Ray Manzarek

Raymond Daniel Manzarek (born February 12, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American musician, producer, movie director, writer, and a co-founder and the keyboardist of The Doors, from 1965 to 1973, and in the Doors of the 21st Century (The Doors of the 21st Century now go by the name Riders On The Storm) since 2001. Manzarek also recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with Philip Glass, produced Echo and the Bunnymen and Los Angeles band X, and played with Iggy Pop and backed San Francisco poet Michael McClure's poetry readings.

Manzarek also recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with Philip Glass, produced Echo and the Bunnymen and Los Angeles band X, and played with Iggy Pop and backed San Francisco poet Michael McClure's poetry readings.

He is widely regarded as being one of the most influential keyboardists in rock and roll history from his tenure with The Doors, having changed the spectrum of ability a keyboardist is expected to have. This is largely due to the fact that since The Doors lacked a bassist Manzarek would often play those parts with his Fender Rhodes Piano Bass.

He is famous for playing the keyboard by not looking at the keys and shaking his head throughout songs.

His memoirs, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors, was published in 1998. The Poet in Exile (2001) was followed by his second novel, Snake Moon, which was released by Nightshade Press in April 2006.

In Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors, Manzarek was played by Kyle MacLachlan. MacLachlan's performance was the only good thing Manzarek had to say about the Oliver Stone movie.