Ray Manzarek

Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (born Manczarek; February 12,

1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American musician, singer, producer,
Ray Manzarek
film director, and author. He was best known as a member of the
Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with singer and
lyricist Jim Morrison.

Manzarek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1993. He was a co-founding member of Nite City from 1977 to
1978, and of Manzarek–Krieger from 2001 until his death in 2013.
USA Today defined him as "one of the best keyboardists ever".

Contents
Biography
Early life
The Doors
Later career and influence
Personal life, death and legacy
Discography Manzarek in 1971
Filmography Born Raymond Daniel
Books Manczarek Jr.
February 12, 1939
References
Chicago, Illinois,
Bibliography U.S.
External links Died May 20, 2013
(aged 74)
Rosenheim,
Biography Germany
Occupation Musician ·
Early life producer ·
songwriter
Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. was born and raised on the South Years active 1959–2013
Side of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to Helena (1918–2012) and
Raymond Manczarek Sr. (1914–1987), and was of Polish Spouse(s) Dorothy Aiko
Fujikawa
descent.[1][2]
(m. after 1967)
In 1956, he matriculated at DePaul University, where he played Children 1
piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), Musical career
participated in intramural football, served as treasurer of the Speech
Club, and organized a charity concert with Sonny Rollins and Dave Genres Rock · blues · jazz
Brubeck. He graduated from the University's College of Commerce fusion · electronic
with a degree in economics in 1960.[3] music
In the fall of 1961, Manzarek briefly enrolled at the University of Instruments Keyboards ·
California, Los Angeles School of Law. Unable to acclimate to the keyboard bass ·
curriculum, he transferred to the Department of Motion Pictures, vocals
Television and Radio as a graduate student before dropping out
Labels Elektra
altogether after breaking up with a girlfriend.[4] Although he
attempted to enlist in the Army Signal Corps as a camera operator, Associated acts The Doors ·
he was instead assigned to the highly selective Army Security Manzarek–Krieger
Agency as a prospective intelligence analyst. · Rick & the
Ravens · Nite City
· The Manzarek–
The Doors
Rogers Band
Following his return to the U.S., he re-enrolled in UCLA's graduate Website Thedoors.com (htt
film program in 1962, where he received a M.F.A. in p://www.thedoors.
cinematography in 1965.[5][6] During this period, he met future wife
com/) ·
Dorothy Fujikawa and undergraduate film student Jim Morrison. At
Raymanzarek.com
the time, Manzarek was in a band called Rick & the Ravens with his
(http://www.rayma
brothers Rick and Jim.[7] Forty days after finishing film school,
thinking they had gone their separate ways, Manzarek and Morrison nzarek.com/)
met by chance on Venice Beach in California. Morrison said he had
written some songs, and Manzarek expressed an interest in hearing them, whereupon Morrison sang rough
versions of "Moonlight Drive", "My Eyes Have Seen You" and "Summer's Almost Gone". During this
period, Manzarek met teenage guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore at a Transcendental
Meditation lecture and recruited them for the incipient band. Densmore said, "There wouldn't be any Doors
without Maharishi."[8]

In January 1966, the Doors became the house band at the London Fog on the
Sunset Strip.[9] According to Manzarek, "Nobody ever came in the place ...
an occasional sailor or two on leave, a few drunks. All in all it was a very
depressing experience, but it gave us time to really get the music together."[9]
When the Doors were fired from the London Fog, they were hired to be the
house band at the Whisky a Go Go.[9] The Doors' first recording contract
was with Columbia Records. After a few months of inactivity, they learned
From left to right, Densmore,
they were on Columbia's drop list.[10] At that point, they asked to be released
Krieger, Manzarek and from their contract. Following a few months of live gigs, Jac Holzman
Morrison in a publicity photo "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to Elektra Records.[11]
from 1966
The Doors lacked a bass guitarist (except during recording sessions), so for
live performances Manzarek played the bass parts on a Fender Rhodes piano
keyboard bass. His signature sound was that of the Vox Continental combo organ, an instrument used by
many other psychedelic rock bands of the era.[12] He later used a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ
(which looks like a Farfisa) because the Continental's plastic keys frequently broke.

