rock

Rock and Roll Jesus: The Spiritual songs of Van Morrison

George Ivan “Van” Morrison was born on August 31, 1945 in Belfast, No. Ireland at the end of World War II. His father was a Protestant and his mother was a Jehovah’s Witness.  Van was raised as a Protestant. Northern Ireland was divided along religious lines during this time, known as the Troubles. with the Protestants fighting with the Catholics for control of the country. The fighting between Protestants and Catholics lasted from 1960-1998,approximately.The Protestants were seen as Pro-Great Britain while the Catholics wanted independence from Britain and desired unification with Ireland.

When Van was fourteen, he convinced his father to buy him a saxophone and he devoted most of his time to mastering the instrument. By the time he was 15, he left school and began playing guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone in local bands. At this time in Ireland, if you weren’t cut out for school, you were expected to follow in your father’s footsteps and become a laborer. His first job was as a window washer. He commemorated that time in his life with the song, Cleaning Windows, released in 1981 on the album Beautiful Vision.

His musical journey begins

Van first toured Europe at 17 as a member of the “Monarchs”. But he got his big break with Gloria, when he fronted the band THEM from 1964 to 1966. He began his solo career in 1967, releasing his first big hit, Brown Eyed Girl. at the age of 22.

Throughout his career, one can find a random song with a spiritual twist or outright profession of a spiritual nature in the albums he released. Van was not embracing traditional religion but emphasizing feelings regarding his spiritual side. He once told an interviewer, that he wouldn’t touch religion with a ten-foot pole. He held the conviction that religion can mean anything from soup to nuts, but generally it meant organization with someone else calling the shots. To him, spirituality has a deeper meaning for each individual.

Discography:

If you research his discography, you will find an early spiritual bent on If I ever needed someone, from the album His Band and Street Choir (1970).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wO31lI-IW0&list=RD3wO31lI-IW0&start_radio=1

In 1977, he recorded Kingdom Hall, an homage to his mother, on the album Wavelength and Joyous Sound from A Period of Transition.

In 1982, he recorded the album Beautiful Vision which featured the songs She gives me Religion, Across the Bridge where Angels dwell and the title track Beautiful Vision.

The next year saw the release of Higher than the World from the album Inarticulate Speech of the Heart. In the liner notes, he dedicated the album to L. Ron Hubbard, the leader of Scientology. Van flirted with Scientology as a distant, pampered celebrity. The interest didn’t last long.

His greatest years recording and releasing Christian/Spiritual music was from 1985-1991 on four different albums.

In 1985, from the album A Sense of Wonder came the Masters Eyes, By His Grace and A Sense of Wonder

1986 Van released No Guru, No Method, No Teacher offering Someone Like You.

In 1989 came Avalon Sunset which included Whenever God shines his Light(with Cliff Richards), Have I told You Lately (that I love You), Contacting my Angel, When will I ever learn to Live in God, These are the Days and When the Saints come Marching In.

Then in 1991 the album Hymns for the Silence included I can’t stop Loving You, and See Me Through, Part II/ Just a Closer walk with You( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uQyWq2eTP0&list=RD_uQyWq2eTP0&start_radio=1)This album included classic Protestant hymns Be Thou my Vision and Just a Closer Walk with You in honor of his upbringing.

Here are the lyrics and the YouTube link to one such song, Whenever God shines his Life:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–XE4CYGRSY

Whenever God shines his light on me
Opens up my eyes so I can see
When I look up in the darkest night
Then I know everything’s going to be alright
In deep confusion, in great despair
When I reach out for him, he is there
When I am lonely as I can be
I know that God shines his light on me

Reach out for him, he’ll be there
With him your troubles you can share
If you live the life you love
You get the blessing from above
He heals the sick and he heals the lame
Says you can do it too in Jesus name

He’ll lift you up and he turns you around
And he puts your feet back on higher ground

Reach out for him, he’ll be there
With him your troubles you can share
You can use his higher power
In every day and any hour
He heals the sick and he heals the lame
And he says you can heal them too in Jesus name

He’ll lift you up and he turns you around
Puts your feet back on higher ground

When he shines his light
Whenever God shines his light
On you, on you
He is the way
He is the truth
He is the light
Oh

Van Morrison continues to make new music and occasionally does a few live performances. I have not yet explored the later albums since 1991, at this time. Van earned the ability to produce his own records and refuse the pressures from the record companies to give them hits. The hits came in spite of the pressure from “the suits”.

In 2020, during the worldwide COVID pandemic, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton were contrarians to the prevailing demands that everyone get vaccinated. The two of them garnered their share of enemies from the worldwide music community but it didn’t stop them from standing on their principles and beliefs.

I encourage you to listen to the songs that I have highlighted and see what new ones you may find. I welcome your comments regarding new tunes that you discover which would fit well with the Rock and Roll Jesus theme.

