zaterdag 1 juni 2013

The Music That Inspired Van Morrison

George Ivan (Van) Morrison was born on 31 August 1945, at 125 Hynford Street, Bloomfield, East Belfast, Northern Ireland as the only child of George Morrison, a shipyard electrician, and Violet Stitt Morrison, a singer and tap dancer in her youth.Van Morrison's family roots descend from the Ulster Scots population that settled in Belfast.From 1950 to 1956, Morrison, who began to be known as "Van" during this time, attended Elmgrove Primary School Morrison's father had what was at the time one of the largest record collections in Ulster (acquired during his sojourn 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, and Solomon Burke; of whom Morrison later said, "If it weren't for guys like Ray and Solomon, I wouldn't be where I am today.

                                           Ray Charles - I Got A Woman

                                          Jerry Roll Morton - I Tought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say

                                           Lead Belly - Midnight Special                                      
Those guys were the inspiration that got me going. If it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now." His father's record collection exposed him to various musical genres, such as the blues of Muddy Waters; the gospel of Mahalia Jackson; the jazz of Charlie Parker........
                                         
                                          Muddy Waters - I Just Wont To Make Love To You

                                           Charlie Parker - Ko Ko

  ....the folk music of Woody Guthrie; and country music from Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers, while the first record he ever bought was by blues musician Sonny Terry.

                                          Hank Williams - My Bucket,s Got A Hole In It

                                            Jimmy Reed - Ain,t That Lovin You Baby

                                          Sonny Terry & Brownie Mcgee - Sittin On The Top Of The World

When Lonnie Donegan had a hit with "Rock Island Line", written by Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly), Morrison felt he was familiar with and able to connect with skiffle music as he had been hearing Lead Belly before that.
                                         Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line

                                         Louis Armstrong - St James Infirmery Blues

 The music of Van Morrison has encompassed many genres since his early days as a blues and R&B singer in Belfast. Over the years he has recorded songs from a varying list of genres drawn from many influences and interests. As well as blues and R&B, his compositions and covers have moved between pop music, jazz, rock, folk, country, gospel, Irish folk and traditional, big band, skiffle, rock and roll, new age, classical and sometimes spoken word ("Coney Island") and instrumentals.Morrison defines himself as a soul singer. (bron Wikipedia)



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