Mandela Hall

Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, born on 31 August 1945, is a Northern Irish musician, singer, and songwriter whose recording career began in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have achieved commercial success in the UK and Ireland, with over 40 reaching the UK Top 40, and have also charted in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades, including the release of Latest Record Project, Volume 1 in 2021. Eighteen of his albums have reached the top 40 in the United States, with twelve of these released between 1997 and 2017. Since turning 70 in 2015, Morrison has released more than one album per year on average. His awards include two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and inductions into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland.