The Doors' Ray Manzarek dies at 74

[Jason]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/publicist-ray-manzarek-founding-member-of-the-doors-dies-at-74-from-cancer/2013/05/20/2dec0d86-c193-11e2-9aa6-fc21ae807a8a_story.html

This. SUCKS.

[Justin]

Huge bummer.  A sad day indeed. 

[hypehat]

Just saw this. goshdarn.


This year really fucking sucks for musicians dying.

[SMiLE-addict]

[gfac22]

Very sad day.  RIP Ray.

[Lowbacca]

From Alice Cooper's Facebook page:

Enough of the death hoaxes folks. I'm the only one who can fool people with death.

[...]

Ok it is OFFICIAL. Ray Manzarek is dead. Mind blown. RIP Ray.

Weird. Some hoax.

R.I.P., Manzarek.

[Mikie]

I'm really sorry to hear about this.  Didn't know he was on his way out. What a great keyboard player he was!

Now he's in Rock & Roll Heaven with Jim.

[Jukka]

Well, this really ruined my day. May he rest in peace.

[Heteronym]

Damn, really? Didn't even know he was sick...

Always found every member of The Doors incredibly cool, especially him. RIP 

[rn57]

I'm really sorry to hear about this.  Didn't know he was on his way out. What a great keyboard player he was!

Now he's in Rock & Roll Heaven with Jim.

Funny you should mention "Rock & Roll Heaven" - Alan O'Day who wrote that song died last week.

And if you think Jimbo's there with him.....well, I just wonder what the odds are at Ladbrokes that we'll see the Lizard King make Ray's burial. Or at least the memorial service.  I mean, you gotta figure if it really was him in Pere Lachaise, somebody would have tried to steal the body by now to hold for ransom. And nobody's even bothered to try.

[Mikie]

Should be a quiet burial as long as there's no dead Indians around the cemetary......

[EthanJames]

I was shocked when i herd it, still pretty much am, he seem to be a down to earth kind of guy and was very funny and could tell a good story of the band, RIP

[Sheriff John Stone]

It's hard to listen to "Light My Fire" or "Riders On The Storm" or "The Crystal Ship" or any Doors' songs - even Other Voices and Full Circle - without Ray in this world. Although he was the "older" Door, he was so young at heart, so much energy, so much spirit. His keyboard work provided me with more musical enjoyment than probably any musician ever. I was glad that he and Robby got to perform together over the last decade; I know they loved it. I hope Ray and John spent some final quality time together; I'm sure they did. As a young kid, The Doors were my first favorite group. I'm physically sick over this; I didn't know Ray was ill. My thoughts are with his family. R.I.P. Ray, and thanks for years and years of great music, and making my life happier.   

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Oh man... very depressed... he tried so hard to hold the band together... Didn't know he was sick...

[rab2591]

Ah man that sucks If there is an afterlife, I hope he and Jim are catching up and writing new tunes.

[18thofMay]

It's hard to listen to "Light My Fire" or "Riders On The Storm" or "The Crystal Ship" or any Doors' songs - even Other Voices and Full Circle - without Ray in this world. Although he was the "older" Door, he was so young at heart, so much energy, so much spirit. His keyboard work provided me with more musical enjoyment than probably any musician ever. I was glad that he and Robby got to perform together over the last decade; I know they loved it. I hope Ray and John spent some final quality time together; I'm sure they did. As a young kid, The Doors were my first favorite group. I'm physically sick over this; I didn't know Ray was ill. My thoughts are with his family. R.I.P. Ray, and thanks for years and years of great music, and making my life happier.   

Pretty much sums up my thoughts!

