Robbie Krieger

Robby Krieger
Krieger performing in London, June 2007
Background information
Birth name	Robert Alan Krieger
Born	(1946-01-08) January 8, 1946 (age 71) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Psychedelic rock, acid rock, blues rock, hard rock, blues, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Elektra Records
Associated acts	The Psychedelic Rangers, the Doors, Butts Band, Manzarek–Krieger, Robby Krieger Band, Experience Hendrix
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Gibson SG

Robert Alan "Robby" Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the guitarist of the rock band the Doors, and as such has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". After the Doors disbanded, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors band mates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Krieger was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. His father, an engineer, was a fan of marching music, and much of young Robby's early exposure to music was classical, including Peter and the Wolf, which was the first music that captivated him. When he was seven, Krieger accidentally broke his record player, but the radio introduced him to the likes of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and the Platters. At the age of 10, he tried the trumpet, but found it was not for him. He began playing the blues on his parents' piano with much more success than the trumpet.

While Krieger was a boarding student at a private school called Menlo School in Menlo Park, California, there was study time at night that allowed him to teach himself to play the guitar. He began by first de-tuning a ukulele to the bottom four strings of a guitar and mimicking a record he had. Later, in the mid-1960s, Asian American scholar Frank Chin taught Krieger how to play the flamenco guitar. During a Christmas break, Krieger and two classmates took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta where he purchased a peg-tuned Ramírez guitar and took lessons for a few months. He bounced around genres, including flamenco, folk, blues, and jazz and played in a jug band—the Back Bay Chamber Pot Terriers—at Menlo.