Pick a Day

Ray Manzarek (of The Doors) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

Jim Morrison is born James Douglas Morrison in Melbourne, Florida. He becomes lead singer of The Doors.

John Densmore (drummer for The Doors) is born in Los Angeles, California.

The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is born in Los Angeles.

After a few months honing their act at the Los Angeles club The London Fog, The Doors play the Whisky a Go Go for the first time, where they become the house band. Their Whisky run gets them lots of exposure and leads to them signing a contract with Elektra Records.

The Doors break on through with their eponymous debut album. The Doors is a hit with listeners and critics alike and produces the single "Light My Fire," which quickly hits #1 in the US.

The Doors release a truncated version of "Light My Fire" as a single, trimming it from an album-awesome 6:50 to a radio-friendly 2:52. The group's first single, "Break On Through," didn't, but "Light My Fire" ignites, going to #1 and becoming their most famous song.

The Doors' "Light My Fire" hits #1 for the first of three weeks in the US. It is knocked off by the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love."

The Doors release their second album, Strange Days, which includes such classic songs as "People Are Strange," "Love Me Two Times" and "When The Music's Over."

Appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Doors are asked to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" in their hit "Light My Fire" to "Girl, we couldn't get much better." Lead singer Jim Morrison agrees, then sings the offending line anyway, angering the host and earning a lifetime ban from the show.

The Doors release their alienation anthem "People Are Strange."

Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested onstage during his band's concert in New Haven, Connecticut. The singer is arrested after angrily telling the crowd about a backstage run-in he'd had with a police officer before the show. The officer had confronted Morrison and maced him while he was hanging out in a private area with a young woman. It's the first time a famous musician is arrested in the middle of a performance.More

Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested after threatening a security guard at an adult movie theater.

The Doors hit #1 in America for the second (and last) time when "Hello, I Love You" reaches the top for the first of two weeks. Their first #1 was "Light My Fire" in 1967.

The Doors' third album, Waiting For The Sun, hits #1 in America thanks partly to the popularity of the hit "Hello, I Love You." They decided to include the song on the album after scrapping plans to put a Jim Morrison poetry piece called "Celebration Of The Lizard" on the entire first side.

Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested after a Miami concert after allegedly exposing himself to the audience.More

The Doors concert documentary Feast Of Friends premieres at the Cinematheque in Los Angeles.

En route to a to a Rolling Stones concert, Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested by the FBI for drunk and disorderly behavior and interfering with the flight of an aircraft in Phoenix, Arizona, after a flight attendant on his trip from Los Angeles accuses him of attacking and sexually harassing her. Morrison and his flight companion, American actor Tom Baker, spend the night in the local jail but are released the next day on $2,500 bail. The charges are later dropped.

The Doors release their fifth album, Morrison Hotel. It's named after a real hotel in Los Angeles that happens to bear the same name as their lead singer, Jim Morrison. The album, which marks a return to the band's blues sound, features the classic-rock staple "Roadhouse Blues."

The Isle of Wight Festival hits its stride on Day 4 (of 5), with performances by Miles Davis, The Doors, The Who and Joni Mitchell. Mitchell's set is interrupted by a hippie named Yogi Joe who has to be removed by security. It also features Emerson, Lake And Palmer in only their second live performance.More

The Doors' Jim Morrison is arrested in Los Angeles for public drunkenness after being found lying unconscious on a resident's doorstep.

A Miami judge finds Jim Morrison guilty of indecent exposure after The Doors singer dropped his pants onstage at a concert in March.

Jim Morrison of The Doors makes the spoken-word recordings which would later become the basis of the group's album An American Prayer.

The Doors release their sixth album, L.A. Woman. It's their last with lead singer Jim Morrison, who dies a few months later.

Jim Morrison of The Doors is found dead in a bathtub in a Paris apartment at age 27. No autopsy is performed, and while drugs are suspected, the official cause is listed as "heart attack induced by respiratory problems."More

At the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, The Doors, who have continued as a trio since the death of Jim Morrison in July 1971, play their last concert. Their final song is "Light My Fire."

Director Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors, starring Val Kilmer, opens in Los Angeles.

At the eighth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Cream, Ruth Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Frankie Lymon & the teenagers, Etta James, Van Morrison, and Sly & the Family Stone are welcomed into the hall. Cream reunite on stage, but Morrison skips the ceremony, becoming the first living inductee to do so.More

With Ian Astbury on lead vocals and Stewart Copeland on drums, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors perform their first concert as "The Doors of the 21st Century." The show is part of the Harley-Davidson Open Road Tour at the California Speedway in Fontana.

Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors announce plans to re-form with The Cult lead singer Ian Astbury and The Police drummer Stewart Copeland. They initially tour as "The Doors of the 21st Century," but a lawsuit by original drummer John Densmore (who declined to tour citing hearing loss) forces them to stop using the "Doors" moniker. They change their name to "Riders on the Storm" as a result of the litigation.