The Doors | Artist

Doors frontman Jim Morrison died in 1971 at the age of 27, tragically joining that illustrious group of brilliant yet ill-fated artists known as the "27 Club"

The Doors were an American rock band formed 1965 in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. In the space of five years between 1967-1971 they recorded six classic psych infused blues-rock albums and became one of the leading bands of their era. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison's lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as an important figure of the era's counterculture. The band began with a chance meeting between acquaintances Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach in July 1965. They recognized each other as they had both attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Manzarek was then in an unsuccessful band called Rick & the Ravens with his brothers Rick and Jim, while drummer John Densmore was playing with the Psychedelic Rangers and knew Manzarek from meditation classes. Densmore joined the group, combining their varied musical backgrounds, from jazz, rock, blues, and folk music. The five, along with bass player Patty Sullivan, recorded a six-song demo on September 2, 1965. In late 1965, after Manzarek's two brothers left, guitarist Robby Krieger joined. Bassist Patty Sullivan moved on and the band continued without a permanent bassist, instead relying on the bass notes of Ray Manzarek's Fender Rhodes keyboard. From February to May 1966, the group had a residency at the rundown and sleazy Los Angeles club London Fog, appearing on the bill with "Rhonda Lane Exotic Dancer." But soon graduated to the more esteemed Whisky a Go Go, where they became the house band. There they were spotted by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman, who was present at the recommendation of Love singer Arthur Lee. They soon signed with Elektra and started a long and successful partnership with producer Paul A. Rothchild and sound engineer Bruce Botnick. The Doors were fired from the Whisky on August 21, 1966, when Morrison added an explicit retelling and profanity-laden version of the Greek myth of Oedipus during "The End." They recorded their self-titled debut album around August 1966, at Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles. The album, which contains the singles "Breakon Through" and "Light My Fire" is today regarded as a masterpiece. "Light My Fire" became a hit and catapulted the band to mainstream recognition through high profile US TV shows The Ed Sullivan Show and The Jonathan Winters Show. Over the next four years The Doors rode a roller-coaster of fame and disaster fuelled by their combined musical creativity which was ultimately derailed by Jim Morrison's hedonistic alcohol and drug fuelled self-destructive urges. On March 11, 1971, near the end of the mixing of L.A. Woman, Morrison took a leave of absence from the Doors and moved to Paris with Pamela Courson. On July 3, 1971, following months of residency, Morrison was found dead in the bath by Courson. The cause of death was listed as heart failure, and he was buried in the "Poets' Corner" of Père Lachaise Cemetery on July 7. After Morrison died, the surviving members considered replacing him with several new people, such as Paul McCartney on bass, and Iggy Pop on vocals. But after neither of these worked out, Krieger and Manzarek took over lead vocal duties themselves. They released two further studio albums but without their shamanic frontman the magic was gone. Outstanding Doors albums include The Doors (1967), Strange Days (1967), Waiting for the Sun (1968), Morrison Hotel (1970), L.A. Woman (1971) and Absolutely Live (1970). The band took its name from the title of English writer Aldous Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception", which was itself a reference to a quote by the English poet William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which contains the passage "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite."

Artist Website: thedoors.com

Featured Albums: The Doors

Related Artists: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek

Collections: 27 Forever