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111-675: Moore was born in Lobdell, Louisiana , the eldest child in his family. After his parents died he worked as a longshoreman and construction worker in New Orleans in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Influenced in style by Jimmy Reed , he began performing in Baton Rouge bars using the name "Harmonica Slim", and also accompanied his brother-in-law Lightnin' Slim in live performances. He started his recording career in March 1957, working with

222-506: A Rolling Stone review as: "rebirth ( Into the Music ), deep contemplation and meditation ( Common One ); ecstasy and humility ( Beautiful Vision ); and blissful, mantra like languor ( Inarticulate Speech of the Heart )." The single " Tore Down a la Rimbaud " was a reference to Rimbaud and an earlier bout of writer's block that Morrison had encountered in 1974. In 1985, Morrison also wrote

333-558: A shipyard electrician, and Violet Morrison (née Stitt), who had been a singer and tap dancer in her youth. The previous occupant of the house was the writer Lee Child 's father. Morrison's family were working class Protestants descended from the Ulster Scots population that settled in Belfast. From 1950 to 1956, Morrison, who began to be known as "Van" during this time, attended Elmgrove Primary School . His father had what

444-500: A $ 20,000 cash transaction that took place in an abandoned warehouse on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. A clause required Morrison to submit 36 original songs within a year to Berns' music publishing company. He recorded them in one session on an out-of-tune guitar, with lyrics about subjects including ringworm and sandwiches. Ilene Berns thought the songs were "nonsense" and did not use them. The throwaway compositions came to be known as

555-532: A 2008 Rolling Stone review, Andy Greene writes that when released in late 1974: "it was greeted by a collective shrug by the rock critical establishment" and concludes: "He's released many wonderful albums since, but he's never again hit the majestic heights of this one." " You Don't Pull No Punches, but You Don't Push the River ", one of the album's side closers, exemplifies the long, hypnotic, cryptic Morrison with its references to visionary poet William Blake and to

666-585: A Southern jukebox favorite, his songs were being adapted and played by white musicians left and right. Here was good-time Saturday-night blues that could be sung by elements of the Caucasian persuasion with a straight face. He had his biggest commercial success in 1966, when the predominantly instrumental " Baby Scratch My Back " reached number one on the R&;B chart and number 16 on the broader chart. Harpo described it as "an attempt at rock & roll for me" and

777-661: A collection of traditional Irish folk songs recorded with the Irish group the Chieftains , which reached number 18 in the UK album charts. The title song, " Irish Heartbeat ", was originally recorded on his 1983 album Inarticulate Speech of the Heart . The 1989 album, Avalon Sunset , which featured the hit duet with Cliff Richard " Whenever God Shines His Light " and the ballad " Have I Told You Lately " (on which "earthly love transmutes into that for God" ( Hinton )), reached 13 on

888-568: A consciousness that is visionary in the strongest sense of the word." "That was the type of band I dig," Morrison said of the Moondance sessions. "Two horns and a rhythm section—they're the type of bands that I like best." He produced the album himself as he felt like nobody else knew what he wanted. Moondance was listed at number sixty-five on the Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . In March 2007, Moondance

999-425: A decline in the critical reception to his work. The decade began with the release of The Best of Van Morrison ; compiled by Morrison himself, the album was focused on his hit singles, and became a multi-platinum success remaining a year and a half on the UK charts. AllMusic determined it to be "far and away the best-selling album of his career." In 1991 he wrote and produced four songs for Tom Jones released on

1110-641: A full-time musician, Harpo owned a trucking business during the 1960s. According to writer Ryan Whirty, "Harpo and his band needed to tour constantly and play as much as possible; times were frequently lean financially, and the men had to scrape up whatever they could get." But, by 1964, several of his songs had been released on albums and singles in the UK, and British rock bands began to include versions of his songs in their early repertoires. British Merseybeat / R&B group The Moody Blues reportedly took their name from an instrumental track of Slim's called "Moody Blues". Critic Cub Koda wrote of his appeal: Harpo

1221-555: A guru is, I don't have a teacher either. After releasing the "No Guru" album, Morrison's music appeared less gritty and more adult contemporary with the well-received 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose , considered to be one of his recording highlights of the 1980s. The romantic ballad from this album, " Someone Like You ", has been featured subsequently in the soundtracks of several movies, including 1995's French Kiss , and in 2001, both Someone Like You and Bridget Jones's Diary . In 1988, he released Irish Heartbeat ,

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1332-647: A household in the parish was $ 47,298 and the per capita income was $ 22.101. Males had a median income of $ 35,618 versus $ 22,960 for females. About 13.20% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over. West Baton Rouge's location on the Mississippi River plus railroad transportation has made it attractive to heavy industry. Notable industry includes Placid Refining Company near Port Allen and Dow Chemical Company and ShinTech near Addis. The docks and other property of

