COMMERCIAL success may have eluded him over the last 30 years, but Van the Man has remained one of our most treasured musical possessions.

The Irish singer-songwriter, whose most famous song, Brown Eyed Girl, was never released as a single in the UK but still became a bona fide radio classic, has recorded more than 20 studio albums in his time.

Born to musician parents in Ireland in 1945, Morrison received an early schooling in jazz and blues. After touring as a jazz saxophonist with The Monarchs, he founded his own band, Them, who scored a couple of chart hits in the mid-60s.

17 September, Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth. Performance: 7.30pm. Tickets: from £26. Box office: 01202 456456.