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Introduction
Jim Morrison was born on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, FL. He was a singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band, the Doors (Jim Morrison Biography). -
Early Childhood
A terrible car accident that Jim Morrison witnessed at the age of four greatly impacted his future. He referenced this accident and the impact that it had on him in many of his songs and poems. He often spoke of it in interviews. -
Early College Years
In 1962, Jim Morrison transfered from St. Petersburg Junior College to Florida State University, where he first got his interest in film. He first got in trouble at Florida State and found himself arrested. -
Later College Years
Jim Morrison transfered from Florida State University the University of California, Los Angeles, where he took a class on Antonin Artaud, whose writing significantly influenced Morrison' poetic artistry. During this time, he pursued film studies, making two films, "First Love" and "Obscura" (Jim Morrison Biography). -
The Beginning of the Doors
Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek met at UCLA, where they both attended. Morrison met Manzarek in the summer of '65 and was invited to join Manzarek's band, Rick and the Ravens, because of his ability to write and his poems. With the addition of a few other band members, they named their band the Doors, after Aldous Huxley's book,"The Doors of Perception" (The Doors). -
First Album Released
The Doors released their first album in 1967 with huge success. The Doors signed with Elektra Records and made it to the top charts (Jim Morrison Biography). The two big hit songs were "Break on Through" and "Light my Fire" ("The Doors:Break on Through")This break-out album solidified their name in the music industry and propelled them to popularity with their fans. -
Ed Sullivan Show
With their rising popularity, the Doors were invited on the Ed Sullivan Show to perform "Light my Fire". Jim Morrison was told to change the line "Girl we couldn't get much higher". He refused and found himself banned from the Ed Sullivan Show (THE DOORS "Light My Fire" on The Ed Sullivan Show). This defiance was in true fashion of what made Jim Morrison who he was, a rock n' roll rebel. -
Second Album Release
The Doors released their second album, Strange Days, in 1967. In one of the songs of this album, Morrison warned of "ecological apocalypse" which was the danger to the environment as we know it today (Strange Days). As he stated in an interview, for this album, he wanted the album cover to be better than the first one. (LA Free Press Interview with Jim Morrison). He showed his creativity in doing this cover because he felt that album covers were more important than books. -
Jim Morrison: First Man Arrested On Stage
In New Haven, Connecticut, Jim Moorrison was arrested on stage during a show. This bestowed upon him the honor of being the first person ever arrested on stage. He was charged with indecency and profanity (Jim Morrison and Lt. Kelly Onstage in New Haven - Photograph By Tim Page). This was an incident that was one of the first in a long line of problems that Morrison struggled with, leading to his early demise. -
Interview with Howard Smith
In one of his last interviews, Jim Morrison talks about his physical transformation. After being known for his skinny physique, earning him the nickname of the Lizard King, he had gained significant weight due to his hazardous lifestyle. In an interview, he defended his weight to Howard Smith, saying that being fat is good (Jim Morrison on Why Fat is Beautiful). Even at this point, he is denying the impact that drugs an alcohol have on his life. He was quickly spiraling out of control. -
Death
Jim Morrison moved to Paris with Pamela Coursonin 1971, to work on his poetry. Suffering from depression, and his addiction to drugs, Morrison was found dead in the bathroom of their apartment. While an autopsy was not performed, the official ruling of his death was heart failure, assumed to be from a heroin overdose, but there was been widespread speculation. His early death deprived the world of his musical talent and his poetry (The Doors Biography).
