Ray Manzarek

At 74 years old, Ray Manzarek physical status not available right now. We will update Ray Manzarek's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek) was a musician, producer, film editor, and author, best known as a member of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with guitarist and lyricist Jim Morrison.

Manzarek was known for his appearance on a keyboard bass at several live shows and some recordings, filling a position traditionally reserved for a bass guitar player. Manzarek appeared on all eight Doors studio albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was a co-founding member of Nite City from 1977 to 1978, as well as Manzarek-Krieger from 2001 to 2013.

He was described as "one of the finest keyboardists ever" by USA Today.

Early life

Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. was born and raised on Chicago's South Side. Helena Kolenda (1918–2012) and Raymond Manczarek Sr. (1914-1977) were both born to parents of Polish descent. In the 1890s, his grandparents immigrated from Poland.

Manzarek matriculated at DePaul University, where he played piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), served as treasurer of the Speech Club, and arranged a charity concert with Sonny Rollins and Dave Brubeck after graduating from St. Rita of Cascia High School in 1956. In 1960, he graduated from the University of Commerce with a degree in economics.

Manzarek briefly attended the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, in late-1961. He moved to the Department of Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio as a graduate student before falling out completely after breaking up with a woman. Despite attempting to enlist in the Army Signal Corps as a camera operator, he was instead assigned as a highly selective intelligence analyst to the Army Signal Agency as a future intelligence analyst.

Following his return to the United States, he reenrolled in UCLA's graduate film program in 1962, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography in 1965. He met future wife Dorothy Fujikawa and undergraduate film student Jim Morrison during this period. Manzarek and his brothers Rick and Jim were in a band called Rick & the Ravens at the time, and they were in a band called Rick & the Ravens. Manzarek and Morrison met on Venice Beach, California, forty days after finishing film school, wishing they had separated for the rest of their lives. Morrison said he had written some songs and Manzarek expressed an interest in hearing them, though Manzarek's screamed over them, and "Summer's Almost Gone" and "Moonlight Drive" were rough versions of "Moonlight Drive" and "My Eyes Have Seen You" were among Morrison's rough cuts of "Moonlight Drive." During this period, Manzarek met teenage guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore at a Transcendental Meditation lecture and recruited them for the Incipient band. "There won't be any Doors without Maharishi," Densmore said.

The Doors were the house band at the London Fog on the Sunset Strip in January 1966. "No one ever came in the house," Manzarek said, with the occasional sailor or two on leave, and a handful of drunks. All in all, it was a sad journey but it took 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. Columbia Records was the Doors' first recording deal. They learned they were on Columbia's drop list after a few months of inactivity. At that time, they had requested to be released from their jobs. Following a few months of live gigs, Jac Holzman "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to Elektra Records.

The Doors didn't have a bassist (except during recording sessions), so Manzarek performed the bass on a Fender Rhodes piano keyboard bass. His signature sound was that of the Vox Continental combo organ, which was also used by several other psychedelic rock bands of the time. For the band's later albums, he used a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ (which looks like a Farfisa).

Manzarek was the group's regular backing vocalist during the Morrison period. He occasionally led, as exemplified by Muddy Waters' "Close to You" (released on 1970's "Really Live) and "You Don't Go Further) (recorded during the L.A. Woman sessions and first introduced as the B-side of "Love Her Madly" (Dot Go No Further) (not to mention). After Morrison's death, he continued to perform lead vocals with Krieger on the albums (Other Voices and Full Circle).

Manzarek performed in various bands, most notably Nite City, after releasing two solo albums on Mercury Records to a muted reception in 1974. He produced a rock version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (1983; co-produced by Philip Glass), stayed on one track on the eponymous 1987 album Echo & the Bunnymen, supported San Francisco poet Michael McClure's poetry readings and worked on improvisational compositions with poet Michael C. Ford and worked on improvisational compositions with poet Michael C. Ford. He worked with Hearts of Fire screenwriter and former SRC front man Scott Richardson on a series of spoken word and blues recordings titled "Tornado Souvenirs." Manzarek also played on keyboards on the first four albums of the seminal punk band X. Two of those songs have also appeared on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 1998, Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors was published. The Poet in Exile (2001) is a book about Jim Morrison's death, which may have been faked. Snake Moon, Manzarek's second book, and it was published in April 2006, is a Civil War ghost story. Darryl Read, a British singer, poet, actor, and pioneer punk rocker, was released in 2000 on a collaborative poetry collection titled Freshly Dug. Read appeared on Manzarek's Beat Existentialist album in 1994, and their last poetical and musical collaboration was with the album Bleeding Paradise in 2007. He co-wrote and directed the film Love Her Madly, which was attributed to Jim Morrison's story line. The film was on display at the 2004 Santa Cruz Film Festival's closing night, but otherwise, it was unnoticed and critical.

He collaborated with composer and trumpeter Bal Bal in 2006 as a collaborator. Atonal Head, the album's result, is an experiment in the field of electronics. The two musicians' computers combined jazz, rock, ethnic, and classical music to create their computer-based masterpieces. On August 4, 2007, Manzarek hosted a BBC Radio 2 show on the 40th anniversary of the release of "Light My Fire" and the group's musical and spiritual influences.

Manzarek and Robby Krieger appeared as special guests for Daryl Hall's monthly concert webcast Live From Daryl's House in April 2009. Many Doors songs ("People Are Strange," "The Crystal Ship," "Roadhouse Blues," and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" were performed by the group, with Hall providing lead vocals. He spent time in his last years in the Napa County area, where he moved in the early 2000s.

Manzarek worked with "Weird Al" Yankovic on the single "Craigslist," a pastiche of the Doors, in 2009. Yankovic released a personal video of this studio session on the day of Manzarek's death, saying it had been a "great honor" and "one of the absolute high points of my life." Manzarek was on record with slide guitarist Roy Rogers in May 2010. In mid-2011, two brothers, Translucent Blues, were released in a joint album; its lyrical content is mainly composed by songwriter/poets Jim Carroll and Michael McClure. During June to August 2011, Manzarek recorded "Breakn a Sweat" with DJ Skrillex and his fellow Doors alumni Robby Krieger and John Densmore. After Manzarek's death, Twisted Tales, another Manzarek-Rogers team collaboration, was released and dedicated to Manzarek.

Manzarek married Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa, a UCLA alumna, in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion Pamela Courson as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa were married until his death. They have a son, Pablo, who was born on August 28, 1973, and they have three grandchildren. The Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in West Hollywood, California, and a tiny penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side in the early-1970s. They lived in Beverly Hills, California, for many decades, including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive. Manzarek and his wife lived in a restored farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California, for the last decade of his life.

Manzarek was diagnosed with rare cancer cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in March 2013 and moved to Germany for special care. He reconciled with Densmore and spoke to Krieger during that period, months before his death. He also held a private concert for his physicians and nurses. According to Manzarek's boss, the former was "feeling better" before the events turned for the worse. Manzarek died in a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74. He was surrounded by his wife and brothers. "I was so sad to learn about the death of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," Krieger said upon learning the news of his death. I'm just grateful to have been able to perform Doors songs with him for the past decade. Ray was a big part of my life, and I will always remember him." "There was no keyboard player on the planet more suitable to help Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said. Ray, I was completely in sync with you on musical terms. It was like we were of one mind, with Robby and Jim's foundation secured on the roof. "I will miss my musical brother."

"With Ray Manzarek's death, the world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greatests," Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death. Harris continued to play a part in the establishment of one of the most influential, divisive, and radical groups of the 1960s. "Lite My Fire," "People Are Strange," and "Hello, I Love You" are just a few of Manzarek's enduring hits, to name a few.

Densmore and Krieger reunited in Hollywood for the first time in 15 years on February 12, 2016 to perform in honor of Manzarek and support Stand Up to Cancer. It was Manzarek's 77th birthday on that day. The evening featured Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara, and Andrew Watt (among others).

The film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival in April 2018. The film celebrates Manzarek's 79th birthday in honor of his birthday, as well as new footage and interviews. At the festival, the film received the APMFF Best Film Feature Award.

Personal life, death, and legacy

Manzarek married Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa, a UCLA alumna, in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion Pamela Courson as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa were married until his death. They have three grandchildren and a son, Pablo, was born on August 28, 1973. The Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in West Hollywood, California, and a small penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side in the early 1970s. They then lived in Beverly Hills, California, (including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive) for many decades. Manzarek and his wife lived in a restored farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California, in the Napa Valley for the last decade of his life.

Manzarek was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in March 2013 and moved to Germany for special care. He reconciled with Densmore and spoke with Krieger during his time before his death. He also held a private concert for his doctors and nurses. According to Manzarek's boss, the former soldier was "feeling better" before things took a turn for the worst. Manzarek died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, on May 20, 2013. He was surrounded by his wife and brothers. "I was extremely sad to learn about my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek's death today," Krieger said as he heard the news of his death. I'm just glad to have been able to perform Doors songs with him for the past decade. Ray was a big part of my childhood, and I'll always miss him." "There was no keyboard player on the planet more suited to support Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said. I was completely in tune with you on musical terms, Ray. It was like we were of one mind, with Robby and Jim as the foundation being held down at the top of the chart. My musical brother will be missing."

"With the death of Ray Manzarek, the world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greatests," Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death. Harris also said that "he was instrumental in the creation of one of the country's most influential, turbulent, and revolutionary movements in the 1960s." "Light My Fire," "People Are Strange" and "Hello, I Love You" are just a few of Manzarek's popular songs.

Densmore and Krieger reunited in Hollywood on February 12, 2016 to perform in honor of Manzarek and support Stand Up to Cancer. It was Manzarek's 77th birthday on the day. Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Robert DeLeo, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara, and Andrew Watt were among others on the evening (among others).

The film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the Asbury Park Music & Film Festival in April 2018. The film portrays Manzarek's 79th birthday in honor of the concert, as well as new footage and interviews. At the festival, the film received the APMFF Best Film Feature Award.

Source

Later career and influence

Manzarek performed in several bands, most notably Nite City, after releasing two solo albums on Mercury Records to a muted reception in 1974. He made a rock version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (1983; co-produced by Philip Glass), stayed 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 titled "Tornado Souvenirs." Manzarek also performed on keyboards for the first four albums of the seminal punk band X. Two of those songs have also appeared on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 1998, his book, Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors, was published. Jim Morrison may have faked his death in Exile (2001). Snake Moon, Manzarek's second book, which was published in April 2006, is a Civil War ghost tale. Darryl Read, a British singer, poet, actor, and pioneer punk rocker, was released on a collaboration poetry album named Freshly Dug in 2000. Read had worked with Manzarek on the Beat Existentialist album in 1994, and their last poetical and musical collaboration, according to Bleeding Paradise, occurred in 2007. He co-wrote and directed Love Her Madly, a film that was credited to Jim Morrison's story idea in 2000. The film was shown on the closing night of the 2004 Santa Cruz Film Festival, but it was otherwise unveiled and without a single review.

He collaborated with composer and trumpeter Bal Bal in 2006. Atonal Head, the album's result, is an experiment in the field of electronica. The two musicians integrated jazz, rock, ethnic, and classical music into their computer-based projects. On the 40th anniversary of the recording of "Light My Fire" and the organization's musical and spiritual influences, Manzarek hosted a programme on BBC Radio 2.

Manzarek and Robby Krieger appeared as special guests on Daryl Hall's monthly concert webcast Live From Daryl's House in April 2009. They performed several Doors tunes ("People Are Strange," "The Crystal Ship," "Real House Blues," "Break on Through" and "Break on Through" with Hall providing lead vocals. He spent time in his last years in the Napa County area, where he migrated in the early 2000s.

Manzarek appeared on "Craigslist," a former Doors pastiche, in 2009. Yankovic posted a personal video of this studio session, which he described as a "high point" and "one of the absolute high points of my life" on the day of Manzarek's death. Manzarek first appeared with slide guitarist Roy Rogers in May 2010. In mid-2011, the two bands, Translucent Blues, were released; its lyrical content is mainly written by songwriter/poets Jim Carroll and Michael McClure. "Breakn' a Sweat" was a hit on DJ Skrillex, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, among other former Doors members, from June to August 2011. Following Manzarek's death, Twisted Tales, another Manzarek–Rogers collaboration, was published and dedicated to Manzarek.

On December 21, 1967, Manzarek married Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa, a UCLA alumna, in Los Angeles, with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion Pamela Courson as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa were married before his death. They have a son, Pablo, who was born on August 28, 1973, and three grandchildren. The Manzareks divided their time between a West Hollywood, California, apartment, and a small penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side in the early 1970s. They lived in Beverly Hills, California, for many decades (including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive). Manzarek and his wife lived in a restored farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California, in the Napa Valley for the first decade of his life.

Manzarek was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct carcinoma) in March 2013 and travelled to Germany for special therapy. He reconciled with Densmore and spoke with Krieger during that period, well before his death. He also held a private concert for his doctors and nurses. According to Manzarek's manager, he was "feeling better" before things took a turn for the worst. Manzarek died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, on May 20, 2013. He was surrounded by his wife and brothers. "I was extremely sad to learn about my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek's death today," Krieger said upon hearing the news of his death. I'm just glad to have been able to perform Doors songs with him for the past decade. Ray was a huge part of my life, and I will always miss him." "There was no keyboard player on the planet more suited to assist Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said. I was right in tune with you on musical terms, Ray. It was like we were of one mind, with Robby and Jim's foundation holding down the foundation for them to float on top of. My musical brother will be missing him.

In reaction to Manzarek's death, Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said, "With the passing of Ray Manzarek, one of rock 'n' roll's greatests was lost." Harris also said that "he was instrumental in the creation of one of the most influential, divided, and revolutionary movements of the 1960s." "Light My Fire," "People Are Strange," "Want to You" and "Hello, I Love You" are just a few of the Manzarek's original compositions.

Densmore and Krieger reunited in Hollywood on February 12, 2016, for the first time in 15 years to perform in honor of Manzarek and support Stand Up to Cancer. It would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday on the day. Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Robert DeLeo of the Stone Temple Pilots, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara, and Andrew Watt (among others) attended the evening.

The film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the Asbury Park Music & Film Festival in April 2018. The film celebrates Manzarek's 79th birthday by focusing on old footage and interviews. At the festival, the film received the APMFF Best Film Feature Award.

Source