Lewis Merenstein, producer on Van Morrison's classic Astral Weeks and Moondance LPs. With his jazz background, he is credited with assembling and surrounding Morrison with the expert backing band - bassist Richard Davis (who Merenstein called "the soul of the album"), guitarist Jay Berliner, percussionist Warren Smith Jr. and drummer Connie Kay - that gave Astral Weeks its distinctive, ethereal sound, has since been recognized as one of the greatest artistic statements in music, landing on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums along with its 1970 follow-up Moondance, with Merenstein serving as executive producer on that LP.