Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of
the Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
, co-founding the band with singer and lyricist
Jim Morrison in 1965.
Manzarek was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
in 1993 as a member of the Doors. 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
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' described him as "one of the best keyboardists ever".
Biography
Early life
Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. was born and raised on the
South Side of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to parents of Polish descent, Helena Kolenda (1918–2012) and Raymond Manczarek Sr. (1914–1987). His grandparents emigrated from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
in the 1890s.
Upon graduating from
St. Rita of Cascia High School in 1956, Manzarek matriculated at
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
, where he played piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), participated in intramural football, served as treasurer of the Speech Club, and organized a charity concert with
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...
and
Dave Brubeck.
He graduated from the University's College of Commerce with a degree in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...
in 1960.
In late-1961, Manzarek briefly enrolled at the
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Unable to acclimatize to the curriculum, he transferred to the
Department of Motion Pictures, Television and Radio as a graduate student before dropping out altogether after breaking up with a girlfriend. Although he attempted to enlist in the
Army Signal Corps as a camera operator, he was instead assigned to the highly selective
Army Security Agency as a prospective intelligence analyst.
The Doors
Following his return to the United States, he re-enrolled in UCLA's graduate film program in 1962, where he received a
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts ...
degree in cinematography in 1965. During this period, he met future wife Dorothy Fujikawa and undergraduate film student
Jim Morrison. At the time, Manzarek was in a band called
Rick & the Ravens
Rick & the Ravens was an American surf rock and frat rock band founded in 1961, known as the forerunner of the Doors. Members Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Jim Morrison renamed the group in the latter half of 1965 after joining forces with ...
with his brothers Rick and Jim. Forty days after finishing film school, thinking they had gone their separate ways, Manzarek and Morrison 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 time, Manzarek also met teenage guitarist
Robby Krieger and drummer
John Densmore at a
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes ...
lecture and recruited them for the incipient band. Densmore said, "There wouldn't be any Doors without
Maharishi
Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, ...
."
In January 1966, the Doors became the house band at the
London Fog on the
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverl ...
.
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".
When the Doors were fired from the London Fog, they were hired to be the house band at the
Whisky a Go Go.
The Doors' first recording contract was with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
. After a few months of inactivity, they learned they were on Columbia's drop list. At that point, they asked to be released from their contract. Following a few months of live gigs,
Jac Holzman "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
.
The Doors lacked a bass guitarist (except during recording sessions), so for live performances Manzarek played the bass parts on a
Fender Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
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. He also used a
Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo
combo organ (which looks like a
Farfisa) for the band's later albums.
During the Morrison era, Manzarek was the group's regular backing vocalist. He occasionally sang lead, as exemplified by covers of
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...
's "Close to You" (released on 1970's ''
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.
Later career and influence
After recording two solo albums on
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
to a muted reception in 1974, Manzarek played in several groups, most notably
Nite City.
He recorded a rock adaptation of
Carl Orff's ''
Carmina Burana'' (1983; co-produced by
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...
), briefly played with
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
, 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. 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 produced the first four albums of the seminal
punk band X,
also contributing occasionally on keyboards. Two of those have been also included on
''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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
An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
that Jim Morrison may have faked his death. Manzarek's second novel, ''Snake Moon'', released in April 2006, is a
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
ghost story. In 2000, a collaboration poetry album entitled ''Freshly Dug'' was released with British singer, poet, actor and pioneer punk rocker
Darryl Read
Darryl Michael Roy Read (19 September 1951 – 23 June 2013) was a British singer, guitarist, drummer, actor, poet and writer. In the late 1960s, Read was a member of Crushed Butler, considered by some to be amongst the forerunners of proto pu ...
. 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, but otherwise received limited distribution and critical review.
In 2006, he collaborated with composer and trumpeter
Bal
Bal may refer to:
* Bal (surname), a Dutch, Indian, and Turkish surname
* Bal, Iran (disambiguation)
* Bal, Zira, a village in Punjab, India
* ''Bal'' (film), a 2010 Turkish film
* Bäl, a settlement on the Swedish island of Gotland
* 8678 B ...
