Artist:Van Morrison
Song:Brown Eyed Girl
Album:T.B. Sheets
Brown Eyed Girl was the first and biggest hit by legendary singer songwriter Van Morrison. One would think the song would haunt him but he still performs it today. He was born Aug. 31, 1945 in Belfast, Nothern Ireland. His mom was a singer and his dad was a jazz fan. By age 15, Morrison was touring military bases with the R & B group The Monarchs. He formed the group Them in 1964 and they had several hits including the Morrison song Gloria. But the group had unstable personnel and producer Bert Berns started using session musicians on their recordings. Morrison left Them in 1966 during a US tour and returned to Belfast. But Berns convinced him to come to New York and record as a solo artist. The album Blowin' Your Mind on Bang Records was released in 1967. The exuberant song Brown Eyed Girl was a top ten pop hit. The rest of the album was much darker than Brown Eyed Girl. Morrison was unhappy when Berns released the album against his wishes and went home to Belfast. Morrison's contract with Bang Records ended when Berns died of a heart attack in late 1967. Morrison immediately signed with Warner Bros. and has been one of the most enduring performers over the years. T.B. Sheets was a comp of Morrison's Bang recordings released in 1973 to capitalize on the popularity of Morrison's Warners recordings. It's available on CD through Columbia Records. Despite it being an overtly pop song, Morrison is obviously proud of Brown Eyed Girl as I saw a 2006 performance clip online. But here is Van Morrison performing Brown Eyed Girl on The Midnight Special in 1973.
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