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Ray Manzarek
Ray Manczarek was born in Chicago, the son of Polish immigrants. He was raised in a middle-class environment and started taking piano lessons at an early age.
In 1960, while studying at the University of California in L.A., he got to know Jim Morrison. They soon became friends and Jim even shared an apartment with Ray and his girlfriend Dorothy for a while. During that time they began experimenting with drugs, mostly cannabis and LSD.
Impressed by Morrison’s poetic potential, Manzarek suggested to form a band. In the summer of 1965, the two of them founded the legendary The Doors in Venice Beach, California. The band got its name at Morrisons's suggestion from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors Of Perception. Manzarek met guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore at a Transcendental Meditation lecture and recruited them for the band.
After a few shows around Los Angeles The Doors were signed by Columbia, but by mutual agreement, the contract was dissolved without a record being released.
They started playing frequently at the ‘’Whiskey A Go-Go and before too long were popular in the local music scene.
Music label Elektra Records signed the band and, on January 4th 1967, their self-titled debut album ‘The Doors’ was released. It immediately became an international success and included popular titles such as The End, Light My Fire and Alabama Song.
Shortly after the release of L.A. Woman, Jim Morrison died on the 3rd of July 1971 in Paris. This was the end for the band.
Ray Manzarek made several attempts to start a solo career, without major success. In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger started playing together again, renaming themselves as The Doors of the 21st Century, with Ian Astbury of The Cult on vocals. Densmore opted to sit out and would, along with Morrison's parents, sue the duo over improper use of the band's name. The court ruled in the favour and, after a short time as ‘Riders On the Storm’, they settled on the name Manzarek-Krieger and continued to tour.
Around early 2013, Manzarek was diagnosed with bile duct cancer and traveled to Germany for special treatment. On May 20th, 2013, he died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74.