This brown-eyed girl has a tune all her own

Shana Morrison has dark eyes. But she’s not the inspiration for “Brown Eyed Girl,” the song made famous by her father, Van Morrison.

It’s unclear who inspired it, though the sentiment seems to suggest an ex-lover. The lyrics — including “making love in the green grass” — were considered too explicit for the song to be played on many radio stations when it was released in 1967.

Shana Morrison grew up surrounded by musical influences, as might be expected of the daughter of the Grammy-winning Irish rock singer. Her mother, Janet, is a singer and songwriter who was Van’s muse for albums including “Moondance” and “Tupelo Honey.”

Though her music education began early, Morrison, 45, who was raised in Northern California, wasn’t interested in becoming a professional singer initially.

“My mom, dad and stepdad were all in the music business, and I didn’t want to be in the industry, having seen the inner workings,” Morrison said. “But I always enjoyed singing. I sang in choirs and I always had that singing bug, and when I graduated from college, I thought, ‘This will be fun to do for a year or two. I’ll make a CD and be done with it.’ But one thing led to another and I got swept up in it.”

Now, she has come into her own as an artist.

Morrison will be featured Sunday afternoon at Muldoon’s Irish Pub in Newport Beach, where she’ll perform songs ranging from traditional Irish and Van Morrison classics to melodies that are more blues- and R&B-oriented.

She also writes songs. When composing, Morrison said, she reflects on real-life situations that bring out emotion in lyric and sound.

She sings about a love defying reason in “Smoke on Bed,” reflects on a meditative outlook on life in “7 Wishes” and is joined by her father on backing vocals and harmonica for “Sometimes We Cry,” a song Van Morrison wrote for his 1997 album, “The Healing Game.”

Her career in music began in 1996, when she started performing with her band Caledonia in the San Francisco Bay area. She debuted her CD “Caledonia” under her own label, Belfast Violet Records, two years later, and the album was picked up by Monster Music.

She then finished a second album, this time with Roshan Records, and began booking tours across the country. In 2002, Morrison released her third studio album, “7 Wishes.” On it are two songs written by her father.

Morrison, who is based in Northern California, has opened shows for singers Lyle Lovett, Joe Cocker and Michael McDonald, among many others.

She sang beside her father for two years during his U.S. and U.K. tour dates.

And now they’ve united professionally again, with Morrison singing backup with her dad’s band and performing a duet with him on his latest album, “Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue.”

The new album, released in March, features reinterpreted songs with 16 duet partners, Steve Winwood, Natalie Cole and Michael Buble among them. The vocal collaborations don’t revisit any classic hits. Instead, Van thought it would be more interesting to spotlight lesser-known tunes from his repertoire.

“I learned a lot performing with him,” Morrison said. “It’s great working with him. It’s a fantastic band with so many songs, and it was challenging and fun.”

The production of the album dates to 2013, when Van selected artists he respected to recraft songs from his collection of 360. The musicians recorded the new arrangements in London and his hometown of Belfast.

A few of those songs will be performed at Sunday’s show. Morrison, who has played at Muldoon’s Irish Pub for over 20 years, said she always looks forward to a trip down the coast to share music with eager listeners.

“It’s just such a beautiful area, and it’s the kind of place I’m always excited to getting back to,” Morrison said. “I always enjoy it down there, and I hope everyone likes the show.”

Morrison is scheduled to play at 2 p.m. Sunday. Muldoon’s Irish Pub is at 202 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach. Admission is free. For more information, call (949) 640-4110 or visit muldoonspub.com