Last Friday, while accessing an online obituary for Esther Williams, I learned of yet another death, one which had escaped my notice for two weeks! And so...
Ray Manzarek, best known as the keyboard player for The Doors, died on May 20th of this year. He was 74.
I was and am a huge fan of The Doors. Some of my readers, not so much. So I'm going to keep today's post relatively short and not regale you with all the reasons I appreciate that group! Suffice it to say that, in the years following Jim Morrison's death, I've enjoyed seeing Ray do whatever he could to keep the legend alive... and to keep the dollars rolling in as well!
Ray Manzarek in 2009
And now, for the personal slant I like to add to these tributes:
Before The Doors, Manzarek played in a group called Rick and the Ravens (Rick being Ray's brother). Manzarek was the vocalist, "Screamin' Ray Daniels"... which came from his birth name of Raymond Daniel Manczarek (note the "C"), Jr.
Before The Doors, Manzarek played in a group called Rick and the Ravens (Rick being Ray's brother). Manzarek was the vocalist, "Screamin' Ray Daniels"... which came from his birth name of Raymond Daniel Manczarek (note the "C"), Jr.
Rick and the Ravens only produced a very few 45s... and I owned the one pictured below -- a promotional copy, no less -- until fairly recently!
Below: A tribute from the Whiskey a Go Go. Before they made it big, The Doors were the house band at the Whiskey.
Thanks for your time.
