"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish
singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Written and recorded in 1967 by Van
Morrison and produced by Bang Records chief Bert Berns, it was
first released in May 1967 on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. When
released as a single, it rose to number eight on the Cashbox
charts, and reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It
featured the Sweet Inspirations singing back-up vocals and is
widely considered to be Van Morrison's signature song.
This song would prove to be the impetus for Morrison's whole career
as a solo artist. It was to be his first single after leaving his
position as lead singer for the Belfast formed Them and would lead
to his relocation to the United States and an eventual contract
with Warner Bros. Records, where he would record his
career-defining album, Astral Weeks.
"Brown Eyed Girl" has remained a popular classic pop song that
continues to be played regularly on many radio stations and is
listed as one of the top most played song by DJs. It has been
covered by hundreds of bands over the years and has earned many
awards for Morrison, most prominently when it was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007 and in 2003, when it was listed as one
of the The 365 Top Selling Songs of the 20th Century by RIAA.
Van Morrison, OBE (born George Ivan Morrison; 31
August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician.
His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental
and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio
albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late
to Stop Now, are widely viewed as among the greatest ever
made.
Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his
professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, 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 and allowed him three
sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Even though this album
would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly
received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as
a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation
with a series of critically 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.
Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of
soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles "Brown Eyed
Girl", "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)",
"Domino" and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists
of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical
journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and
stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as Astral Weeks and
lesser-known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two
strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul".
Morrison has received considerable acclaim, including six Grammy
Awards, being inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several "Greatest
Artists" lists.
Note: This cache was placed in
Jonathan Dickinson State Park as part of Cacheapalooza 6, with the
permission of Martin Morse, Park Service Specialist. If you park anywhere in JDSP, make sure all your tires are
off the road and you are not blocking any
gates.