Jim Morrison was a singer-songwriter, poet and lead vocalist of the iconic American rock band, The Doors. The founding member of the band, Morrison, created six albums with them before he passed away in 1971 in France. In his short lifespan, he was known for his unique voice, personality and poetic lyrics which gave fans around the world hits like "Light My Fire" and "Roadhouse Blues" among others.
Formed in Los Angeles, in 1965 by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore, The Doors would rapidly rise to become one of the most iconic rock bands in history, and certainly one of the most fascinating.
FAMILY GUY SUCCESSFULLY ADOPTED MANY MUSICAL REFERENCES IN A WIDE RANGE OF GENRES FOR YEARS, AND ROCK MUSIC PLAYED A GREAT ROLE IN THE ICONIC SHOW.
When Jim Morrison died aged just 27 in 1971 in France, he had already left behind an immortal musical legacy as the mystical frontman of The Doors. The band struck gold early on with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1967. Their formula of poetic psychedelic blues struck a chord with the blossoming counterculture of babyboomer USA and soon found its way to foreign shores.
Though it’s often overshadowed by larger events of the era, America’s first rock festival—the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival—was held June 10 and 11, 1967, at Mount Tamalpais in Northern California. The location was a natural choice. The Summer of Love was blooming in nearby San Francisco and the hippie counterculture was ready to join together in celebration.
BANDMATES JOHN DENSMORE AND ROBBY KRIEGER HAVE BEEN AT LEGAL ODDS WITH EACH OTHER.
The Doors were a trippy and mystical bunch, but underneath it all were blues-based rockers who were lovers of dark poetry and bold imagery. Playing a large role in the counterculture of the 1960s, the band was comprised of vocalist and frontman Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore.
Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison are two of the biggest icons of the counterculture, and there remain some parallels to be drawn between them, not to mention their inclusion in the infamous ’27 Club’. However, it turns out that the two occasions in which the pair actually met were utterly disastrous, and their characters could not be more contrasting.
Since the early days of the music industry, many musicians have died in mystifying circumstances. Whether it be drug-related, suicide or murder, given that these figures are revered at the God-like level, many of us want to believe that there was something else at play and that simply chance or self-will was not enough to cause the death in question. Duly, it’s always the same questions that are floated around: Who else was present? Did they commit suicide? Was it an accident? Was it a murder?
We’re wrapping up the final week in a three-week celebration of Off The Road, marking a second anniversary of the series this month! To celebrate, three remarkable guitarists join us.
