Van Morrison, honoured by Her Majesty the Queen with an OBE, became a member of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Born George Ivan Morrison (31 August 1945) and known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are described as transcendental, 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 critically acclaimed and appear at the top of many greatest album lists.