This new blog is the sixth in the series Rock and Roll Jesus, which turns the spotlight on songs of a spiritual nature from a contemporary artist who is not considered part of the New Christian Artist world of music. Each blog can be found at Substack as well as here in Do You Believe In Magic.

My only live experience seeing Van perform was back in Sept. 2019 when I saw him perform as part of the Willie Nelson Outlaw Music touring festival. My friend Steve Morse and I caught them at the Pavillion at Montage Mountain in Scranton,PA. His set was sandwiched between sets by the Tedeschi Trucks band and Willie Nelson and friends. Van did not disappoint!

You are encouraged to explore all of my previous blogs at DoYouBelieveInMagic.Blog. Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome. Please share your thoughts on any of the songs or any personal experiences you may have with Morrison’s music.

Remembering Bob Weir: the end of an era

On January 10, I was making dinner at home when I received a text from my friend Jim, who wrote,” Just saw Bobby didn’t make it”. That caught me off guard and by surprise. I turned to social media for more information and I read a post from Bob Weir’s account announcing the tragic news that he died from underlying lung issues after courageously battling cancer. I was floored, this hit hard. It felt the way it would hearing that a friend had suddenly and unexpectedly died. I got emotional and then broke the news to my wife, a fellow Deadhead. She looked at me incredulously as she tried to process the news. After that, I began receiving text messages from friends, near and far, offering condolences to me, knowing how much I loved Bob and the Grateful Dead. This news hit me as a personal loss, something that would affect me.

That night, I spent hours by myself, listening to Sirius’s Grateful Dead channel. There an impromptu show was broadcasted featuring the long-time hosts of the weekly talk show,” the Golden Road” along with long time roadie Big Steve Parrish. For three hours, I listened to the show while reading parts of a novel. I needed some time to process this terrible news. One comment that struck me as sage advice to those of us who were mourning,” Don’t cry because it’s over, Smile because it happened. ” I’m working on this.

It has been said many times; there is nothing like a Grateful Dead show and they were right. One could attend consecutive shows and not hear a song repeated. The community that the Grateful Dead organically grew is a tight group of characters. The feeling at their shows is like a family reunion with folks meeting up with old time and long, lost friends. People react to others in a gentler manner than one would expect. But the biggest and best part of it all is the music, where no song is ever played the same way. The Grateful Dead played more concerts than any other band in the US or UK. Following the Grateful Dead put you in touch with a culture of living, loving and dancing!

Through all of this the steady influence was Bob Weir. In 1963, he joined Jerry Garcia in a jug band called the Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. They later became the Warlocks and in 1965 adopted the moniker the Grateful Dead. For the next 30 years, they toured extensively, much more than most performers of the day.

In 1972, I was a 17-year-old just getting into the live music scene. Friends and I were attending an Allman Brothers band concert in the Bronx, NY on an August afternoon. The band was coming out for their encore when a stage roadie announced to the sound booth that particular microphones would be used by Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir. With Dead drummer Bill Kruetzman joining the mix, the Allmans and the member of the Dead delved into a 45-minute rendition of “Mountain Jam”, a take on the 1967 Donovan tune, There is a mountain. I was hooked and that performance burned in my memory to this day.

In 1974, I saw my first Grateful Dead concert at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ. It was a Wall of Sound show, something the Dead attempted for that year only. Over the years, I saw the Grateful Dead 14 times, including the Cornell, NY show on May 8, 1977. My last Grateful Dead show was in Atlanta, Ga on March 27, 1995.During this 21-year run, I also saw the Jerry Garcia band six times but only saw one Bob Weir led band, Kingfish, at the Beacon Theatre in NYC.

After Jerry died, Bobby along with bassist Phil Lesh carried on the legacy of the band they gave life to. Together and separately, they kept the music alive. They toured the country, encountering Deadheads at every turn. The music was well received and kept the camaraderie going. I caught Bob Weir and RatDog five times, Phil Lesh and friends three times and Billy Kreutzman’s BK3 once.  In the early 2000’s they toured as the Dead, with Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring on lead guitar. I saw them twice. In 2009, Phil and Bobby joined forces as Furthur, a nod to the destination posted on the front end of the Merry Pranksters/Ken Kesey traveling bus. For two years, in 2012 and ’13, I saw the Weir/Lesh led Furthur six times! I usually wound up going two nights in row during a weekend. Then, in 2015, I was in attendance for the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary celebrations at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

After the 50th anniversary shows in Chicago, Bob announced that he and original band drummer Billy Kreutzman along with longtime drummer Micky Hart, had formed a new band they called Dead and Company. Along with John Mayer on lead guitar, former Allman Brother Oteil Burbage on bass and Bob’s long bandmate Jeff Chimenti on keyboards, they toured from the fall of 2015 until the 60th anniversary show, last August 2025 in San Francisco. During this run of concerts, I saw the band 15 times in 10 years,including the final shows in 2023 in San Francisco and three shows at the Sphere,Las Vegas in 2024 and ’25.

