THE DOORS

The Doors, named after Huxley's novel "The Doors of Perception", were one of the most popular acts of the late 1960s, displaying all of the complexity and controversy that evolved around the 1960s. Their group’s lead singer, Jim Morrison, was one of the most controversial and complicated artists of the time, which made the group’s personality, sound, and image dark and deviant.

The Doors formed in 1965 in Los Angeles when two UCLA film students, Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek became friends. The group consisted of Jim Morrison on lead vocals, Ray Manzarek on keyboards, John Densmore on drums and Robby Krieger on guitar. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics.

The group hit it big in 1967 with their most popular hit song, “Light My Fire”, which was the number one song during what was known as the Summer of Love. The debut album was a huge hit; and is still viewed as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but appealing melodies, the band sounded like no other.

Morrison’s physical appearance and stage performances helped the band become an instant success. He became one of the major sex symbols during this time. However, his antics, along with his alcohol and drug abuse would also make him a controversial figure.
Morrison was arrested many times on stage for his behavior. He would often shout out obscenities during live performances, which was not a proper thing to do during the 1960’s. But his most infamous incident came in 1969 when he was accused of exposing himself while performing on stage. Morrison’s behavior became more and more unpredictable and erratic but despite his drug abuse and later alcoholism, the group still performed and recorded music together.

The group recorded one of their most prolific albums, L.A. Woman, which was noted as the group going back to their blues and jazz influences, and released two hits, "Love Her Madly" and "Riders of the Storm". After their last album, Morrison took a break and moved to Paris but he would not return to the States.

He was found dead in his Paris apartment of an apparent heart attack, but his girlfriend later admitted that she injected him with some heroin that caused Morrison to have an overdose.

Listen to: The Doors - Touch Me