Born on August 31: We've all swayed to Van Morrison's 'Gloria'

Living legend! This grumpy old man was born in Belfast (Northern Ireland) in 1945.

If you are under fifty, you probably think you don't know this artist who is now 80 years old. And yet, across generations, absolutely everyone has at one time or another swayed their hips to "Gloria", released in 1964. Because, at the time, the five Northern Irish boys had every intention of holding their own against the Rolling Stones. Without the eternal ego quarrels (taken to court in order to appropriate the paternity of the name!), they might have succeeded in their bet. But when Van Morrison left in 1966, they had only two albums to their credit and only three choruses that have survived the ages: "Gloria" of course but also "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Here Comes The Night".

Even today, while he has a plethora of personal discography (about 45 albums), Van Morrison continues to spice up his concerts with numerous covers, from John Lee Hooker to Sonny Boy Williamson, from Hank Williams to Sam Cooke, according to his moods. But, for fear of being lynched by his own audience, he never forgets to launch yet another version of "Gloria" as a highlight. Today, he continues to tour all over the world with a marked preference for more intimate theaters and jazz clubs (see some dates below).

If you want to discover this extraordinary storyteller, with his very particular nasal voice (some say unbearable), the albums "Astral Weeks" (1968) and "Moondance" (1970) deserve to be heard. I also admit a particular fondness for his "Duets: Re-working The Catalogue" (2015) produced by Don Was. As the title suggests, these are songs exhumed from his repertoire performed in the company of artists such as Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Steve Winwood, Taj Mahal, George Benson, Bobby Womack and even his own daughter Shana for "Rough God Goes Riding".

(MH with SM - Photo: Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Van Morrison on stage at the Pinkpop festival (Netherlands) on June 4, 1990