1443-476: A member of a working-class community, he was expected to get a regular full-time job, so after several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a window cleaner —later alluded to in his songs " Cleaning Windows " and " Saint Dominic's Preview ". However, he had been developing his musical interests from an early age and continued playing with the Monarchs part-time. Young Morrison also played with

1554-665: A night. While in Germany, the band recorded a single, "Boozoo Hully Gully"/"Twingy Baby", under the name Georgie and the Monarchs. This was Morrison's first recording, taking place in November 1963 at Ariola Studios in Cologne with Morrison on saxophone; it made the lower reaches of the German charts. Upon returning to Belfast in November 1963, the group disbanded, so Morrison connected with Geordie Sproule again and played with him in

1665-444: A poor seller, the album has come to be regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances. Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and early rhythm and blues . An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show

1776-817: A rock standard covered by Patti Smith , the Doors , the Shadows of Knight , Jimi Hendrix and many others. Building on the success of their singles in the United States, and riding on the back of the British Invasion , Them undertook a two-month tour of America in May and June 1966 that included a residency from 30 May to 18 June at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The Doors were the supporting act on

1887-464: A school concert. Then, when he heard Jimmy Giuffre playing saxophone on "The Train and The River", he talked his father into buying him a tenor saxophone , and took saxophone and music reading lessons from jazz musician George Cassidy , who Morrison saw as a "big inspiration", and they became friends, he also grew up with him on Hyndford Street. Now playing the saxophone, Morrison joined with various local bands, including one called Deanie Sands and

1998-563: A schoolboy, was the piano player and keyboardist. Morrison played saxophone and harmonica and shared vocals with Billy Harrison. They followed Eric Wrixon's suggestion for a new name, and the Gamblers morphed into Them , their name taken from the horror movie Them! The band's R&B performances at the Maritime attracted attention. Them performed without a routine and Morrison ad libbed , creating his songs live as he performed. While

2109-716: A total distance of twenty-six miles. The roadbed westward from Livonia to the Atchafalaya River had been prepared by 1861. The advent of the Civil War prevented the railroad from getting the necessary rails to complete the line. The tracks to Opelousas were never built. After Louisiana seceded, two companies of militia were organized in West Baton Rouge, the Delta Rifles, headed by Captain Favrot and

2220-424: A total of sixteen weeks on the chart. It is considered to be Morrison's signature song . An evaluation in 2015 of downloads since 2004 and airplay since 2010 had "Brown Eyed Girl" as the most popular song of the entire 1960s decade. In 2000, it was listed at No. 21 on the Rolling Stone /MTV list of 100 Greatest Pop Songs and as No. 49 on VH1 's list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs. In 2010, "Brown Eyed Girl"

2331-489: A tour with Linda Gail Lewis promoting their collaboration You Win Again , Lewis left the tour, later filing claims against Morrison for unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination. Both claims were later withdrawn, and Morrison's solicitor said, "(Mr Morrison's) pleased that these claims have finally been withdrawn. He accepted a full apology and comprehensive retraction which represents a complete vindication of his stance from

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2442-481: A very small percentage of growth after Hurricane Katrina . According to an estimate of July 2018, the parish's population was 26,427. The Medora site , a Plaquemine culture mound site located adjacent to Bayou Bourbeaux on the flood plain of Manchac Point , a hair-pin bend of the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of the parish, was instrumental in defining the Plaquemine culture and period. The site

2553-519: Is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40, as well as internationally, including in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, following the success of 2021's Latest Record Project, Volume 1 . Eighteen of his albums have reached

2664-617: Is a local private Catholic school for grades pre-K through Eight. It is in the service area of Baton Rouge Community College . The West Baton Rouge Museum, located in Port Allen, maintains historical information on West Baton Rouge Parish. The Town of Addis operates a museum that keeps historical information about the Town of Addis. The Parish of West Baton Rouge maintains a library in Port Allen, and in Brusly. West Baton Rouge Parish

2775-522: Is featured on the soundtrack of the movie, Michael . With his next album, the new decade found Morrison following his muse into uncharted territory and sometimes merciless reviews. In February 1980, Morrison and a group of musicians travelled to Super Bear, a studio in the French Alps , to record (on the site of a former abbey ) what is considered to be the most controversial album in his discography; later "Morrison admitted his original concept

2886-583: Is located in West Baton Rouge Parish near Brusly. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the parish has a total area of 204 square miles (530 km ), of which 192 square miles (500 km ) is land and 11 square miles (28 km ) (5.6%) is water. It is the second-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and smallest by total area. The southwestern portion of the parish is uninhabited timberland. The most prominent geographic feature

2997-415: Is one of the sixty-four parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana . Established in 1807, its parish seat is Port Allen . With a 2020 census population of 27,199 residents, West Baton Rouge Parish is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area . The parish has a highly rated school system , and is one of the few in Louisiana that has privatized school bus services. West Baton Rouge saw