During the Morrison era, Manzarek was the group's regular backing vocalist. He occasionally sang lead, as
exemplified by covers of Muddy Waters's "Close to You" (released on 1970s Absolutely Live) and "You Need
Meat (Don't Go No Further)" (recorded during the L.A. Woman sessions and initially released as the B-side of
"Love Her Madly"). He went on to share lead vocals with Krieger on the albums (Other Voices and Full
Circle) released after Morrison's death.[13]

Later career and influence

After recording two solo albums on Mercury Records to a muted
reception in 1974, Manzarek played in several groups, most notably
Nite City.[9] He recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff's Carmina
Burana (1983; co-produced by Philip Glass), briefly played with
Iggy Pop, sat in on one track on the eponymous 1987 album Echo &
the Bunnymen, backed San Francisco poet Michael McClure's poetry
readings and worked on improvisational compositions with poet
Michael C. Ford.[14] He also worked extensively with Hearts of Fire
screenwriter and former SRC front man Scott Richardson on a series
of spoken word and blues recordings entitled "Tornado Souvenirs".
Manzarek in March 2006, performing
Manzarek produced the first four albums of the seminal punk band
in the Netherlands
X,[15] also contributing occasionally on keyboards.[16]

His memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors, was published in
1998. The Poet in Exile (2001) is a novel exploring the urban legend that Jim Morrison may have faked his
death. Manzarek's second novel, Snake Moon, released in April 2006, is a Civil War ghost story. In 2000, a
collaboration poetry album entitled Freshly Dug was released with British singer, poet, actor and pioneer punk
rocker Darryl Read. Read had previously worked with Manzarek on the Beat Existentialist album in 1994, and
their last poetical and musical collaboration was in 2007 with the album Bleeding Paradise. Also in 2000, he
co-wrote and directed the film Love Her Madly, which was credited to a story idea by Jim Morrison. The film
was shown at the closing night of the 2004 Santa Cruz Film Festival,[17] but otherwise received limited
distribution and critical review.

In 2006, he collaborated with composer and trumpeter Bal. The album that
resulted, Atonal Head, is an exploration in the realm of electronica. The two
musicians integrated jazz, rock, ethnic and classical music into their
computer-based creations. On August 4, 2007, Manzarek hosted a program
on BBC Radio 2 about the 40th anniversary of the recording of "Light My
Fire" and the group's musical and spiritual influences.

In April 2009, Manzarek and Robby Krieger appeared as special guests for
Daryl Hall's monthly concert webcast Live From Daryl's House. They
performed several Doors tunes ("People Are Strange", "The Crystal Ship",
"Roadhouse Blues" and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)") with Hall
providing lead vocals. In his last years he often sat in with local bands in the
Napa County, California area, where he relocated in the early 2000s.

In 2009, Manzarek collaborated with "Weird Al" Yankovic, by playing

keyboards on the single "Craigslist", which is a pastiche of the Doors.[18] On Manzarek at the Bospop
the day of Manzarek's death, Yankovic published a personal video of this festival, Weert 2010, the
studio session which he said had been an "extreme honor" and "one of the Netherlands
absolute high points of my life".[19] In May 2010, Manzarek recorded with
slide guitarist Roy Rogers. Their album, Translucent Blues was released in
mid-2011; its lyrical content is primarily penned by songwriter/poets Jim Carroll and Michael McClure. During
June through August 2011, Manzarek recorded "Breakn' a Sweat" with DJ Skrillex and his fellow former
Doors members Robby Krieger and John Densmore.[20] In August 2013, Twisted Tales was released and
dedicated to Manzarek after his passing.

Personal life, death and legacy

Manzarek married fellow UCLA alumna Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967,
with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion, Pamela Courson, as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa
remained married until his death. They had a son, Pablo born on August 31, 1973, and three grandchildren.[15]
In the early 1970s, the Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in West Hollywood, California,
and a small penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side.[21] They subsequently resided in Beverly Hills,
California (including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive) for several decades.[21] For the last decade of his
life, Manzarek and his wife lived in a refurbished farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California in the Napa
Valley.[22]

