re: RAY MANZAREK:
The news was all over the Internet and the Radio
yesterday ... Rock lost another iconic figure yesterday when Doors keyboardist
Ray Manzarek passed away.
Here's
the first announcement we received from Celebrity Death Beeper ... ironically,
earlier reports that day were never confirmed and thus ruled a hoax. But the
official word came just after 5:00 last night.
Ray Manzarek, a founding member of the
1960s rock group The
Doors, whose versatile and often haunting keyboards complemented Jim Morrison's
gloomy baritone and helped set the mood for some of rock's most enduring songs,
has died. He was 74.
Manzarek died Monday in Rosenheim,
Germany, surrounded by his family, said publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald. She
said the musician's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed Manzarek died after being
stricken with bile duct cancer.
The Doors' original lineup, which
also included drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robbie Krieger, was
only together for a few years and they only made six studio albums. But the band
has retained a large and obsessive following decades after Morrison's death, in
1971. The Doors have sold more than 100 million records and songs such as "Light
My Fire" and "Riders On the Storm" are still "classic" rock favorites. For Doors
admirers, the band symbolized the darker side of the Los Angeles lifestyle, what
happened to the city after the sun went down and the Beach Boys fans headed
home.
Next to Morrison, Manzarek was the
most distinctive-looking band member, his glasses and wavy blond hair making him
resemble a young English professor more than a rock star, a contrast to
Morrison's Dionysian glamour — his sensuous mouth and long, dark hair.
Musically, Manzarek's spidery organ on "Light My Fire" is one of the most
instantly recognizable sounds in rock history.
But he seemed up to finding the
right touch for a wide range of songs — the sleepy, lounge-style keyboards on
"Riders On the Storm"; the liquid strains for "The Crystal Ship"; the
barrelhouse romps on "Roadhouse Blues." The Doors always considered themselves
"more" than a rock band and Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger often managed a
flowing rapport that blended rock, blues and jazz behind Morrison's
self-consciously poetic lyrics.
"There was no keyboard player on
the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said in a
statement. "Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were
of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I
will miss my musical brother."
The Doors were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Their records have been reissued frequently
and the band was the subject of a 1991 Oliver Stone movie, "The Doors," starring
Val Kilmer as
Morrison and Kyle MacLachlan as Manzarek, who complained that the film
stereotyped Morrison as a hopeless drunk and also omitted calmer, more humorous
times. The Doors' fame has hardly faded even though they're one of the few
groups not to allow their music to be used for commercials, a source of great
tension among surviving members. Manzarek and Krieger reportedly supported
licensing the songs, and Densmore has resisted. The group also feuded when
Krieger and Manzarek formed a new group, Doors of the 21st Century. Densmore
objected, and Krieger and Manzarek performed under various names.
Other Doors albums included "The Soft Parade,"
''Waiting for the Sun" and their last record with Morrison, "L.A. Woman."
Manzarek briefly tried to hold the
band together on the albums "Other Voices" and "Full Circle," neither of which
had critical or commercial success. He played in other bands over the years,
working with X and Iggy
Pop among others. He also wrote a memoir, "Light My Fire," and a novel,
"The Poet In Exile," in which he imagines receiving messages from a
Morrison-like artist who had supposedly died.
Born and raised in Chicago,
Manzarek studied piano as a child and briefly considered a career in basketball.
After graduating from DePaul University, he headed west to study film at UCLA. A
few months after graduation, he and Morrison met in 1965 on Venice Beach in
California. As Manzarek would often recall, Morrison read him some lyrics —
Let's swim to the moon / Let's climb through the tide / Penetrate the evening
that the / City sleeps to hide" — that became the start of "Moonlight Drive."
"I'd never heard lyrics to a rock
song like that before," Manzarek told Billboard in 1967. "We talked a while
before we decided to get a group together and make a million dollars."
By 1966, they had been joined by
Krieger and Densmore and were a sensation live, especially during the
theatrical, Oedipal epic, "The End." They were the house band at the famed
Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles before being signed by Elektra Records and
releasing a self-titled album in 1967, one of the most talked-about debuts in
rock history.