3108-814: Is responsible for law enforcement in all of the unincorporated areas. West Baton Rouge Parish is connected to East Baton Rouge Parish by the Huey P. Long Bridge (U.S. Highway 190) and the Horace Wilkinson Bridge ( Interstate 10 ). West Baton Rouge is served by the Kansas City Southern Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad . Geology 30°28′N 91°19′W  /  30.46°N 91.31°W  / 30.46; -91.31 Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE (born 31 August 1945)

3219-559: Is served by two weekly newspapers. The West Side Journal , published every Thursday, provides hard news and is the official journal of the parish. The Riverside Reader , published every Monday, focuses on items of historical interest and human interest stories. West Baton Rouge Parish is governed by a parish council that is made up of seven elected officials and one elected parish president. West Baton Rouge Parish has three incorporated areas (Port Allen, Brusly, and Addis) with local police departments. The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department

3330-637: Is the Mississippi River which forms the east border of the parish. Levees along the river protect the parish from flooding by the Mississippi River in times of high water. The parish is contained within the Two Rivers Region of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 27,199 people, 9,643 households, and 7,194 families residing in the parish. As of

3441-484: Is thought to allude to his dealings with the New York music business during this period. He moved to Boston , Massachusetts, and faced personal and financial problems; he had "slipped into a malaise" and had trouble finding concert bookings. He regained his professional footing through the few gigs he could find, and started recording with Warner Bros. Records . Warner Bros bought out Morrison's Bang contract with

Slim Harpo - Misplaced Pages Continue

3552-639: The A&;R man and record producer J. D. "Jay" Miller in Crowley, Louisiana . To differentiate himself from another performer called Harmonica Slim he took his wife's suggestion and adopted the name Slim Harpo. His first solo release, for Excello Records , based in Nashville, Tennessee , was " I'm a King Bee ", backed with "I Got Love If You Want It" in 1957. Harpo played guitar in his live shows, but he usually used other guitarists when recording. The record

3663-526: The Arkansas then set the vessel afire and scuttled it to avoid it falling into enemy hands. The defeated Union army under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks passed through West Baton Rouge Parish on Rosedale Road on its return to New Orleans in May 1864, after the failure of the Red River Campaign . The American Civil War devastated the sugar industry that had flourished in

3774-712: The CSS Arkansas , a Confederate ram, tied to the bank below the levee in West Baton Rouge Parish prior to the Battle of Baton Rouge . Morgan observed the Battle of Baton Rouge from West Baton Rouge Parish. The Arkansas suffered failure of its port engine while proceeding upriver during the battle to get into position to attack the USS Essex . This caused it to veer into the West Baton Rouge bank about 600 feet south of mile marker 223, where it ran hard aground. The crew of

3885-532: The Carrying A Torch album and performed a duet with Bob Dylan on BBC Arena special. The 1994 live double album A Night in San Francisco received favourable reviews as well as commercial success by reaching number eight on the UK charts. 1995's Days Like This also had large sales—though the critical reviews were not always favourable. This period also saw a number of side projects, including

3996-616: The Fabulous Thunderbirds ". The Slim Harpo Music Awards, awarded annually in Baton Rouge , are named in his honor. Proceeds from the awards benefit the "Music in the Schools" outreach program. A biography, titled Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge , by UK blues scholar Martin Hawkins was published in 2006. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine described the book as "a passionate, encyclopedic triumph, bringing

4107-599: The Songwriters Hall of Fame . In 2016, he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland. Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands , covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison rose to prominence in

4218-487: The census of 2000, there were 21,601 people, 7,663 households, and 5,739 families residing in the parish. The population density was 113 inhabitants per square mile (44/km ). There were 8,370 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km ). The racial makeup of the parish was 62.78% White , 35.49% Black or African American , 0.20% Native American , 0.19% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.53% from other races , and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.45% of

4329-486: The "Great Crevasse", which occurred in the north end of West Baton Rouge Parish in 1867, caused flooding that greatly damaged the track in a low section about six miles west of the Mississippi River. The now unprofitable rail company eventually ceased operations in 1883. The assets of the railroad were acquired by the Louisiana Central Railroad and operated until 1902. The Texas and Pacific Railway

4440-408: The "revenge" songs, and did not see official release until the 2017 compilation The Authorized Bang Collection . Morrison's first album for Warner Bros Records was Astral Weeks (which he had already performed in several clubs around Boston), a mystical song cycle , often considered to be his best work and one of the best albums of all time. Morrison has said, "When Astral Weeks came out, I

4551-463: The 1995 Mojo list of 100 Best Albums, it was listed as number two and was number nineteen on the Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003. In December 2009, it was voted the top Irish album of all time by a poll of leading Irish musicians conducted by Hot Press magazine. Morrison's third solo album, Moondance , which was released in 1970, became his first million selling album and reached number twenty-nine on

Slim Harpo - Misplaced Pages Continue

4662-400: The 25th Annual Grammy Awards . Much of the music Morrison released throughout the 1980s continued to focus on the themes of spirituality and faith. His 1983 album, Inarticulate Speech of the Heart , was "a move towards creating music for meditation" with synthesisers, uilleann pipes and flute sounds, and four of the tracks were instrumentals. The titling of the album and the presence of