In March 2013, Manzarek was diagnosed with a rare cancer called cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and
traveled to Germany for special treatment. During that time he reconciled with Densmore, and he spoke to
Krieger before his death.[23] He also performed a private concert for his doctors and nurses. Manzarek was
"feeling better" until it took a turn for the worse according to his manager. On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died
at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74.[24][25] His body was cremated. 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."[25] 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."[26]

Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death that
"The world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greats with the passing of Ray Manzarek."[15] Harris also said that
"he was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the '60s.
Such memorable tracks as 'Light My Fire', 'People Are Strange' and 'Hello, I Love You' – to name but a few –
owe much to Manzarek's innovative playing."[27]

On February 12, 2016, at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, Densmore and Krieger reunited for the first time
in 15 years to perform in tribute to Manzarek and benefit Stand Up to Cancer.[28] That day would have been
Manzarek's 77th birthday. The night featured Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of
the Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of
Dead Sara and Andrew Watt, among others.[29]

In April 2018, the film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the 2018
Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. The film highlights the 2016 concert in honor of what would have been
Manzarek's 77th birthday, and new footage and interviews. The film won the APMFF Best Film Feature
Award at the festival.[30]

Discography
The Doors

Solo

The Golden Scarab (1974)

The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control (1974)
Carmina Burana (1983)
Love Her Madly (2006)

Nite City

Nite City (1977)

 Golden Days Diamond Nights (1978)

With Piotr Bal

Atonal Head (2006)

With Echo & the Bunnymen

Bedbugs and Ballyhoo (1987)

With Michael McClure

Love Lion (1993)

The Piano Poems: Live From San Francisco (2012)

With Darryl Read

Freshly Dug (1999)

With Roy Rogers

Ballads Before The Rain (2008)

Translucent Blues (2011)
Twisted Tales (2013)

Spoken word

The Doors: Myth And Reality, The Spoken Word History (1996)

With "Weird Al" Yankovic

Craigslist (2009)

With poet Michael C. Ford

Look Each Other in The Ears. Hen House Studio Album includes The Doors : Ray Manzarek,
Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. 2014

Filmography
Love Her Madly (2000). Director and co-writer.
Induction (1965). Actor (Ray), director, and writer.
The Wino and the Blind Man (1964). Actor (blind man).
Evergreen (1965). Writer and Director.
Deal of the Century (1983). Actor (Charlie Simbo).
The Poet in Exile (in production).

Books
Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors (1999) ISBN 0-425-17045-4
The Poet in Exile (2001) Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002 paperback: ISBN 1-56025-447-5
 Snake Moon (2006) ISBN 1-59780-041-4

