Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors, passed away today at age 74. After Jim Morrison’s death at a young age, Manzarek became a recognizable face preserving the legacy of the great band. In this Break It Down video from L/Studio, Manzarek tells a little about the history of the band and how he came up with some of those great keyboard riffs. Among the stories, Manzarek tells how John Coltrane‘s “My Favorite Things” inspired a famous Doors keyboard part. Check it out.
Below is The Doors live at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968, where you can hear Jim Morrison’s immortal voice accompanying Manzarek’s keyboard playing.
What is your favorite keyboard riff by Ray Manzarek? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Well, he certainly lived a full life and produced three great albums from one of my favorite L.A. punk bands, X.
Yeah, he kept active with some other cool collaborations like with X and also with Philip Glass. Thanks for the comment.