4773-516: The Billboard charts. The style of Moondance stood in contrast to that of Astral Weeks . Whereas Astral Weeks had a sorrowful and vulnerable tone, Moondance restored a more optimistic and cheerful message to his music, which abandoned the previous record's abstract folk compositions in favour of more formally composed songs and a lively rhythm and blues style he expanded on throughout his career. The title track, although not released in

4884-503: The Delta Rifles headed by Captain H. M. Favrot. When Union force occupied Baton Rouge in May 1862, all rolling stock was sent to the extreme western end of the railroad for safety where it remained for the duration of the war. Mr. J. V. Duralde was the president of the company during the Civil War period. Many Baton Rouge residents took refuge in West Baton Rouge Parish during the Union occupation of Baton Rouge in 1862. Sarah Morgan saw

4995-762: The Harry Mack Showband, the Great Eight, with his older workplace friend, Geordie (G. D.) Sproule, whom he later named as one of his biggest influences. At age 17, Morrison toured Europe for the first time with the Monarchs, now calling themselves the International Monarchs. This Irish showband , with Morrison playing saxophone, guitar and harmonica, in addition to back-up duty on bass and drums, toured seamy clubs and US Army bases in Scotland, England and Germany, often playing five sets

5106-594: The Healing Has Begun", and "It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About" are a veritable tour-de-force with Morrison summoning every vocal trick at his disposal from Angelou's climactic shouts to the sexually-charged, half-mumbled monologue in "And the Healing Has Begun" to the barely audible whisper that is the album's final sound. --Scott Thomas Review The following year, Morrison released Wavelength ; it became at that time

5217-515: The Javelins, with whom he played guitar and shared singing. The line-up of the band was lead vocalist Deanie Sands, guitarist George Jones , and drummer and vocalist Roy Kane. Later the four main musicians of the Javelins, with the addition of Wesley Black as pianist, became known as the Monarchs. Morrison attended Orangefield Boys Secondary School , leaving in July 1960 with no qualifications. As

5328-640: The Manhattan Showband along with guitarist Herbie Armstrong. When Armstrong auditioned to play with Brian Rossi and the Golden Eagles, later known as the Wheels , Morrison went along and was hired as a blues singer. The roots of Them, the band that first broke Morrison on the international scene, came in April 1964 when he responded to an advert for musicians to play at a new R&B club at

5439-545: The Maritime Hotel in College Square North ;– an old Belfast hostel frequented by sailors. The new club needed a band for its opening night. Morrison had left the Golden Eagles (the group with which he had been performing at the time), so he created a new band out of the Gamblers, an East Belfast group formed by Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison and Alan Henderson in 1962. Eric Wrixon, still

5550-578: The Port of Greater Baton Rouge are located in West Baton Rouge Parish. Interstate 10 makes West Baton Rouge attractive as a distribution center. A number of warehouses have been built near I-10. Many trucking firms have located near the Huey P. Long Bridge. West Baton Rouge Parish School Board operates area public schools. Holy Family School (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge )

5661-596: The Tirailleurs of Brusly Landing, a French-speaking company of creoles headed by Captain Williams. The two West Baton Rouge companies were included in the 4th Louisiana Regiment , commanded by Colonel Robert J. Barrow, assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Watkins Allen . The regiment participated in the Battle of Shiloh , the Battle of Baton Rouge and other actions. The railroad operated up until May 1862 carrying sugar cane, cotton, and Confederate troops, including

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5772-408: The UK album chart. Although considered to be a deeply spiritual album, it also contained "Daring Night", which "deals with full, blazing sex, whatever its churchy organ and gentle lilt suggest"(Hinton). Morrison's familiar themes of "God, woman, his childhood in Belfast and those enchanted moments when time stands still" were prominent in the songs. He can be heard calling out the change of tempo at

5883-669: The US as a single until 1977, received heavy play in FM radio formats. " Into the Mystic " has also gained a wide following over the years. " Come Running ", which reached the American Top 40 , rescued Morrison from what seemed then as Hot 100 obscurity. Moondance was both well received and favourably reviewed. Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus had a combined full-page review in Rolling Stone , saying Morrison now had "the striking imagination of

5994-425: The US since 1978's Wavelength . Van Morrison continued to record and tour in the 2000s, often performing two or three times a week. He formed his own independent label, Exile Productions Ltd, which enables him to maintain full production control of each album he records, which he then delivers as a finished product to the recording label that he chooses, for marketing and distribution. In 2001, nine months into

6105-622: The Union Pacific occurred in 1997, making the Texas and Pacific part of the Union Pacific Railroad . The Southern Pacific Railroad built a spur line from Lafayette, Louisiana to Anchorage in West Baton Rouge very early in the twentieth century. The line ran in a straight line and is notable for crossing the Atchafalaya Basin . The line was never financially successful and was abandoned in the 1920s. Southern Pacific Road occupies

