Timeline Van Morrison: Into the Mystic

From the Belfast R&B of Them to Astral Weeks and Moondance — sixty years of Van Morrison's Celtic soul.

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Dashed left edge = started before this timeline · Dashed right edge = still ongoing

Van Morrison: Into the Mystic 15

1945 Van Morrison born in Belfast George Ivan Morrison Grows up in east Belfast on his father's collection of American blues and jazz records.
1964 Van Morrison forms Them Maritime Hotel, Belfast An R&B band that becomes the house act of a Belfast hotel club.
1964 Van Morrison and Them release Gloria Garage rock standard A B-side that becomes one of the most covered rock songs.
1967 Van Morrison releases Brown Eyed Girl First solo hit His first solo single, still his best-known song.
1968 Van Morrison releases Astral Weeks Recorded in two days A sold-poorly, jazz-backed song cycle later ranked among the greatest albums ever.
1970 Van Morrison releases Moondance Into the Mystic His commercial breakthrough, with Moondance, Caravan and Into the Mystic.
1971 Van Morrison releases Tupelo Honey Woodstock period A warm country-soul album from his years in Woodstock and California.
1974 Van Morrison releases It's Too Late to Stop Now Live album A double live album with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra.
1976 Van Morrison plays The Last Waltz Caravan His high-kicking Caravan is a highlight of The Band's farewell.
1979 Van Morrison releases Into the Music Spiritual turn The start of a long run of spiritually searching records.
1989 Van Morrison releases Avalon Sunset Have I Told You Lately With Have I Told You Lately, later a hit for Rod Stewart.
1993 Van Morrison inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Absent Inducted, though he does not attend.
2015 Van Morrison knighted Birthday Honours Knighted for services to music and to tourism in Northern Ireland.
2015 Van Morrison plays Cyprus Avenue on his 70th birthday Belfast Two homecoming shows on the street he sang about on Astral Weeks.
2020 Van Morrison releases lockdown protest songs Controversy Songs against COVID-19 restrictions draw wide criticism.