Bman's Blues Report

RAY MANZAREK DIES AT AGE 74 photo: Bob Hakins Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of the one of the most popular American rock groups of all time, The Doors, passed away today at the age of 74.   He was at a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany undergoing alternative medical treatments for cancer. Manzarek formed The Doors in 1965 after a chance encounter on Venice Beach with poet Jim Morrison. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock 'n' roll acts to emerge from the 1960's, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide, and receiving nineteen Gold, fourteen Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone.   In 1993, The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is Manzarek's keyboard work that serves as the iconic opening to one of the group's biggest hits, "Light My Fire."   And his keyboard-as-lead-instrument stylings were prominent on their other ground-breaking hits su...

Robert Alan "Robby" Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American rock guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time Robby Krieger was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. His first exposure to music was mostly classical, as his father was a big fan of marching music, until he heard Peter and the Wolf, which was the first music that really caught him. When he was seven, Krieger accidentally broke his record player, but the radio began to reach his ears playing the likes of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and the Platters. At 10, he tried the trumpet, but found it was not for him. He began playing the blues on his parents' piano with much more success than the trumpet. While Kr...

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer-songwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors. Following The Doors' explosive rise to fame in 1967, Morrison developed a severe alcohol and drug dependency that culminated in his death at the age of 27 in Paris. He is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. Morrison was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, he is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and number 22 on Classic Rock Magazine's "50 Greatest Singers In Rock" James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne...

John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal State Northridge; at the latter he studied ethnic music under jazz cellist Fred Katz. He joined The Doors in 1965 and remained a member until the band's dissolution in 1973. Densmore met keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture. Densmore says, "There wouldn't be any Doors without Maharishi." According to Densmore's own book, he quit the band on one occasion in reaction to Morrison's increasingly self-destructive behavior, although he returned the next day. He repeatedly suggested that the band stop touring, but Krieger and Manzarek were resistant to this notion. After the Doors' last performance with Morrison in New Orleans in 1970, the band agreed to discontinue performing live. Densmore ...

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors, as well as a poet. Following The Doors' explosive rise to fame in 1967, Morrison developed a severe alcohol and drug dependency that culminated in his death at the age of 27 in Paris. He is alleged to have died from an overdose of heroin, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. Morrison was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, he is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and number 22 on Classic Rock Magazine's "50 Greatest Singers In Rock". James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, to future Rear Admira...