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Biography
Cleanup|date= February 2011BLP sources|date= February 2011Infobox musical artist | name = Ray Manzarek| image = Ray Manzarek in Jan 2009.JPG| caption = Ray Manzarek| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr.| birth_date = birth date and age|mf=yes|1939|02|12| origin = Chicago , Illinois , USA| genre = Psychedelic rock , acid rock , blues rock , Jazz rock , hard rock , blues , jazz fusion , funk , Rock and Roll | occupation = Musician , Songwriter , Keyboardist , Filmmaker | instrument = Keyboard instrument|Keyboards , Keyboard bass , Singing|Vocals , Marxophone , Guitar , Percussion | years_active = 1961–present| label = Elektra Records|Elektra | associated_acts = The Doors , The Butts Band , Nite City Manzarek-Krieger Rick & the Ravens | website = http://www.thedoors.com/ TheDoors.com http://www.raymanzarek.us/ The Official Site of Ray Manzarek| notable_instruments = Vox Continental Gibson G-101 Fender Rhodes|Rhodes Keyboard bass RMI Electra Piano Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr. , better known as Ray Manzarek (born February 12, 1939), is an American musician , singer, record producer|producer , film director , writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.
Early life and career
Manzarek is of Poles|Polish descent, born and raised on the South Side (Chicago)|South Side of Chicago, Illinois , as were his parents. Growing up, he took private piano lessons from Bruno Michelotti and others. He originally wanted to play basketball, but he only wanted to play power forward or center. When he was sixteen his coach insisted either he play guard, or not at all, and he quit the team. Manzarek said later if it was not for that ultimatum, he might never have been in The Doors. He went to Everett Elementary School on S. Bell St. and attended St. Rita of Cascia High School|St. Rita High School in Chicago.Manzarek, Ray. Light My Fire . New York: Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. ISBN 0-425-17045-4
In 1962–1965, he studied in the Department of Cinematography at University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA , where he met film student Jim Morrison . At UCLA, Ray also met Dorothy Fujikawa who would later become his wife. Forty days after finishing film school , thinking they had gone their separate ways, they 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 a rough version of " Moonlight Drive ." Manzarek liked the songs and co-founded the Doors with Morrison at that moment.
Manzarek met drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture. Densmore says, "There wouldn't be any Doors without Maharishi Mahesh Yogi|Maharishi ."Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Obituary, Rolling Stone, March 6, 2008, p. 16
In January 1966, The Doors became the house band at London Fog (nightclub)|The London Fog on the Sunset Strip . 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." The same day The Doors were fired from The London Fog, they were hired to be the house band of the Whisky a Go Go . Their first performance at the Whisky was with the group Them (band)|Them .Goldstein, Patrick. http://www.creemmagazine.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/NiteCity/DarkSideOfLA001.html "Nite City: The Dark Side of L.A.", Creem (September 1977). accessed: May 15, 2008
The Doors' first recording contract was with Columbia Records . 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. After a few months of live gigs, Jac Holzman "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to Elektra Records .
The Doors lacked a bassist , so Manzarek usually played the bass parts on a Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Rhodes piano Bass. His signature sound is that of the Vox Continental combo organ , an instrument used by many other psychedelic rock bands of the era. He later used a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ (which looks like a Farfisa ) because the Continental's plastic keys frequently broke according to Manzarek.
Manzarek occasionally sang for The Doors, including the live recordings of "Close To You" and on the B-side of "Love Her Madly", "You Need Meat (Don't Go No Further)". He also sang on the last two Doors albums, recorded after Morrison's death, Other Voices (The Doors album)|Other Voices and Full Circle (The Doors album)|Full Circle .
