Sections
Jim Morrison-Vocals
Robbie Krieger-Base Guitar
Ray Manzarek-Organ, Keyboards
John Densmore-Drums
Credit Article Below to The Ancient Gallery
For five short years The Doors were the most influential rock band in America. Led by the enigmatic Jim Morrison, they produced music which, although laden with violence, sex and death, was bouncy, funky and timelessly commercial. So much power did Morrison have over his audience that he could incite them to riot at will. He was cool, sexy, complex and turned in the most energetic performances ever seen at that time. He was also a young man who possesed a personality which thrived on excess and it was this excessive lifestyle that turned him from a beautifully lithe, aggressive rebel to a bloated, shabby alcoholic and, probably, finally destroyed him. He died in Paris in mysterious circumstances in July 1971.
In the twenty years since he died, Jim Morrison has gradually been rehabilitated into one of the most widely revered heroes of the Sixties and the contemporary rock audience find him something that cannot be found in the musicians of its own generation-defiance won with courage. It is that courage that today's audience recognizes and lives about him and they refuse to let him die. Jim Morrison stated in the Doors' early days: "I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps 'Oh, look at that!' Then-whoosh, and I'm gone...and they'll never see anything like it ever again...and they won't be able to forget me-ever." He was right
James Douglas Morrison, the said "Jim Morrison" is born the 8th December 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. He has a brother, Andy, and a sister, Anne; Clara & Steve Morrison's son. In 1956, his family is setting up house in California, where he writes some poems which have been sung later. After the University of San Diego (alone the Philosophy learning interests him), he registers himself to the Cinema University of UCLA, at Los Angeles. In 1967 he decided to found a Rock group, "The Doors" with Ray Manzarek, a friend he met at UCLA. They both looked for a percussionist & a guitar player, and found Robbie Krieger & John Densmore.
The vocalist & leader of the group was Jim Morrison. He was the anti lead-vocal prototype of the 60's, usually young people with little culture, but a man whose -deep- knowledge on the classics & contemporaneous philosophists was not an obstacle for initiating a rock revolution.
Ray Manzarek was an excellent piano player, instrument that he studied for a long time. He was, undoubtely, the most complete musician on the group. In some songs he used one hand for the organ and the other for electric bass and even once in a concert he had to sing too while Morrison felt unconscious ...
Robbie Krieger was also a very complete guitar player, and even song-writer. Some of Door's most famous songs were written by him (Light My Fire between them).
It's been said about John Densmore that he wasn't a good percussionist, that he was kind of monotonous, I don't agree with this, but I do think he was just what The Doors music needed.
In fact, The Doors Style just wouldn't exist without any of them ...
There's been much talk about the weirdness of Jim's songs and poems. It's true they differed from the ordinary standards of a rock group, but perhaps that's where The Doors success lies. Jim Morrison had huge amounts of culture; he declared himself many times a fan and student of Arthur Rimbaud, Wagner, Aldous Huxley, Nietzsche. The name of the group was taken from the title of one of William Blakes famous poems, "The marriage of heaven and hell" (when the doors of perception are cleansed things will appear to man as the truly are, infinte). Jim Morrison was qualified of "Rimbaud of black leather".
This page produced by Tim Kendall (Email at: timkendall@nf.sympatico.ca) and Chris Lahey.Other Cool Doors Sites
The Crystal Ship
The Ancient Gallery
In our opinion, here are the 3 best Doors songs
