Van Morrison will be celebrating a milestone anniversary when he arrives at
the Waterfront Hall next week for two sell-out concerts.
It's exactly 40 years since Van the Man recorded 'Brown Eyed Girl' in New
York for the Bang label after leaving his hometown band, Them.
And within a couple of months, the song that will be forever associated with
him was soaring up the American charts. It was the beginning of the east
Belfast singer's amazing solo career.
Van was replaced in Them by Kenny McDowell and the rest, as they say, is
history.
But producer Bertie Berns, with whom Morrison had signed a contract, died of
a heart attack at the end of the year and Van moved to Warner Brothers after
severing his deal with Bang.
Van, who will turn 62 next week, has had runaway hits with the likes of
Astral Weeks and Days Like This and remains one of the best known Ulstermen
on the planet.
"His popularity at home is incredible," says promoter Jim Aiken.
"We are putting on two concerts at the Waterfront - we could have
scheduled for a full week and still packed the place. Everybody appears to
love Van the Man."
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