The Doors are a classic rock band out of Los Angelse, California. The band was formed in 1965 by the members Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. They were one of the the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s most due to Jim Morrison’s poetic lyrics. They were a major influence on the 1960s counterculture. They took their name from Aldous Huxley’s book “The Doors of Perception.” The Doors (with Jim Morrison) released 6 albums in 5 years with what some are considered to be among the greatest albums of all time. By 1972 The Doors had released 4 million albums domestically and 8 singles.
Unfortunately, with Jim Morrison‘s early and bizarre death in 1971, the band continued as a trio before disbanding in 1973. Three more albums were released in 1970 featuring earlier recordings by Jim Morrison.
In 2002, Manzarek and Kieger, along with Ian Asturby from The Cult, came out as “The Doors of the 21st century.” Densmore and the Morrison estate sued them for illegally using the band’s name. They renamed the band and became Riders on the Storm and later as Manzarek-Krieger until Manzarek’s death in 2013.
The Doors have sold over 33 million records in the US and 100 million records world wide making them one of the best selling bands of all time. They have been listed as one of the greatest band of all time by Rolling Stone magazine and being ranked at number 41. The band was inducted to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Doors self-titled CD was released in 1967 and their most popular song off that album and across their discography was “Light My Fire.“ “The End“ was also on this album and was used in the war movie Apocalypse Now in 1979. This album went 4x platinum.
The Doors second album Strange Days is celebrated as their most creative album but failed to produce a single. The most popular songs on this album are “Love Me Two Times,” “People Are Strange,“ and “When the Music’s Over.”
The Doors released their 3rd studio album, Waiting For the Sun in 1968 and featured “Hello, I Love You” as the only single off the album.
The Soft Parade was the band’s 4th studio album and featured “Touch Me.” It was certified platinum in both the US and Canada.
Morrison Hotel was the 5th studio album and featured songs such as “Roadhouse Blues “Waiting For the Sun,” and “ Peace Frog.”and was in the top ten for the band and went platinum.
Absolutely Live was the 6th studio album and the last with Jim Morrison due to his death. It landed in the top 10 in the US and Canada as well. “Love Her Madly, “Riders On the Storm,” and “LA Woman” are the most popular on the album.
After Jim Morrison died, the trio released 2 more studio albums before disbanding Five years later they joined back up to record music over Jim Morrison’s spoken word poetry and released the 9th and final studio album, An American Prayer. Although getting mixed reviews, the album enjoyed commercial success and it went platinum.
Their first compilation album was released in 1979. It was their first albums in 7 years and was simply named The Gratest Hits. They continued to release concert films, compilations, and live shows.
in 1991 Oliver Stone released the movie The Doors starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison which brought a renewed surge of interest in the band. The Doors continue to release compilation CDs.
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