Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter and musician. He has received six Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music….and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Known as “Van the Man” to his fans….Morrison started his professional career when….as a teenager in the late 1950’s….he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them….with whom he recorded the garage band classic “Gloria”. His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. After Berns’ death….Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract….allowing him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968)…and even though this album would gradually garner high praise….it was initially a poor seller….however Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist….and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970’s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and the Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, artist and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960’s when his songs chronicled social unrest… although Dylan repudiated suggestions from journalists that he was a spokesman for his generation. Nevertheless, early songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin'” became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements. After he left his initial base in the American folk music revival….his six-minute single “Like a Rolling Stone” altered the range of popular music in 1965. His mid-1960s recordings….backed by rock musicians….reached the top end of the United States music charts while also attracting denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement.
Dylan’s lyrics have incorporated various political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed to the burgeoning counterculture. Initially inspired by the performances of Little Richard….and the songwriting of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams….Dylan has amplified and personalized musical genres. His recording career, spanning 50 years, has explored the traditions in American song—from folk, blues, and country to gospel, rock and roll, and rockabilly to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and the Great American Songbook. Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards, and harmonica….backed by a changing line-up of musicians….he has toured steadily since the late 1980’s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but songwriting is considered his greatest contribution.
