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Jim Morrison

James Douglas Morrison was born to George and Clara Morrison in Melbourne, Florida. A Naval officer, George was forced to move his family around a lot when Jim was a child, and some say that fact led to Jim's unique method of speaking out. Upon graduation from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Jim continued his education at several institutions before finding his way to California, and UCLA. He began studying film, his true desire, and got into music accidentally. It was soon after that he met Ray Manzarek on a Venice beach, who was already in a band called "Rick and the Ravens". Jim joined the already formed band, and in the autumn of 1965, the Raven's recorded a 6 track album, featuring "Moonlight Drive", "Summer's Almost Gone", and "Break on Through". Jim took to the streets of LA, searching for a contract at all of the major LA recording studios. Several months later, the head of talent research at Columbia Records, Billy James heard the album and signed the Raven's to a six month contract. It was soon that Robby Krieger joined the band, completing the foursome that came to be known as the Doors. Jim convinced his band mates to change the name to the Doors, based on two distinct pieces of writing. Aldous Huxley's cult hit, "The Doors of Perception" and a quote by William Blake. "There are things known, and there are things unknown and in between are the doors". From that moment on, history would never be the same. Jim was coming into his own, and he was ready to make a splash. In 1966, Columbia Records dropped the Doors, who were by this time playing 5 shows a day, 6 days a week just to make ends meet. Playing at a tiny Sunset Strip Club known as "The London Fog", Jim became known throughout LA as a fiery, passionate sex symbol. By the end of 1966, things were looking up for Jim and the others. They moved their shows to a more fashionable club, "Whiskey a Go Go", and it was there that "Love" band member Arthur Lee convinced Jac Holzman of Elektra Records to sign them up. Late 1966 to early 1967 proved to be an exciting time in Jim's life. It was in this period that he was achieving the fame that was inevitable. They recorded their first album which featured "Light My Fire".

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Album Review

The Doors: Live In Bakersfield August 21, 1970 (2CD)

Read "Live In Bakersfield August 21, 1970 (2CD)" reviewed by Doug Collette


The somewhat checkered history of archival exhumations from the vault of the Doors would no doubt preclude thinking that Live at the Matrix 1967: The Complete Masters (Rhino, 2023) would constitute anything like a 'be all and end all' of such efforts. Still, to see Live in Bakersfield August 21, 1970 issued in such short order (ten weeks) after the aforementioned package is something of a surprise, if for no other reason than its appearance in compact disc ...

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Album Review

The Doors: Live At The Matrix 1967: The Original Masters

Read "Live At The Matrix 1967: The Original Masters" reviewed by Doug Collette


With a glossy finish adding to the diaphanous effect, the color filters applied to the images of the Doors inside and outside the package capture the essence of the music inside. In a most practical sense. Reliably sourced from the master tapes this time--in contrast to the 2008 release--Live At The Matrix 1967 : The Original Masters contains thirty- seven tracks from the San Francisco shows and posits the iconic group as a balanced four-man collective prior to the popularity ...

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Album Review

The Doors: L. A. Woman: Fiftieth Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Read "L. A. Woman: Fiftieth Anniversary Deluxe Edition" reviewed by Doug Collette


The 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Doors' L.A. Woman is the fifth such package issued of the iconic band's catalog (the sole exception to the CD-plus-vinyl LP configuration is the corresponding anniversary edition of Strange Days (Elektra, 1967). And, like its predecessors, as well as other titles such as the audio and video configurations of The Doors: Live At The Bowl '68 (Rhino, 2012), the package benefits tremendously from the insightful recollections and technical wizardry of the group's long-time ...

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Music Industry

The Doors Respond to Florida's Pardon of Jim Morrison

The Doors Respond to Florida's Pardon of Jim Morrison

Source: JamBase

40 YEARS AFTER MEDIA AND COURT CIRCUS, THE DOORS SPEAK OUT In the wake of Florida's decision to issue a pardon to Jim Morrison of The Doors more than 40 years after his alleged obscene acts on a Miami stage, his bandmates Ray Manzarek, John Densmore and Robby Krieger issued this statement: “In 1969 the Doors played an infamous concert in Miami, Florida. Accounts vary as to what actually happened on stage that night. Whatever took place that night ended ...

"I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps, "Oh look at that!" Then - whoosh, and I'm gone... and they'll never see anything like it ever again... and they won't be able to forget me - ever."-
Jim Morrison

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