References
1. "Doors Legend Doors In" (http://www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/24783/article).
The Warsaw Voice. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
2. Tortorici, Frank (February 11, 1999). "The Doors' Ray Manzarek" (http://www.mtv.com/news/512
088/the-doors-ray-manzarek/). MTV.com. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
3. Connelly, Jane. "DePaul's Musical History: Ray Manzarek and the Doors | Newsline | DePaul
University | A Publication for Faculty and Staff" (http://www.depaulnewsline.com/archives/depa
uls-musical-history-ray-manzarek-and-doors). Depaulnewsline.com. Retrieved January 21,
2017.
4. Gaar 2015.
5. "Co-Founder of the Doors Ray Manzarek Has Passed Away" (http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2013/05/c
o-founder-of-the-doors-ray-manzarek-has-passed-away/). Tft.ucla.edu. Retrieved January 21,
2017.
6. Manzarek 1999, p. 83.
7. Fricke, David (June 20, 2013). "Ray Manzarek of the Doors". Rolling Stone. No. 1185. p. 26.
8. "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Obituary". Rolling Stone. March 6, 2008. p. 16.
9. Goldstein, Patrick (September 1977). "Nite City: The Dark Side of L.A." (https://web.archive.org/
web/20080709054645/http://www.creemmagazine.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/NiteCity/DarkSideOf
LA001.html) Creemmagazine.com. Archived from the original (http://www.creemmagazine.com/
_site/BeatGoesOn/NiteCity/DarkSideOfLA001.html) on July 9, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
10. Fong-Torres 2006, p. 53.
11. Fong-Torres 2006, p. 58.
12. Greene, Andy (May 20, 2013). "Ray Manzarek Dead; Doors Keyboardist Was 74" (https://www.r
ollingstone.com/music/music-news/ray-manzarek-doors-keyboardist-dead-at-74-189116/amp/).
Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
13. Allen, Jim. "When the Doors Continued Without Jim Morrison on Other Voices" (https://ultimate
classicrock.com/doors-other-voices/). Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
14. Ray Manzarek and Michael C. Ford at Hen House Studios (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x
8i90y_ray-manzarek-and-michael-c-ford-at_music). Dailymotion.com. Retrieved September 25,
2020.
15. Lewis, Randy (May 20, 2013). "Ray Manzarek Dies at 74; the Doors' Keyboardist" (https://www.
latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-ray-manzarek-dead-doors-keyboardist-obituar
y-20130520,0,4938231.story). LATimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
16. "X: Los Angeles – Credits" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/los-angeles-mw0000319061/credit
s). AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
17. Phelan, Sarah. "Truly, 'Madly', Deeply" (http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/05.19.04/manz
arek-0421.html). Metro Santa Cruz. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
18. "Weird Al Yankovic: Alpocalypse – Credits" (https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0002146889/
credits). AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
19. Ray Manzarek Plays "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Craigslist" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra
5x88C0yQY). YouTube. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
20. O'Brien, Jon. "Bangarang – Review" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/bangarang-r2381342/revi
ew). AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
21. Weiss, Jeff (May 23, 2013). "When the Music's Over: One Last Trip with Ray Manzarek" (https://
web.archive.org/web/20130625212239/http://passionweiss.com/2013/05/23/when-the-musics-
over-one-last-trip-with-ray-manzarek/). Passionweiss.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
22. Matteucci, Jeannie (February 11, 2004). "Rock 'n' Roll Retreat / The Doors' Ray Manzarek and
His Wife Savor Life in Wine Country" (http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Rock-n-rol
l-retreat-The-Doors-Ray-Manzarek-2798037.php). Sfgate.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
23. Appleford, Steve (June 19, 2013). "John Densmore on Reconciling with the Doors" (https://ww
w.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-john-densmore-on-reconciling-with-the-doors-23154
3/amp/). Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
24. "Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of the Doors, Passes Away at 74" (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20130807180203/https://thedoors.com/news/ray-manzarek-founding-member-doors-passes
-away-74-4872). Thedoors.com. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original (https://thedoors.com/
news/ray-manzarek-founding-member-doors-passes-away-74-4872) on August 7, 2013.
Retrieved May 20, 2013.
25. "Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of the Doors Dies at Age 74" (https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/
05/20/entertainment-us-usa-people-manzarek-idUSBRE94J0V520130520). Reuters. May 13,
2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
26. "John Densmore on TwitLonger" (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rkd60d). TwitLonger. May
20, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
27. Cava, Marco della (May 20, 2013). "Ray Manzarek's Keyboards Opened Musical Doors" (http
s://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/05/20/doors-guitarist-ray-manzarek-
dies/2343875/). USA Today. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
28. Lewis, Randy (February 1, 2016). "Doors surviving members to reunite for Ray Manzarek
benefit tribute" (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-doors-reunion-ray-
manzarek-benefit-tribute-densmore-krieger-20160201-story.html). Los Angeles Times.
29. "Surviving Doors, Alt-Rock Royalty Celebrate Ray Manzarek – Rolling Stone" (https://www.rolli
ngstone.com/music/live-reviews/surviving-doors-alt-rock-royalty-light-up-l-a-celebration-for-ray-
manzarek-20160213). Rolling Stone. February 13, 2016.
30. "Asbury Park Music Film Festival Winners" (https://www.thedoors.com/news/2018-asbury-park-
music-film-festival-winners). Thedoors.com. May 1, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.

Bibliography
Gaar, Gillian G. (2015). The Doors: The Illustrated History. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur
Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4690-7.
Fong-Torres, Ben (2006). The Doors. Hyperion Books. ISBN 978-1401303037.
Manzarek, Ray (1999). Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors. New York City: Berkley Boulevard
Books. ISBN 0-425-17045-4.

External links
Ray Manzarek official website (http://www.raymanzarek.com/)
The Doors official website (http://www.thedoors.com/)
Ray Manzarek (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544456/) on IMDb

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