The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band which formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1965. The band consisted of Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (organ), Robby Krieger guitar and John Densmore (drums). In this configuration, the band released six albums all of which were successful and released two US #1 hit singles - 1967's Light My Fire and 1968's "Hello, I Love You". After Morrison's death in 1971, the band continued on as a trio, releasing two more albums that were ignored commercially and disliked critically before disbanding in 1973 UCLA film school students Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek had known each other at college and met by chance on Venice beach in July 1965. Morrison told Manzarek he had been writing songs and, at Manzarek's encouragement, sang "Moonlight Drive". Manzarek immediately suggested they form a band. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek was already in the band called Rick And The Ravens with Morrison and his brother Rick Manzarek while Robby Krieger and John Densmore were playing with The Psychedelic Rangers , and knew Manzarek from shared meditation instruction. In August Densmore joined the group and, along with members of the Ravens and an unidentified female bass player, recorded a six song demo on September 2. This was widely bootlegged and appeared in full on the 1997 Doors box set. That month the group recruited talented guitarist Robby Krieger and the final lineup—Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore—was complete. Manzarek solved their lack of bassist by playing bass on a Fender Rhodes bass keyboard with his left hand and keyboards with his right hand. The band took their name from the title of a book by Aldous Huxley , The Doors of Perception , which was in turn borrowed from a line of poetry by the 18th century artist and poet William Blake : "If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite." By 1966 the group was playing The London Fog club and soon graduated to

Read The Doors biography