Ray Manzarek

Ray Manzarek
Manzarek in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr.
Born	(1939-02-12)February 12, 1939 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	May 20, 2013(2013-05-20) (aged 74) Rosenheim, Germany
Genres	Psychedelic rock, acid rock, blues rock, hard rock, blues, jazz fusion, funk, rock and roll, electronic music, punk rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, filmmaker
Instruments	Keyboards, Vocals
Years active	1961–2013
Labels	Elektra
Associated acts	The Doors, Manzarek–Krieger, Rick & the Ravens, Nite City, The Manzarek–Rogers Band, Skrillex, X
Website	TheDoors.com The Official Site of Ray Manzarek
Notable instruments
Vox Continental Gibson G-101 Rhodes Keyboard bass RMI Electra Piano

Raymond Daniel "Ray" Manzarek, Jr., (precisely Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013), was an American musician, singer, producer, film director, and author, best known as a member of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison. Manzarek was notable for performing on a keyboard bass during many live shows and some recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player. He recorded on every track of all eight Doors studio albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. He was a co-founding member of Nite City from 1977 to 1978, and of Manzarek–Krieger from 2001 until his death in 2013.

Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr. was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to Polish immigrants Helena and Raymond Manczarek, Sr. Growing up, he took private piano lessons from Bruno Michelotti and others. He originally wanted to play basketball, but he wanted to play only power forward or center. When he was sixteen his coach insisted either he play guard or not at all and he quit the team. Manzarek said later if it was not for that ultimatum, he might never have been with The Doors. He went to Everett Elementary School on South Bell Street and attended St. Rita of Cascia High School. In 1956, he matriculated at DePaul University, where he played piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), participated in intramural football, served as treasurer of the Speech Club, and organized a charity concert with Sonny Rollins and Dave Brubeck. He graduated from the University's College of Commerce with a degree in economics in 1960.

In the fall of 1961, Manzarek briefly enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Unable to acclimate to the curriculum, he transferred to the Department of Motion Pictures, Television and Radio as a graduate student before dropping out altogether after breaking up with a girlfriend. Although he attempted to enlist in the Army Signal Corps as a camera operator on a drunken lark during a visit to New York City, he was instead assigned to the highly selective Army Security Agency as a prospective intelligence analyst in Okinawa and then Laos. While in the Army, Manzarek played in various musical ensembles and first smoked and grew cannabis. However, because he wanted to eventually visit Poland, he refused to sign the requisite security clearance and was discharged as a private first class after several months of undesignated duty. According to Britt Leach, a fellow Army Security Agency enlistee, Manzarek "had collected an entire duffel bag" of cannabis specimens during his service in Laos; this may have been used to fund his subsequent graduate education.