. 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
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
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
"The Crystal Ship" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1967 debut album ''The Doors'', and the B-side of the number-one hit single "Light My Fire". It was composed as a love song to Jim Morrison's first serious girlfriend, Mary ...
", "
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 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
A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking i ...
of the Doors. On the day of Manzarek's death, Yankovic published a personal video of this studio session which he said had been an "extreme honor" and "one of the absolute high points of my life".
In May 2010, Manzarek recorded with
slide guitarist
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos t ...
Roy Rogers. A collaborative album between the two, entitled ''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. In August 2013, ''Twisted Tales'', another Manzarek–Rogers collaboration, 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 have a son, Pablo, born on August 28, 1973, and they have three grandchildren.
In the early-1970s, the Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...
, and a small penthouse on New York City's
Upper West Side.
They subsequently resided in
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
(including ten years in a house on
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is at its intersection with Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Th ...
), for several decades.
For the last decade of his life, Manzarek and his wife lived in a refurbished farmhouse near
Vichy Springs, California, in the
Napa Valley.
In March 2013, Manzarek was diagnosed with a rare cancer called
cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stoo ...
(bile duct cancer) and traveled to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
for special treatment. During that time, prior to his death, he reconciled with Densmore and spoke to Krieger. He also performed a private concert for his doctors and nurses. Manzarek was "feeling better" until things took a turn for the worse, according to his manager. On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died at a hospital in
Rosenheim
Rosenheim is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn at the confluence of th ...
, Germany, at the age of 74.
He was surrounded by his wife and brothers.
Krieger said upon hearing the news of his death, "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."
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."
Greg Harris, president and CEO of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
, 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."
Harris also said that "he was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the 1960s. 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."
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. That day would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday. The night featured
Exene Cervenka and
John Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...
of the band
X,
Rami Jaffee of the
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...
,
Stone Temple Pilots'
Robert DeLeo,
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
's
Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of
Dead Sara, and
Andrew Watt (among others).
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 79th birthday, and it includes new footage and interviews. The film won the APMFF Best Film Feature Award at the festival.
Discography
Details are taken from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
.
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)
* ''Starwood Club, Los Angeles. 02/23/1977'' (1977)
* ''
Golden Days Diamond Nights'' (1978)
With X
* ''
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
'' (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
Darryl Michael Roy Read (19 September 1951 – 23 June 2013) was a British singer, guitarist, drummer, actor, poet and writer. In the late 1960s, Read was a member of Crushed Butler, considered by some to be amongst the forerunners of proto pu ...
* ''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
''Deal of the Century'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin and starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver.
The film follows the adventures of several arms dealers that compete to sell weapons to a South ...
'' (1983). Actor (Charlie Simbo).
*''The Poet in Exile'' (in production).
Books
* ''Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors'' (1999)
* ''The Poet in Exile'' (2001) Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002 paperback:
* ''Snake Moon'' (2006)
In popular culture
*For director
Oliver Stone's film ''
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
'' (1991), Manzarek was portrayed by
Kyle MacLachlan.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Ray Manzarek official website*
The Doors official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzarek, Ray
1939 births
2013 deaths
American expatriates in the United Kingdom
American rock keyboardists
American rock singers
Record producers from Illinois
The Doors members
Songwriters from California
American male singers
American rock pianists
American blues pianists
American male pianists
American jazz pianists
American jazz keyboardists
DePaul University alumni
UCLA Film School alumni
Singers from Chicago
People from Napa, California
American people of Polish descent
Deaths from cancer in Germany
Deaths from cholangiocarcinoma
American organists
American male organists
Musicians from Los Angeles
Record producers from California
Film directors from Los Angeles
Jazz musicians from Illinois
Elektra Records artists
American male jazz musicians
People from the Upper West Side
21st-century American keyboardists
20th-century American keyboardists
Jazz musicians from California
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
Nite City members