6216-441: The age of twelve, Morrison formed his first band, a skiffle group, "The Sputniks", named after the satellite, Sputnik 1 , that had been launched in October of that year by the Soviet Union . In 1958, the band played at some of the local cinemas, and Morrison took the lead, contributing most of the singing and arranging. Other short-lived groups followed – at 14, he formed Midnight Special, another modified skiffle band and played at

6327-469: The album Blowin' Your Mind! without Morrison's consultation. He said he only became aware of the album's release when a friend mentioned that he had bought a copy. Morrison was unhappy with the album and said he "had a different concept of it". " Brown Eyed Girl ", one of the songs from Blowin' Your Mind! , was released as a single in mid-June 1967, reaching number ten in the US charts. "Brown Eyed Girl" became Morrison's most-played song. The song spent

6438-413: The album, " Vanlose Stairway ", "She Gives Me Religion", and the instrumental, " Scandinavia " show the presence of a new personal muse in his life: a Danish public relations agent, who would share Morrison's spiritual interests and serve as a steadying influence on him throughout most of the 1980s. "Scandinavia", with Morrison on piano, was nominated in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category for

6549-404: The band did covers, they also played some of Morrison's early songs, such as "Could You Would You", which he had written in Camden Town while touring with the Manhattan Showband. The debut of Morrison's "Gloria" took place on stage here. Sometimes, depending on his mood, the song could last up to twenty minutes. Morrison has said, "Them lived and died on the stage at the Maritime Hotel", believing

6660-440: The band did not manage to capture the spontaneity and energy of their live performances on their records. The statement also reflected the instability of the Them line-up, with numerous members passing through the ranks after the definitive Maritime period. Morrison and Henderson remained the only constants, and a less successful version of Them soldiered on after Morrison's departure. Dick Rowe of Decca Records became aware of

6771-432: The band's performances and signed Them to a standard two-year contract. In that period, they released two albums and ten singles, with two more singles released after Morrison departed the band. They had three chart hits, " Baby, Please Don't Go " (1964), " Here Comes the Night " (1965), and " Mystic Eyes " (1965), but it was the B-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go", the garage band classic " Gloria ", that went on to become

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6882-525: The cleanest living bluesmen of his era" died suddenly of a heart attack in Baton Rouge in January 1970 just 20 days after his 46th birthday. He was buried in Mulatto Bend Cemetery in Port Allen, Louisiana . Music critic Cub Koda noted that his songs "also proved to be quite adaptable for white artists on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Rolling Stones , Yardbirds , Kinks , Dave Edmunds with Love Sculpture , Van Morrison with Them , Sun rockabilly singer Warren Smith , Hank Williams, Jr. , and

6993-426: The construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge, which included a railway, made its continued operation unnecessary. West Baton Rouge Parish was the location of Prisoner of War Sub-Camp 7 from 1943 until mid-1946. The camp housed German prisoners who were deployed as plantation labor. The camp was located on West Baton Rouge Parish property fronting on Sixth Street in Port Allen. The Cinclare Sugar Mill Historic District

7104-415: The end of this song, repeating the numbers "1–4" to cue the chord changes (the first and fourth chord in the key of the music). He often completed albums in two days, frequently releasing first takes. The early to middle 1990s were commercially successful for Morrison with three albums reaching the top five of the UK charts, sold-out concerts, and a more visible public profile; but this period also marked

7215-467: The enigmatic Harpo to life and tracing his remarkable mainstream ascension – from the rich central-Louisiana blues scene to gigs at the Fillmore East  – with deep local research and detailed portraits of the singer's peers, sidemen and record-business associates." West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana West Baton Rouge Parish ( French : Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Ouest , Spanish : Parroquia del Oeste de Baton Rouge )

7326-431: The fastest-selling album of his career and soon went gold. The title track became a modest hit, peaking at number forty-two. Making use of 1970s synthesisers, it mimics the sounds of the shortwave radio stations he listened to in his youth. The opening track, "Kingdom Hall"—the name given by Jehovah's Witnesses to their places of worship —evoked Morrison's childhood experiences of religion with his mother, and foretold

7437-432: The final night, the two Morrisons and the two bands jammed together on "Gloria". Toward the end of the tour the band members became involved in a dispute with their manager, Decca Records' Phil Solomon , over the revenues paid to them; that, coupled with the expiry of their work visas, meant the band returned from America dejected. After two more concerts in Ireland, Them split up. Morrison concentrated on writing some of

7548-524: The former right-of-way of a small portion of the line. Starting in 1906, the Missouri Pacific Railroad operated the George H. Walker , a rail ferry, called a "transfer boat", from Anchorage (immediately north of the Sunrise Community) in West Baton Rouge Parish across the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish. The transfer boat was steam-powered and equipped with rails on its deck that allowed passenger and freight railcars to be rolled on and off. It ceased operation September 2, 1947, after