Why did I detail my ventures seeing Bob Weir and his bandmates? When you have consistently been listening to the music and seeing the shows for more than 50 years, you form a bond on different levels. That is why this one really hurt.

Adding it all up it was 69 shows in 52 years. The music that this band created was the soundtrack of my life. Nary a day would go by where the music of the Dead wasn’t played. I loved being a Deadhead and wore it like a badge of pride all these years. Phil Lesh passed away on October 25, 2024 at the age of 84. Fifteen months later, Bobby joined him, Jerry, Pig Pen, Keith and Donna, Brent Mydland and Vince Welnick, hopefully to make beautiful music once again.

The music will go on with artists that will honor the legacy of the Grateful Dead. However, the era of a Dead bandmate leading a group of talented musicians to pay homage to the Grateful Dead is now gone.  When someone brings you such happiness for over 50 years, losing them unexpectedly is hard to take. Sure, I’ll press on, but a huge part of my life is gone and “he’s ain’t coming back”.

May the four winds blow you safely home, Bobby

Patti Smith and Lucinda Williams: Highlights, Twilights and Sunsets

 Every year, Charleston, SC hosts a 17-day Music and Arts festival, lovingly called the Spoleto Festival. During this stretch yearly, the organizers seek to bring to their audience performers of renown. Be it the theatre, ballet, orchestral music, dance or the visual arts, there is something to capture the attention of nearly everyone who travel near and far to revel in the cultural wonders presented.

Amongst this year’s performers in the live music category were two ladies whom I have longed to see perform, but which opportunity has escaped me. Not this year. The lineup of artists who were to descend on the stage at the Cistern, on the campus of the College of Charleston, was impressive. Among the performers were the Band of Horses, a solo performance by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Yo La Tango, Patti Smith and Lucinda Williams. I was fortunate to see Patti Smith and Lucinda Williams, separated by 5 days. One feature that made these outdoor shows so special was the setting of the Cistern, a walled space graced by magnificently mature live oak trees, complete with outdoor lights and comfortable chairs.

The Cistern deserves some special recognition for the climate it creates. This space gets use at graduation for a few days and serves the College for varied purposes throughout the year. But for nearly two weeks each year, it is transformed into an intimate, outdoor space for great performances.

Truth be told, I have never seen either artist throughout the careers. I wanted to experience the Queen of Punk Rock, Patti Smith and the Country/Folk/Rock artistry of Lucinda Williams. Both performances went on without the weather limiting the time we could spend with these artists.

For those who may not be unfamiliar with either artist, let me make the introduction.

Patti Smith is the mother of Punk Rock, hailing from S. Jersey. She’s been at it for over 50 years and laid the path for so many female rock/folk artists to come. She made famous her version of Bruce Springsteen’s, “Fire” and her biggest hit is a protest anthem, “People have the Power”. She puts her activist feelings into note and verse. Her voice is still strong and her energy level is exemplary for someone in their late 70s.

Lucinda Williams has been captivating audiences for more than 40 years. The singer songwriter hails from Lake Charles, LA. Her songwriting, whether for herself or another artist, is well crafted and begs for your attention. One of her best received albums was 1998’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album that year. Over the years she has gathered seventeen Grammy nominations. She wrote The Night’s Too Long for Patti Loveless in 1990, Passionate Kisses for Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1992 and Crescent City for Emmylou Harris in 1993.She has been adored by concert goers for as long as I can remember. In November, 2020 she suffered a stroke which affected the left side of her body. She was discovered with a blood clot on the right side of her brain. She underwent extensive rehabilitation and she has made a remarkable comeback, judging by her performance this month in Charleston.

As the last verses of Lucinda Williams set closer, Rockin’ in the Free World by Neil Young, got us out of our seats, I couldn’t help but think of what I had witnessed these nights in early June.

Keep up the good work, ladies!

#pattismith #lucindawilliams #thecistern #doyoubelieveinmagic #spolettofestival2025

Remembering 2024’s Lost Musicians and Artists

In 2022,2023 and now for 2024, I publish my list of musicians and artists who passed away that year. As we age, many contemporary artists who we have enjoyed their artistry have died and many get overlooked by the masses. It is my hope that this monthly abbreviated obituary will bring back good memories of great times we enjoyed listening to these artists. Following the calendar:

JANUARY:

*Joyce Randolph (15) 99 years~ Played Trixie, Ed Norton’s wife on the Honeymooners

*May Weiss (19) 75 years Lead singer of the Shangri-Las, whose biggest hit was Leader of the Pack

*Melanie Safka (23) 76 years ~Huge in the 60’s and early 70’s. Was known simply as Melanie and her biggest hit were Brand new key and Lay Down (candles in the rain)

*Chita Rivera (30) 91 years~- actress and dancer, two-time Tony Award winner

FEBRUARY:

*Wayne Kramer (2) 75 years ~co-founder of MC5, a Punk rock band

Toby Keith (5) 62 years-country artist best know for Red Solo Cup and more than 20 top Country tunes. Never smoke weed with Willie again along with great patriotic tunes are part of his legacy.

