His teenage idols included Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. They hardly seem to be a logical choice for a boy from Northern Ireland, but Van Morrison is anything but logical or predictable. The now 66-year-old singer-songwriter has always made his own musical plans. You could call his work blue-eyed soul, but he just as easily throws jazz and Celtic influences into the mix. He wrote the hit song Gloria, among others, for his group Them and Brown Eyed Girl is probably the biggest hit of his solo career. But the five-star ratings on his list of Great Deeds go to the unique albums Astral Weeks and Moondance on which jazz, blues, soul and folk come together. Morrison has a reputation for taking his audience to great - almost spiritual - heights during his performances. However, the raw blues with which he grew up remains at the heart of his music.