7659-530: The hit single " Domino ", which charted at number nine in the Billboard Hot 100 . In 1971, he released another well-received album, Tupelo Honey . This album produced the hit single " Wild Night " that was later covered by John Mellencamp and Meshell Ndegeocello . The title song has a notably country-soul feel about it and the album ended with another country tune, " Moonshine Whiskey ". Morrison said he originally intended to make an all-country album. The recordings were as live as possible—after rehearsing

7770-432: The influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and stream of consciousness narrative, of which Astral Weeks is a prime example. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul", and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence". George Ivan Morrison was born on 31 August 1945, at 125 Hyndford Street, Bloomfield, Belfast , Northern Ireland, as the only child of George Morrison,

7881-424: The inspiration that got me going. If it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now." His father's record collection exposed him to various musical genres, such as the blues of Muddy Waters ; the gospel of Mahalia Jackson ; the jazz of Charlie Parker ; the folk music of Woody Guthrie ; and country music from Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers , while the first record he ever bought

7992-449: The instrumentals were noted to be indicative of Morrison's long-held belief that "it's not the words one uses but the force of conviction behind those words that matters." During this period of time, Morrison had studied Scientology and gave "Special Thanks" to L. Ron Hubbard on the album's credits. A Sense of Wonder , Morrison's 1985 album, pulled together the spiritual themes contained in his last four albums, which were defined in

8103-472: The last week, and Morrison's influence on the Doors singer Jim Morrison was noted by John Densmore in his book Riders on the Storm . Brian Hinton relates how "Jim Morrison learned quickly from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat, even his habit of crouching down by the bass drum during instrumental breaks." On

8214-454: The live jazz performances of 1996's How Long Has This Been Going On , from the same year Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison , and 2000's The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast 1998 , all of which found Morrison paying tribute to his early musical influences. In 1997, Morrison released The Healing Game . The album received mixed reviews, with the lyrics being described as "tired" and "dull", though critic Greil Marcus praised

8325-511: The mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Belfast R&;B band Them , with whom he wrote and recorded " Gloria ", which became a garage band staple. His solo career started under the pop-hit-oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single " Brown Eyed Girl " in 1967. After Berns's death, Warner Bros. Records bought Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968). While initially

8436-585: The more daring, adventurous, and meditative aspects of Astral Weeks . The combination of two styles of music demonstrated a versatility not previously found in his earlier albums. Two songs, " Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) " and " Redwood Tree ", reached the Hot 100 singles chart. The songs " Listen to the Lion " and " Almost Independence Day " are each over ten minutes long and employ

8547-489: The musical complexity of the album by saying: "It carries the listener into a musical home so perfect and complete he or she might have forgotten that music could call up such a place, and then populate it with people, acts, wishes, fears." The following year, Morrison finally released some of his previously unissued studio recordings in a two-disc set, The Philosopher's Stone . His next release, 1999's Back on Top , achieved modest success, being his highest-charting album in

8658-438: The musical score for the movie Lamb starring Liam Neeson . Morrison's 1986 release, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher , was said to contain a "genuine holiness ... and musical freshness that needs to be set in context to understand." Critical response was favourable with a Sounds reviewer calling the album "his most intriguingly involved since Astral Weeks " and "Morrison at his most mystical, magical best." It contains

8769-500: The outset. Miss Lewis has given a full and categorical apology and retraction to Mr Morrison." Lewis' legal representative Christine Thompson said both parties had agreed to the terms of the settlement. The album Down the Road , released in May 2002, received a good critical reception and proved to be his highest-charting album in the US since 1972's Saint Dominic's Preview . It had a nostalgic tone, with its fifteen tracks representing

8880-496: The part of the 'mystic poet' he thinks he's supposed to be." Morrison insisted the album was never "meant to be a commercial album." Biographer Clinton Heylin concludes: "He would not attempt anything so ambitious again. Henceforth every radical idea would be tempered by some notion of commerciality." Later, critics reassessed the album more favourably with the success of "Summertime in England". Lester Bangs wrote in 1982, "Van

8991-441: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 8,386 households, out of which 37.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples living together, 18.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

9102-611: The public's eye as the frontman of Them. Rolling Stone listed it as number seventeen on The Top 50 Records of 2005 . Also in July 2005, Morrison was named by Amazon as one of their top twenty-five all-time best-selling artists and inducted into the Amazon.com Hall of Fame. Later in the year, Morrison also donated a previously unreleased studio track to a charity album, Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now , which raised money for relief efforts intended for Gulf Coast victims devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita . Morrison composed

9213-408: The religious themes that were more evident on his next album, Into the Music . Considered by AllMusic as "the definitive post-classic-era Morrison", Into the Music was released in the last year of the 1970s. Songs on this album for the first time alluded to the healing power of music, which became an abiding interest of Morrison's. " Bright Side of the Road " was a joyful, uplifting song that

9324-438: The seemingly Grail -like Veedon Fleece object. Morrison took three years to release a follow-up album. After a decade without taking time off, he said in an interview, he needed to get away from music completely and ceased listening to it for several months. Also suffering from writer's block , he seriously considered leaving the music business for good. Speculation that an extended jam session would be released either under

