REMEMBERING RAY.....

The music industry is currently mourning the loss of one of its gems.Ray Manzarek,keyboardist and founding member of the Doors has just passed away at age 74.

Ray Manzarek,aside from lead singer Jim Morrison, is considered to be the "soul" of the band.His keyboard playing were pretty hypnotic and way ahead of his time-alas,he made his signature riff and will always be remembered as one of the unique sounds of psychedelic rock.

Ray met his future bandmate and lead singer Jim Morrison  
while studying cinematography in UCLA,they both ran each other off after they had graduated and Ray took time to listen to Jim's poems in which he described as the greatest lyrics he has ever heard.

With the addition of Robbie Krieger on guitar and John Densmore on drums--the Doors went ahead.With a record contract signed with Elektra Records,the Doors released their debut album with much success.

The Doors l-r:Manzarek,Densmore,Morrison and Krieger

One would argue that Manzarek's signature riff on "Light My Fire" is one of the greatest keyboard riffs in rock music and is hailed as one of the great classic rock hits ever to come out in the last fifty years.

The Doors became notorious in the mid sixties as their concerts and lyrics became more and more adventurous,riots became common in most of the band's live performances.With Morrison,who slowly transformed from being a guy- next-door type to a pudgy drunk,he became noted for raising hell onstage,as the few mindless and drugged out kids were provoked to "roll up! roll up! come and see the freaks" dilemma.

The band released more albums with equal success as their concerts become more and more dangerous that urged several city officials to ban them from doing further live shows.

Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison

When Jim died of a drug overdose in Paris,Manzarek continued to be active in the music industry releasing several unreleased and unheard Doors material in which most were taken from their previous sessions when Jim Morrison was alive but never saw the light of the day.


Manzarek also released several solo albums like The Golden Scarab released in 1973 that was to be followed by 1974's  The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now Its Out of Control.

 The Doors were inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993, Manzarek along with Krieger and Densmore happily received their statuettes.

In 2001,Manzarek and former Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger decided to reunite and tour once again as the Doors minus drummer John Densmore-who turned out to have feuded with the two of them for years.The band was christened The Doors of the 21st Century: filling in for the late Jim Morrison is Ian Astbury of the Cult,with Stewart Copeland (former member of the Police) on drums and Angelo Barbera on bass.The Doors in the 1960s never had a bass player-they always had to rely on Manzarek's keyboard and foot pump to fill in for the bass part,so the addition of a bass player for this group has been a surprise for most of the Doors' fans.

The band toured for a while but not for long,former bandmate John Densmore filed a lawsuit against Manzarek and Krieger for using the Doors name and thus declared himself entitled for that name as well.The result was that the band had changed its name to Riders Of The Storm taking it from one signature song recorded by them.They changed their name again to Manzarek-Krieger hereby forming a duo with a backing band.

Manzarek was portrayed by actor Kyle McLachlan in the 1991 biopic "The Doors" written and directed by Oliver Stone.

 Manzarek died on May 20,2013 after a long battle with bile duct cancer.

Ray Manzarek may be gone but his legacy lives on,that haunting sound on "Light My Fire" and "Hello I Love You" will always remain in the hearts of anyone who'll put in a Doors CD and furthermore to every kid curious enough to explore the power and mystery of rock music.

Ray Manzarek playing keyboard with the Doors 1967

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio