Jim Morrison (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)By Seth FrankDuring the 1960s, the Southern California community was taken by storm by a rock-and-roll band referring to themselves as The Doors, who combined a mixture of blues rock, hard rock and acid rock.
Despite their prosperity, the band received much criticism by the media because of Jim Morrison's often strange behavior both on and off the stage. However, despite Morrison's behavior, the band managed to witness worldwide success, releasing nine vinyl records during their eight-year existence.
Even after Morrison's tragic death in 1971, the band managed to live on, but the success of the band was short lived because Morrison was such an important member to the band's success.
Early History
The first individuals of The Doors were Morrison and Ray Manzarek, who would meet while at UCLA. Before the band got its start, Morrison found the inspiration to form a band when Manzarek was shooting a video for a project (which planted the idea in Morrison's head to start a rock band).
As the band became larger, Manzarek knew of a drummer who would be the best person for their band in John Densmore, and later, The Doors would hire Robby Krieger as their guitarist. Upon the start of the band, the title "The Doors" had yet to appear; it was not till the members saw inspiration from Aldous Huxley's book The Door of Perception that the title "The Doors" came into existence.
The band would create a name for itself while singing at the famous London Fog and soon after at the Whiskey a Go Go concert in Southern California. After experiencing success as a rock band performing around Southern California, the band would score a record deal and begin recording their first self-titled album.
Early Morrison Issues
During a show in New Haven, Connecticut, Morrison was arrested on stage after an officer had seen Morrison kissing a fan backstage. The event led the police officer to take Morrison into custody while on stage, making Morrison the first singer to ever be arrested while on stage.
In spite of their early success, Morrison would also become reliant on drugs and alcohol, leading to more issues with the band. His reliance on the two vices created tension among the band because it was difficult to record with a drunk or high Morrison. Despite Morrison's drug and alcohol issues, the band released their third Doors vinyl record and would continue their triumph as a group.
Death and End of an Era
Despite all the prosperity as a rock and roll band, Morrison was found dead in his Paris apartment with the cause of death considered as heart failure; however, this fact has yet to be proven. After Morrison's death, speculation started to form that there were other causes that may have led to his death, such as a drug overdose.
Despite what the cause of death was, the group would no longer retain the success they experienced while Morrison was alive. Without Morrison, the group lost the iconic voice he provided, and without him, the group only survived for two more years.
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