Few bands embody the spirit of late ‘60s hippie counterculture like The Doors, although there was poetic darkness behind their song lyrics, and earthy blues and jazz roots to their sound.
Nonetheless, they certainly let it all hang out – to the extent that frontman Jim Morrison’s stage antics one night in Miami were described by the fuzz as “lewd and lascivious”. The Doors formed in 1965, following a beach meeting between Morrison and college mate Ray Manzarek, a keyboard player in possession of some childhood classical piano training. With guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore on board, the band cut their first, eponymous LP in 1967, featuring Light My Fire, which went to No.1.
Five more albums followed, the last being LA Woman. By the time of its release, Morrison had already escaped to Paris with his girlfriend. He died there just a few months later, becoming another member of the “27 Club”. The band continued as a trio until 1973, recording three further albums, but things weren’t the same without Morrison’s star quality. A controversial 1991 film by Oliver Stone took considerable artistic licence but made a new generation aware of the band – and especially its frontman, whose Paris grave is a pilgrimage site for admirers.
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The Doors on Stage
Photo by: Yale Joel © Life Picture Collection
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Jim Morrison at The Aquarius Theatre
Photo by: Ed Caraeff
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Jim Morrison in Red
Photo by: Yale Joel © Life Picture Collection
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Jim in New York
Photo by: Yale Joel © Life Picture Collection
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The Doors at the Fillmore East
Photo by: Yale Joel © Life Picture Collection
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Jim Morrison, 1968
Photo by: Yale Joel © Life Picture Collection
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The Doors play the Bowl
Photo by: Ed Caraeff
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Jim Morrison, The Doors
Photo by: The Michael Spencer Jones Archive
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The Doors in Hamburg ’69
Photo by: The Michael Spencer Jones Archive
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Jim Morrison’s Grave
Photo by: Bridgeman Images
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