"Well, to me, my God, for anybody
who was there it means it was a fantastic time," Manzarek told The Republican in
Massachusetts during an interview last year. "We thought we could actually
change the world — to make it a more Christian, Islamic, Judaic Buddhist, Hindu,
loving world. We thought we could. The children of the '50s post-war generation
were actually in love with life and had opened the doors of perception. And we
were in love with being alive and wanted to spread that love around the planet
and make peace, love and harmony prevail upon earth, while getting stoned,
dancing madly and having as much sex as you could possibly have."
Manzarek is survived by his wife,
Dorothy; his son Pablo and two brothers, Rick and James. Funeral arrangements
are pending.
I just heard that Ray Manzarek,
founding member of The Doors, has died at 74.
Bish
(CNN)
-- The Doors' founding keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, died in Germany Monday, May
20, after a long fight with cancer, his publicist said in a statement. He was
74. The artist had
been diagnosed with bile duct cancer.
The Doors formed in 1965 after
Manzarek happened to meet Jim Morrison on California's Venice Beach. The
legendary rock group went on to sell 100 million albums worldwide, establishing
five multiplatinum discs in the U.S.
Morrison died in 1971, but Manzarek
carried on The Doors' legacy, continuing to work as a musician and also as an
author.
"I was deeply saddened to hear
about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," said Doors
guitarist Robby Krieger. "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors
songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will
always miss him."
Manzarek is survived by his
brothers Rick and James, his wife Dorothy, his son Pablo, and three
grandchildren. Instead of flowers, the family's asked that a donation be made in
Manzarek's name at www.standup2cancer.org.
submitted by Ken Voss
And this from official Forgotten Hits Grim Reaper
Ron Smith (www.oldiesmusic.com)
...
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist with the
Doors, died Monday (May 20) at a German clinic of complications from bile duct
cancer. He was 74. Born in Chicago in 1939, he received a degree in economics
from DePaul University there, then moved to Southern California to study
cinematography at UCLA. It was there he initially met Jim Morrison and the two
later hooked up and formed the Doors with drummer John Densmore and guitarist
Robbie Kreiger. They soon were playing the Sunset Strip (first at the London
Fog, then at the Whisky A Go Go) and came to the attention of Columbia Records.
A lack of quick success there led them to Zak Holtzman, who signed them to his
eclectic Elektra Records. Their first, self-titled, album in 1967 went to #2 on
the charts and while its first single, "Break On Through," stalled at #126, the
second single, "Light My Fire" zoomed to #1 for three weeks solidifying their
place as psychedelic poets supreme. Six more albums made the top ten for the
group (all told fifteen have charted over the years) and six singles reached the
top 20, including "Hello, I Love You" (#1 - 1968), "Touch Me" (#3 - 1969) and
"Love Her Madly (#11 - 1971). A series of drug and alcohol fueled incidents
(including a conviction for public indecency) led Jim flee to Paris, where he
died of a suspected drug overdose in 1971. The Doors struggled to continue (with
Ray singing lead at one point), but eventually called it quits in 1973. Ray did
participate in the Doors 21st Century revival group which John bitterly opposed.
The group was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Ray's
autobiographical book, "Light My Fire," was published in 1998.
The Doors were the band that all the OTHER bands
went to go see! Their Whisky A Go Go appearances are legendary ... and Manzarek
was probably the most easily recognizable and vocal source for the band since
Jim Morrison's passing. Their contribution to the history of rock and roll is
immeasurable ... he will be missed. (kk)
re: ALAN O'DAY:
First from Dawn Lee Wakefield ...
On Sunday, May 19, when Kent
Kotal’s Forgotten Hits blog announced the passing of singer/songwriter Alan O’Day, thanks to the
information from oldies music writer Ron Smith, sharing the news, the first song
that came to mind was “Rock and Roll Heaven.” Alan O’Day had left us for the
very place he’d written of long ago.
The history of “Rock and Roll
Heaven” begins with iconic record producer Artie Wayne, who
tells a story better than most, and who was once at the very epicenter of all
rock music at Warner Brothers Music, as general professional manager (among
other titles). It was at Artie’s suggestion
that songwriter Johnny
Stevenson take his (then) new song, “Rock and Roll Heaven,” and collaborate with
Warner songwriter Alan O’Day and “turn it into a tribute to rock stars who have
passed away.”
Full story here: Click
here: Alan O’Day, singer-songwriter to the stars, passes away at 72 - National
classic rock music | Examiner.com
And then this from Artie Wayne himself ...
ONE OF THE HAPPIEST TIMES OF MY LIFE WAS WHEN I MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND WORKED AS A SONGPLUGGER FOR VIVA MUSIC (WHICH WAS LATER BOUGHT BY WARNER BROTHERS). I WORKED WITH SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED SONGWRITERS IN THE BUSINESS, KENNY LOGGINS “THIS IS IT”, DEWAYNE BLACKWELL (“MR. BLUE”), JERRY CAPEHART “SUMMERTIME BLUES”, AND A TALENTED NEWCOMER WHO HADN’T HAD HIS FIRST HIT YET … ALAN O’DAY.
IN ADDITION TO KNOWING HOW TO PUT A POP SONG TOGETHER ALAN KNEW HOW TO MAKE INCREDIBLE DEMOS THAT SOUNDED GOOD ENOUGH TO BE ON THE RADIO AND WERE COPIED MORE OFTEN THAN NOT BY ARTISTS AND PRODUCERS! EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T DRIVE AT THE TIME I GOT SO EXCITED WHEN I HEARD “THE DRUM” I HITCHHIKED TO METROMEDIA RECORDS AND GOT BOBBY SHERMAN TO CUT IT!
WHEN I HEARD “HEAVY CHURCH”, A RECORD “SNUFF GARRETT HAD PRODUCED ON HIM, ONCE AGAIN I GOT EXCITED AND HITCHHIKED OUT TO THE VALLEY TO RITCHIE PODOLOR’S AMERICAN RECORDING STUDIO … WHERE I GOT HIM TO CUT IT WITH 3 DOG NIGHT!
WHEN I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE ALAN COULDN’T WRITE FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR HIS SONGS, THE LAST PROJECT ALAN AND I WORKED ON WAS “ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN”. JOHNNY STEVENSON WROTE A SONG WITH A CHORUS THAT I LOVED, AND I ASKED HIM TO COLLABORATE WITH ALAN ON THE VERSES AND CREATE THE SONG YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH TODAY.
EVEN THOUGH WE TOOK DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS, WE’VE REMAINED FRIENDS FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS, WHICH MAKES ME ESPECIALLY HAPPY TO INTRODUCE THE ALAN O’DAY VIDEO JUKEBOX FILLED WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITES, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE BIGGEST HITS OF THE ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s including, “UNDERCOVER ANGEL”, “ANGIE BABY”. ”ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN”, “FLASHBACK”, AND MORE!
THANKS AND REGARDS,
ARTIE WAYNE
Jukebox link: Click here: THE ALAN O’DAY VIDEO JUKEBOX | Artie Wayne On The Web
re: And, rounding out the
"Nothing But Sad News Today" report ...:
This, too, from Ron Smith's website:
Judith Durham, lead singer of the Seekers, suffered a brain hemorrhage Tuesday (May 14) while the group was on tour in Melbourne, Australia. She was hospitalized, but was described as "lucid and comfortable" as she undergoes further tests. The group's 50th anniversary tour has now been scrapped.
re: ON THE PLUS SIDE:
Congratulations to our FH Buddy John Madara!
The Philadelphia Music Alliance announced Tuesday (May 14) that they will honor composer/producers John Madara and David White (who gave us Danny & the Juniors' "At The Hop," "1-2-3" from Len Barry, "The Fly" by Chubby Checker and Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me") with a plaque on the Phildelphia Music Walk of Fame at an unspecified date in October.
And congrats, too, to Chet Coppock, on being inducted into The Chicagoland Sports Hall Of Fame!
You'll find the full story here: Click here: Chet Coppock, Eddie Olczyk, Others Named To The Chicagoland Sports Hall Of Fame
(Hey, they left out the part about him writing "Coppock's Topics" for Forgotten Hits!!!)
re: AND, SPEAKING OF PHILLY ROCK:
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon did a rare U.K. appearance earlier this month in London and performed before a soldout SRO audience.
Here are some video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN2amnGlOno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQLuESi__Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKz7Hz60P1s
And then this from Artie Wayne himself ...
ONE OF THE HAPPIEST TIMES OF MY LIFE WAS WHEN I MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND WORKED AS A SONGPLUGGER FOR VIVA MUSIC (WHICH WAS LATER BOUGHT BY WARNER BROTHERS). I WORKED WITH SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED SONGWRITERS IN THE BUSINESS, KENNY LOGGINS “THIS IS IT”, DEWAYNE BLACKWELL (“MR. BLUE”), JERRY CAPEHART “SUMMERTIME BLUES”, AND A TALENTED NEWCOMER WHO HADN’T HAD HIS FIRST HIT YET … ALAN O’DAY.
IN ADDITION TO KNOWING HOW TO PUT A POP SONG TOGETHER ALAN KNEW HOW TO MAKE INCREDIBLE DEMOS THAT SOUNDED GOOD ENOUGH TO BE ON THE RADIO AND WERE COPIED MORE OFTEN THAN NOT BY ARTISTS AND PRODUCERS! EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T DRIVE AT THE TIME I GOT SO EXCITED WHEN I HEARD “THE DRUM” I HITCHHIKED TO METROMEDIA RECORDS AND GOT BOBBY SHERMAN TO CUT IT!
WHEN I HEARD “HEAVY CHURCH”, A RECORD “SNUFF GARRETT HAD PRODUCED ON HIM, ONCE AGAIN I GOT EXCITED AND HITCHHIKED OUT TO THE VALLEY TO RITCHIE PODOLOR’S AMERICAN RECORDING STUDIO … WHERE I GOT HIM TO CUT IT WITH 3 DOG NIGHT!
WHEN I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE ALAN COULDN’T WRITE FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR HIS SONGS, THE LAST PROJECT ALAN AND I WORKED ON WAS “ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN”. JOHNNY STEVENSON WROTE A SONG WITH A CHORUS THAT I LOVED, AND I ASKED HIM TO COLLABORATE WITH ALAN ON THE VERSES AND CREATE THE SONG YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH TODAY.
EVEN THOUGH WE TOOK DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS, WE’VE REMAINED FRIENDS FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS, WHICH MAKES ME ESPECIALLY HAPPY TO INTRODUCE THE ALAN O’DAY VIDEO JUKEBOX FILLED WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITES, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE BIGGEST HITS OF THE ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s including, “UNDERCOVER ANGEL”, “ANGIE BABY”. ”ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN”, “FLASHBACK”, AND MORE!
THANKS AND REGARDS,
ARTIE WAYNE
Jukebox link: Click here: THE ALAN O’DAY VIDEO JUKEBOX | Artie Wayne On The Web
Here's the video to Alan's latest recording,
"You Don't Say". I agree with you - it's a great track.
David Lewis
This, too, from Ron Smith's website:
Judith Durham, lead singer of the Seekers, suffered a brain hemorrhage Tuesday (May 14) while the group was on tour in Melbourne, Australia. She was hospitalized, but was described as "lucid and comfortable" as she undergoes further tests. The group's 50th anniversary tour has now been scrapped.
re: ON THE PLUS SIDE:
Congratulations to our FH Buddy John Madara!
The Philadelphia Music Alliance announced Tuesday (May 14) that they will honor composer/producers John Madara and David White (who gave us Danny & the Juniors' "At The Hop," "1-2-3" from Len Barry, "The Fly" by Chubby Checker and Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me") with a plaque on the Phildelphia Music Walk of Fame at an unspecified date in October.
And congrats, too, to Chet Coppock, on being inducted into The Chicagoland Sports Hall Of Fame!
You'll find the full story here: Click here: Chet Coppock, Eddie Olczyk, Others Named To The Chicagoland Sports Hall Of Fame
(Hey, they left out the part about him writing "Coppock's Topics" for Forgotten Hits!!!)
re: AND, SPEAKING OF PHILLY ROCK:
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon did a rare U.K. appearance earlier this month in London and performed before a soldout SRO audience.
Here are some video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN2amnGlOno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQLuESi__Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKz7Hz60P1s
