my songs, "Crazy Love." It felt fantastic. I always loved his singing, but I also connected with him on a soul level. I just felt his emotion. People like Ray Charles -- and Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland and Solomon Burke -- defined what soul was for me. It wasn't just the singing -- it was what went into the singing. These were guys who put their souls on the line.

This music is way beyond marketing. This music is global, and its appeal is universal. Ray Charles changed music just by being himself -- by doing what he did and translating it to millions of people with the wide-ranging effect of his one-of-a-kind soul. That's his legacy. I think that the music of Ray Charles will probably outlive us all -- at least I hope that it will.