Ray Manzarek was one of the most distinguished performers of his generation and his contribution to rock music, jazz and the world of film will be almost regarded as a second life in comparison to being the co-founder and keyboard player with one of America’s iconic bands, The Doors. The American musician has passed on after a battle against Bile-Duct Cancer at the age of 74 in Germany.
Lauded for his musical ability, Ray Manzarek was born and raised in the south side of Chicago. Originally wanting to play basketball, it was down to an argument over positioning that made him quit the team.
Between 1962 and 1965 he met the two people who would change his life irrevocably for the better. Whilst studying at U.C.L.A’s Department of Cinematography he met Jim Morrison and his future wife Dorothy Fujikawa. The famous meeting that led to the formation of The Doors on Venice Beach is now the stuff of legends and is one of the quirks of fate that make music so enjoyable when looking at the roots of bands. Jim Morrison told Ray that he had written some songs and when the elder expressed an interest in them, the poet whose own life would be cut short a few years later in Paris, sang a version of Moonlight Drive. After Jim Morrison finished, Manzarek co-founded The Doors on the spot.
The band, which included John Densmore and Robby Krieger, went on to become one of the most successful groups in American history, with such songs to their name as L.A. Woman, Riders on the Storm, Roadhouse Blues, Hyacinth and Hello, I Love You but despite the adulation, the success and the millions of fans, the band started to fall apart as Jim Morrison’s erratic behaviour on and off stage caused the group to self-destruct. With Jim Morrison’s sad passing in 1971, Ray kept the band together for a while but the magic was gone. However, to keep someone like Ray Manzarek down was impossibility. He went onto produce other bands, became an author of fiction and wrote the autobiography Light My Fire: My Life With The Doors.
His band mate in the Doors, Robby Krieger said, “I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek. I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”
One of the most distinctive performers in the history of music, Ray Manzarek’s influence on popular culture will be much missed.
Ray Manzarek: Born February 12th 1939, Chicago, United States Of America. Died May 20th 2013, Rosenheim, Germany. Ray leaves a widow, his wife Dorothy.