9435-657: The song " In the Garden " that, according to Morrison, had a "definite meditation process which is a 'form' of transcendental meditation as its basis. It's not TM". He entitled the album as a rebuttal to media attempts to place him in various creeds. In an interview in the Observer he told Anthony Denselow: There have been many lies put out about me and this finally states my position. I have never joined any organisation, nor plan to. I am not affiliated to any guru, don't subscribe to any method and for those people who don't know what

9546-612: The songs that would appear on Astral Weeks , while the remnants of the band reformed in 1967 and relocated to America. Bert Berns , Them's producer and composer of their 1965 hit "Here Comes the Night", persuaded Morrison to return to New York to record solo for his new label, Bang Records . Morrison flew over and signed a contract he had not fully studied. During a two-day recording session at A & R Studios starting 28 March 1967, he recorded eight songs, originally intended to be used as four singles. Instead, these songs were released as

9657-437: The songs the musicians would enter the studio and play a whole set in one take. His co-producer, Ted Templeman , described this recording process as the "scariest thing I've ever seen. When he's got something together, he wants to put it down right away with no overdubbing." Released in 1972, Saint Dominic's Preview revealed Morrison's break from the more accessible style of his previous three albums and moving back towards

9768-429: The southern part of Louisiana, including West Baton Rouge Parish, prior to the war. The control of the Mississippi River by the Union prevented the sugar crop from going to market, Horses and mules were seized by the Union forces, and crops were left unharvested in the fields, so the sugar industry was bankrupt at the end of the Civil War. Many sugar plantations ware taken over by northern interests. West Baton Rouge Parish

9879-519: The southwestern part of West Baton Rouge Parish. A junction was established in the southern part of the parish from which a spur line ran twelve miles northward to the west bank of the Mississippi river across from Baton Rouge at a location which was already called "Port Allen". The junction was called "Baton Rouge Junction". The town of Addis grew up around Baton Rouge Junction. The Texas and Pacific acquired additional right-of-way in 1899 to extend

9990-560: The spur from Port Allen to New Roads, Louisiana and beyond to Alexandria, Louisiana . A crevasse in northern Point Coupeé Parish near Torras in May 1912 caused flooding that spread into northern West Baton Rouge Parish and southward to Addis west of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The Texas and Pacific was merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1976. A further merger of the Missouri Pacific and

10101-496: The title Mechanical Bliss , or Naked in the Jungle , or Stiff Upper Lip , came to nothing, and Morrison's next album was A Period of Transition in 1977, a collaboration with Dr. John , who had appeared at The Last Waltz concert with Morrison in 1976. The album received a mild critical reception and marked the beginning of a very prolific period of song-making. Into the Music : The album's last four songs, "Angelou", "And

10212-456: The top 40 in the United States, twelve of them between 1997 and 2017. Since turning 70 in 2015, he has released – on average – more than an album a year. His accolades , include two Grammy Awards , the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and he has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and

10323-469: The type of poetic imagery not heard since Astral Weeks . It was his highest-charting album in the US until his Top Ten debut on Billboard 200 in 2008. He released his next album, Hard Nose the Highway , in 1973, receiving mixed, but mostly negative, reviews. The album contained the popular song " Warm Love " but otherwise has been largely dismissed critically. In a 1973 Rolling Stone review, it

10434-478: The various musical genres Morrison had previously covered—including R&B, blues, country and folk; one of the tracks was written as a tribute to his late father George, who had played a pivotal role in nurturing his early musical tastes. Morrison's 2005 album, Magic Time , debuted at number twenty-five on the US Billboard 200 charts upon its May release, some forty years after Morrison first entered

10545-645: The west bank of the Mississippi River across from Baton Rouge in what later became the City of Port Allen. A steam ferry boat, the Sunny South , made three trips a day to connect the railroad to Baton Rouge. The railroad ran westward into neighboring Iberville Parish passing the village of Rosedale . After reaching Bayou Grosse-Tete near the village of Grosse Tete , the line turned to the northwest and ran to Livonia in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana ,

10656-517: The words: "This is music of such enigmatic beauty that thirty-five years after its release, Astral Weeks still defies easy, admiring description." Alan Light later described Astral Weeks as "like nothing he had done previously—and really, nothing anyone had done previously. Morrison sings of lost love, death, and nostalgia for childhood in the Celtic soul that would become his signature." It has been placed on many lists of best albums of all time. In

10767-399: Was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.20. In the parish the population was spread out, with 28.10% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males. The median income for

10878-534: Was a regional hit, but failed to make the national charts. He followed up with several more singles for Excello before having his first chart hit, " Rainin' in My Heart ", in early 1961. The record reached number 17 on Billboard 's R&B chart and number 34 on its Hot 100 , and it was followed soon after with an album of the same name and additional singles. Many of his songs were co-written with his wife, Lovelle Moore, although she never received credit. Never