[bgas]

It's hard to listen to "Light My Fire" or "Riders On The Storm" or "The Crystal Ship" or any Doors' songs - even Other Voices and Full Circle - without Ray in this world. Although he was the "older" Door, he was so young at heart, so much energy, so much spirit. His keyboard work provided me with more musical enjoyment than probably any musician ever. I was glad that he and Robby got to perform together over the last decade; I know they loved it. I hope Ray and John spent some final quality time together; I'm sure they did. As a young kid, The Doors were my first favorite group. I'm physically sick over this; I didn't know Ray was ill. My thoughts are with his family. R.I.P. Ray, and thanks for years and years of great music, and making my life happier.   

Pretty much sums up my thoughts!

Sure don't see it that way. Sad that he's gone, sure, I guess; Sad when anyone we enjoy(ed) that much passes. But great music is , well, great music and Ray being gone doesn't diminish that for me. At all

[Mikie]

The thing that always got me was that the Doors had no bass player! Ray was their keyboard player AND their bass player. And he also played it like a lead instrument when the guitar was usually the only lead instrument. Don't know how many other bands were like that, but somehow they still got a good full sound out of just those three guys backing up Morrison.

[Rob Dean]

The thing that always got me was that the Doors had no bass player! Ray was their keyboard player AND their bass player. Don't know how many other bands were like that, but somehow they still got a good full sound out of just those three guys backing up Morrison.

Good point , I was in a Band in the 80's ( 3 piece-Keys, Drums and guitar ) and our Keyboard player played Hammond / Synths and Bass pedals - Certainly don't see that very often

[Sheriff John Stone]

The thing that always got me was that the Doors had no bass player! Ray was their keyboard player AND their bass player. Don't know how many other bands were like that, but somehow they still got a good full sound out of just those three guys backing up Morrison.

Amazing wasn't it. When you listen to Absolutely Live or any of the Bright Midnight live releases or watch any live videos, ALL of those brilliant keyboard parts was Ray playing them with one hand - his right hand. He was simultaneously playing a keyboard bass with his left hand. How did he do that?! And he made it look so effortlessly.

As a tribute, so much stuff to listen to in the next couple of days. The Doors, with and without Jim. The Golden Scarab, The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's Out Of Control. Nite City. I have this Ray Manzarek/Roy Rogers CD. And, of course, the DVD's and YouTube videos.

[rab2591]

The thing that always got me was that the Doors had no bass player! Ray was their keyboard player AND their bass player. Don't know how many other bands were like that, but somehow they still got a good full sound out of just those three guys backing up Morrison.

Did they ever use an outside bass player for studio albums? I swear I hear an electric bass being played on one of their albums (maybe their debut), but I could be wrong.

[Jason]

They used session players on all of their albums, but not on every track. There's some electric bass on the first album that (I think) Larry Knechtel played. From 1967-69 they used Douglass Lubahn, Kerry Magness, Leroy Vinnegar, and Harvey Brooks on bass. On Morrison Hotel they had Lonnie Mack and Ray Neapolitan on bass. On L.A. Woman they had the one and only Jerry Scheff, from Elvis Presley's live band.

[rab2591]

Thanks for that response. I remember reading that they actually tried to find a permanent bass player in their early days, but as was mentioned above, Ray took over that job

[Mikie]

Just to be specific, Larry Knechtel played bass on the Doors first album, Jerry Sheff on L.A. Woman, Ray Neapolitan played bass on many of the Morrison Hotel tracks, Harvey Brooks and Doug Lubahn on Soft Parade. Lubahn also played bass on Waiting For The Sun and Strange Days.

[guitarfool2002]

Ray may have been the only prominent rock keyboardist to be so associated with that Fender keyboard bass, I think what little vintage and collector market there is for that quirky instrument is 99.9% due to fans of Ray and the Doors who want one because of the association.

It is and was a striking visual too, think back to the Ed Sullivan appearance where Ray is playing that Fender keyboard perched atop his regular keyboard rig, whatever it was for any given show. No other band had that, or that sound, as prominent as Ray with The Doors.

It did have limitations, though, but damn Ray made it work beautifully for his band.

The classic Manzarek setup: