Doors co-founder
and keyboardist Ray Manzarek died last night in Rosenheim, Germany after a long
battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74.
To be honest,
I just heard the sad news. So I collected a few info about his life and his
work from internet sites, and I’m just copy them here. No time to make a big
research and write something on my own I’m affraid. Either way, the result is the same. A very big
and respected musician in Rock music is no more walking this Earth…
R.I.P
Raymond Daniel Manzarek…
Manzarek
grew up in Chicago, then moved to Los Angeles in 1962 to study film at UCLA. It
was there he first met Doors singer Jim Morrison, though they didn't talk about
forming a band until they bumped into each other on a beach in Venice,
California in the summer of 1965 and Morrison told Manzarek that he had been
working on some music. "And there it was!" Manzarek wrote in his 1998
biography, Light My Fire. "It dropped quite simply, quite
innocently from his lips, but it changed our collective destinies."
They quickly
teamed up with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger and began
playing gigs around Los Angeles. About a year later, the Doors recorded their
debut album for Elektra Records. "We knew once people heard us, we'd be
unstoppable," Manzarek wrote in his memoir. "We knew what the people
wanted: the same thing the Doors wanted. Freedom."
The Doors
didn't have a bassist, so Manzarek often played the bass parts on his Fender
Rhodes piano. He also played a Vox Continental organ, which can be heard on the
famous intro to "Light My Fire" and numerous other Doors classics.
The group shared credit on most songs and split all profits evenly.
The group
carried on for two more albums after Jim Morrison died in July of 1971, but
they split in 1973. Manzarek remained extremely busy, producing albums for X
and playing with Iggy Pop, Echo and the Bunnymen and others. In 2002, he began
touring as the Doors of the 21st Century with Krieger and Cult frontman Ian
Astbury. Doors drummer John Densmore filed a lawsuit over the use of the name
and it lead to a legal battle.
On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died after a long battle with bile duct cancer at a hospital in Rosenheim,
Germany, aged 74. Robby Krieger said, “I was deeply saddened to hear about the
passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. 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.” John Densmore
said, "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to
support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically.
It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim
to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."
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