Later career and influence
Manzarek has been in several groups since the Doors, including Nite City . He recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff 's Carmina Burana (Orff)|Carmina Burana with Philip Glass , produced and backed Echo & the Bunnymen and Los Angeles (X album)|Los Angeles band X (U.S. band)|X , played with Iggy Pop , backed San Francisco poet Michael McClure 's poetry readings and he has done improvisational composition with poet Michael C. Ford . http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8i90y_ray-manzarek-and-michael-c-ford-at_music Ray Manzarek and Michael C. Ford at Hen House Studios, video Ray also worked extensively with " Hearts of Fire " screenwriter and former SRC (band)|SRC front man Scott Richardson http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093163/ on a series of spoken word and blues recordings entitled " Tornado Souvenirs ".
His memoir, '' Light My Fire's (book)|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 American Civil War|Civil War ghost story.
In 2000, a collaboration poetry album titled: Freshly Dug was released with British singer, poet/actor and pioneer Punk rocker Darryl Read . Read had previously worked with Ray on the Beat Existentialist album in 1994, and their latest poetical/musical collaboration was in 2007 with the album "Bleeding Paradise."
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.
After living many years in Hollywood , Manzarek now resides in Napa County, California in a house he remodeled extensively.Matteucci, Jeannie. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/11/HOG7J4SSKS1.DTL "Rock 'n' Roll Retreat", SF Gate (February 11, 2004). accessed: October 19, 2008 He also plays with local bands in the Napa area. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ga3XGW95YVQ The buttercream Gang with guest Ray Manzarek. YouTube. Retrieved on 2010-11-06.
In 2009, Manzarek collaborated with "Weird Al" Yankovic , playing keyboards on the single " Craigslist (song)|Craigslist " which is a style parody of the Doors.
Manzarek was a co-producer on a few tracks for Universal Recording artist Michael Barber (musician)|Michael Barber . A track recently appeared on the Intenet titled "Be Ok," on Michael's Universal Records Debut.Citation needed|date=January 2012 In May 2010, Manzarek recorded with slide guitarist Roy Rogers (guitarist)|Roy Rogers in Studio D in Sausalito. The album Translucent Blues , released in mid-2011, was ranked #3 on the Top 100 Roots Rock Albums of 2011 by The Roots Music Report. http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php? page=home rootsmusicreport.com
'' The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control (1974)
Carmina Burana (Ray Manzarek album)|Carmina Burana (1983)
Love Her Madly (2006)
Ballads Before The Rain (With Roy Rogers (guitarist)|Roy Rogers ) (2008)
Translucent Blues (With Roy Rogers) (2011)
Nite City
Nite City (album)|Nite City (1977)
Golden Days Diamond Night (1978)
References
Reflist
Books
Light My Fire (book)|Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors (1998) 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
External links
http://raymanzarek.com/ Official website
http://www.thedoors.com/ The Doors official website
http://www.mcclure-manzarek.com/ Michael McClure & Ray Manzarek
http://home.att.net/~chuckayoub/the_doors_sound_1.htm 1998 Fresh Air with Terry Gross interview
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/07/Floridian/A_peek_behind_the_Doo.shtml Manzarek Interview from St. Petersburg Times (June 2005) about the legal battle with Densmore over the use of the Doors name
http://www.metroactive.com/bohemian/03.01.06/manzarek-0609.html Article about Ray Manzarek's recent work, March 1, 2006
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/10/09/news/local/doc452a449d6517f754827875.txt Article from the Napa Register (October 9, 2006) about Ray Manzarek
http://www.horrorgarage.com/horror/interview-ray-manzarek.php December 2006 interview in Horror Garage magazine
http://www.undercover.com.au/Video.aspx? channel=Music+Interviews& clipid=880166 Undercover video interview, April 2007
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The Doors Persondata | NAME =Manzarek, Ray | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION =American musician , singer, record producer|producer , film director , writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001 | DATE OF BIRTH =February 12, 1939 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Manzarek, Ray Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American rock keyboardists Category:American rock singers Category:American record producers Category:The Doors members Category:American film directors Category:DePaul University alumni Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:UCLA Film School alumni Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Musicians from Illinois Category:People from Napa, California Category:American musicians of Polish descent Category:American people of Polish descent Category:1939 births Category:Living people