10989-540: Was again produced by Miller. However, disagreements with Miller and a change in the record company's ownership led to two follow-ups, "Tip On In" and "Tee-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu", being recorded in Nashville with new producer Robert Holmes. Both made the R&B charts. He recruited Lightnin' Slim for his touring band in 1968, and toured widely in the late 1960s, mainly reaching rock audiences. With his first scheduled tour of Europe and recording sessions already planned, "one of

11100-482: Was at the time one of the largest record collections in Northern Ireland (acquired during his time in Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1950s) and the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton , Ray Charles , Lead Belly , Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Solomon Burke ; of whom he later said, "If it weren't for guys like Ray and Solomon, I wouldn't be where I am today. Those guys were

11211-467: Was by blues musician Sonny Terry . When Lonnie Donegan had a hit with " Rock Island Line ", written by Huddie Ledbetter ( Lead Belly ), Morrison felt he was familiar with and able to connect with skiffle music as he had been hearing Lead Belly before that. Morrison's father bought him his first acoustic guitar when he was 11, and he learned to play rudimentary chords from the song book The Carter Family Style , edited by Alan Lomax . In 1957, at

11322-611: Was chartered by the United States Congress in 1871 to build a southern transcontinental railroad. The route started in Westwego (on the west bank of the Mississippi near New Orleans) and ran northwestward on the west bank of the Mississippi and on to Alexandria , Shreveport , thence westward to Fort Worth , and El Paso where it joined the Southern Pacific Railroad . The route passes through

11433-499: Was described as: "psychologically complex, musically somewhat uneven and lyrically excellent." During a three-week vacation visit to Ireland in October 1973, Morrison wrote seven of the songs that made up his next album, Veedon Fleece . Though it attracted scant initial attention, its critical stature grew markedly over the years—with Veedon Fleece now often considered to be one of Morrison's most impressive and poetic works. In

11544-535: Was even more esoteric than the final product." The album, Common One , consisted of six songs; the longest, " Summertime in England ", lasted fifteen and a half minutes and ended with the words "Can you feel the silence?" . NME magazine's Paul Du Noyer called the album "colossally smug and cosmically dull; an interminable, vacuous and drearily egotistical stab at spirituality: Into the muzak." Greil Marcus , whose previous writings had been favourably inclined towards Morrison, critically remarked: "It's Van acting

11655-603: Was excavated in the winter of 1939–40 by James A. Ford and George I. Quimby , for the Louisiana State Archaeological Survey , a joint project of Louisiana State University and the Work Projects Administration . West Baton Rouge Parish was formed in 1807; it was named Baton Rouge Parish until 1812. The Baton Rouge, Gross-Tete and Opelousas Railroad was chartered in 1853. The company had an eastern terminus on

11766-619: Was listed as number seventy-two on the NARM Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "Definitive 200". Over the next few years, he released a succession of albums, starting with a second one in 1970. His Band and the Street Choir had a freer, more relaxed sound than Moondance , but not the perfection , in the opinion of critic Jon Landau , who felt like "a few more numbers with a gravity of 'Street Choir' would have made this album as perfect as anyone could have stood." It contained

11877-471: Was making holy music even though he thought he was, and us rock critics had made our usual mistake of paying too much attention to the lyrics." Morrison's next album, Beautiful Vision , released in 1982, had him returning once again to the music of his Northern Irish roots. Well received by the critics and public, it produced a minor UK hit single, " Cleaning Windows ", that referenced one of Morrison's first jobs after leaving school. Several other songs on

11988-484: Was more adaptable than [Jimmy] Reed or most other bluesmen. His material not only made the national charts, but also proved to be quite adaptable for white artists on both sides of the Atlantic   ... A people-pleasing club entertainer, he certainly wasn't above working rock & roll rhythms into his music, along with hard-stressed, country & western vocal inflections   ... By the time his first single became

12099-586: Was no exception. The conveyance records on file with the Clerk-of-Court of West Baton Rouge Parish show that many plantation properties were sold at sheriff's sale to satisfy debts in the years immediately after the end of the Civil War. The Baton Rouge, Grosse Tete, and Opelousas Railroad resumed operation after the end of hostilities, but found the economy adverse, because of the devastation in agriculture. Moreover, its sixty-nine slaves had been emancipated and had to be replaced with hired labor. Furthermore,

12210-551: Was ranked No. 110 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . In January 2007, "Brown Eyed Girl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . Following the death of Berns in 1967, Morrison became involved in a contract dispute with Berns' widow, Ilene Berns , that prevented him from performing on stage or recording in the New York area. The song "Big Time Operators", released in 1993,

12321-417: Was starving, literally ." Released in 1968, the album originally received an indifferent response from the public, but it eventually achieved critical acclaim. The album is described by AllMusic 's William Ruhlmann as hypnotic, meditative, and as possessing a unique musical power. It has been compared to French Impressionism and mystical Celtic poetry. A 2004 Rolling Stone magazine review begins with

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