*Mojo Nixon-(7) 66 years- Singer/Songwriter and Sirius XM DJ. Famous for “Elvis is everywhere“.

*Jimmy Van Eaton (9) 86 years. Drummer on early Sun Records, playing for Jerry Lee Lewis amongst others.

MARCH:

*Brit Turner (3) 57 years ~drummer for Blackberry Smoke

*Steve Lawrence (7) 88 years ~Pop crooner very popular in the 50s to the 70s. Married to singer Eydie Gorme.

*Eric Carmen (9) 74 years ~ lead singer of the Raspberries

*Byron Janis (14) 95 years ~classic pianist who toured Russia in the 1960s as part of a cultural exchange

*Steve Harley (17) 73 years ~lead singer of the 70s glam rock band, “Cockney Rebels”

APRIL:

Casey Benjamin (2) 45 years ~Jazz saxophonist

*Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry (7) 87 years ~R&B singer, famous for “Ain’t got no home’

*Ben Eldridge (14) 85 years ~Banjo player and founder of folk band Seldom Scene

*Dickey Betts (18) 80 years ~original Allman Bros. band guitarist and singer

*Mandisa Lynn Hundley (18) 47 years ~Grammy award winning Christian music artist

*Nick Daniels III (27) 68 years ~bass player with Dumpstafunk

*Duane Eddy (30) 86 year ~ Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, famous for the lead guitar on ‘Peter Gunn’

MAY:

*Jim Mills (3)57 years ~Banjo player with Ricky Skaggs and vintage instrument trader

*Steve Albini (7) 61 years ~producer for Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey. Front man for Big Black and Shellac

*Bill Walton (27) 71 years ~College Basketball (UCLA) and NBA Champion (Portland and Boston) and the world’s biggest Deadhead

JUNE:

*Kinky Freidman (27) 79 years ~Singer, songwriter and irreverent self-proclaimed Texas Jew boy

*Martin Mull (27) 80 years ~Comedian and actor

JULY:

*Joe Egan (6) 77 years ~member of Steelers Wheel, ‘Stuck in the middle with you’

*Joe Bonsall (7) 76 years ~Oak ridge Boys singer

*Bob Newhart (18) 94 years ~Comedian and actor

*John Mayall (22) 90 years ~English Blues legend and band leader

AUGUST:

*Shaun Martin (3) 45 years ~keyboards for Snarky Puppy

*Maurice Williams (6) 86 years ~singer of Stay and other Motown hits

*Greg Kihn (13) 75 years ~top 20 hit maker including the Breakup song and Our Loves in Jeopardy

*Gena Rowlands (14) 94 years ~Four time Emmy Award actress and two-time Golden Globe winner

*Peter Marshall (15) 98 years ~ Hollywood Squares TV game host

*Steve Silberman (29) 66 years ~studied under Alan Ginsberg, wrote for Wired magazine, inside access to the Grateful Dead and CSNY

SEPTEMBER:

*Sergio Mendes (5) 83 years ~leader of Brazil 64&66. Innovator of the Bossa Nova sound

*James Earl Jones (9) 93 years ~Actor and character voice in many movies

*Tito Jackson (16) 70 years ~brother and member of the Jackson 5

*John David ‘JD’ Souther (17) 78 years ~singer, songwriter and member of the Eagles

*Kris Kristofferson (28) 88 years ~Singer, songwriter, actor and Rhodes Scholar

OCTOBER:

*Johnny Neal (6) 78 years ~played keyboards and harmonica for the Allman Brothers and the Dickey Betts band

*Cissy Houston (7) 91 years ~2-time Grammy award winning gospel singer, mother of Whitney Houston

*Liam Payne (16) 31 years ~former member of One Direction

*Phil Lesh (25) 84 years ~Bassist for the Grateful Dead, the Dead, the Other Ones, Furthur, Phil and Friends and the Terrapin Family band

NOVEMBER:

*Quincy Jones (3) 91 years ~record producer and musical influencer

*Blake Rhea (6) 48 years ~ Bassist for Southern Avenue…murdered in a Memphis bar

*Lou Donaldson (9) 98 years ~Jazz and Bebop musician and innovator

DECEMBER:

*Zakir Hussain (15) 73 years ~Indian Tabla virtuoso, performed with Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum

Likely, I missed someone in the music and entertainment business this past year. Let me know who passed by under my radar in 2024 that touched your heart. My list is purely subjective.