10 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Ray Manzarek

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Ray Manzarek was one of the most talented, technical, and influential keyboardists and musicians of the 20th century, best known for his work with the legendary rock band the Doors during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This brief informative article consists of 10 interesting facts you should know about Ray Manzarek, an intelligent, elegant, refined gentleman as well as a wonderful storyteller and handsome man.

Ray Manzarek, the enchanting, charismatic, and intelligent keyboardist of The Doors, as photographed in 1968. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

  1. Given the fact that the Doors did not have a permanent bassists as part of the classic line-up of the band (that is, the well-known one which included poet, singer, and frontman Jim Douglas Morrison), Ray Manzarek had to play on a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass with his left hand while covering the keys of the Fender Rhodes electric piano with his right one. He performed this way especially live but also in studio.
  2. Ray Manzarek was fascinated with the culture, history, spirituality, and mysticism of ancient Egypt, to such an extent, in point of fact, that he even practised a form of ancient Egyptian spirituality, more specifically Atenism, revolving around the worship of the solar disk, Aten. This form of ancient Egyptian spirituality was last observed during the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt (more specifically during the 14th century BC) and was associated with the Pharaoh Akhenaten, being a monotheistic religion (in stark contrast to the ancient Egyptian mythology and its other forms of polytheistic spirituality). His fascination with ancient Egypt would influence him musically in his solo career as well.
  3. During the early 1970s, after Jim Morrison’s unfortunate and rather mysterious death which took place in Paris, France in 1971, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger (guitar), and John Densmore (drums and percussion), the three surviving members of the band, continued to perform as The Doors until 1973 and released two new studio albums without Morrison, more specifically Other Voices (1971) and Full Circle (1972). Ray Manzarek also performed on lead vocals on a series of songs on the two aforementioned studio albums.
  4. In addition to his memorable time as an illustrious member of the Doors, Ray Manzarek continued his solo career after the Doors formally came to an end in 1973 (though the band reunited on several occasions afterwards). In this particular regard, he recorded and released 4 studio albums as follows: The Golden Scarab (1974), The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It’s Out of Control (1974), Carmina Burana (1983), evidently inspired by Carl Orff, and Love Her Madly (2006).
  5. Before playing in The Doors, Ray Manzarek performed in Rick & The Ravens (or proto-Doors if you will, without legendary initially flamenco guitarist Robby Krieger, who turned towards electric guitar in The Doors), a relatively short-lived surf rock and frat rock band.
  6. Ray Manzarek also formed a band called Nite City in Los Angeles, California in 1977. It was a short lived band which lasted from 1977 and 1978 and only released two studio albums which did not achieve commercial success.
  7. In 1991, Ray Manzarek teamed up with Beatnick (or Beat) poet Michael McClure (a good friend of Jim Morrison who helped him publish his poetry volume The Lords and the New Creatures) with whom he released an album entitled Love Lion.
  8. According to bassist Doug Hodges who played with Ray Manzarek on his third solo record Carmina Burana, the legendary keyboardist was a wonderful and down to Earth musician with whom it was a pleasure to collaborate which just goes to show that success didn’t get to his head.
  9. Ray Manzarek was one of the few rock stars of the 1960s who actually pursued higher education, graduating from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) as a filmmaker in 1965. He also graduated from DePaul University, College of Commerce as an economist in 1960.
  10. Ray Manzarek also worked as a music producer for the punk rock band X and collaborated with Iggy Pop and Echo & the Bunnymen.

Bonus facts:

  • Ray Manzarek was significantly influenced by classical music, more specifically by the composers Frédéric Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach as well as jazz (namely Vince Guaraldi and John Coltrane) and blues.
  • In stark contrast to Jim Morrison who was perceived as a manifestation of the ancient Greek god Dionysus, Ray Manzarek was considered the embodiment of the ancient Greek god Apollo in the Doors, that is to say the representation of order and well-structured music (as opposed to chaos and rebellion).

Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! Ray Manzarek was a wonderful man and a musical genius who will always remain in my heart. Below you can listen to a very touching song from his solo discography. All the best, take care, stay safe, and rock on!

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