I never bought the commercial thing, at any stage of the game.

Then when he heard Jimmy Giuffre playing saxophone on "The Train and The River" he talked his father into buying him a saxophone and took lessons in tenor sax and music reading. Them: 1964–66

The roots of Them the band that first broke Morrison on the international scene came in April 1964 when Morrison responded to an advert for musicians to play at a new R&B club at the Maritime Hotel – an old dance hall frequented by sailors. 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.

His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B such as the popular singles "Brown Eyed Girl" "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" "Domino" and "Wild Night". Morrison continues to record and tour producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received sometimes collaborating with other artists such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains.