Jim Morrison was born James Douglas “Jim” Morrison on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. He died on July 3, 1971 in Paris, France after a heroin overdose (although the cause of his death is still disputed due to no autopsy having been performed). He is buried at Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The epitaph on his headstone bears the Greek inscription "ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ", which means "True to his own spirit."
Morrison was an American singer-songwriter. He was also a poet, but he is best known as the lead singer of the rock band, The Doors. The Doors, from Los Angeles, California, rose to fame in 1967. Jim Morrison “is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering front men in rock history” (Jim Morrison Biography by Allmusic) and he was ranked #47 on Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Classic Rock Magazine ranked him #22 on its “50 Greatest Singers in Rock” list.
According to Wikipedia.org, “with his father in the United States Navy, Morrison's family moved often. He spent part of his childhood in San Diego. While his father was stationed at NAS Kingsville, he attended Flato Elementary in Kingsville, Texas. In 1958, Morrison attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California. He graduated from George Washington High School (now George Washington Middle School) in Alexandria, Virginia in June 1961. His father was also stationed at Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. Morrison was inspired by the writings of philosophers and poets. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, whose views on aesthetics, morality, and the Apollonian and Dionysian duality would appear in his conversation, poetry and songs.”
After graduating with a degree from UCLA film school, that summer (1965) Morrison lived on the rooftop of a building on Venice Beach. There, he and his cinematology friend (Dennis Jakobs) wrote lyrics for future songs that would help raise the band (The Doors) to fame, including “Hello, I Love You.” But it would be Morrison and former UCLA student Ray Manzarek who would form The Doors during that summer. John Densmore and Robby Krieger would round out the foursome. The band’s genre has been called psychedelic rock, blues rock, acid rock, hard rock, and jazz rock. The Doors performed from 1964 – 1973, two years after Morrison’s death. The band had reunion tours in 1978, 1993, 1997, 2000, and 2011.
On the personal front, “Morrison met his long-term companion, Pamela Courson, well before he gained any fame or fortune, and she encouraged him to develop his poetry. At times, Courson used the surname "Morrison" with his apparent consent or at least lack of concern. After Courson's death on April 25, 1974 (from a heroin overdose), the probate court in California decided that she and Morrison had what qualified as a common-law marriage. Morrison and Courson's relationship was a stormy one, with frequent loud arguments and periods of separation. Biographer Danny Sugerman surmised that part of their difficulties may have stemmed from a conflict between their respective commitments to an open relationship and the consequences of living in such a relationship. In 1970, Morrison participated in a Celtic Pagan handfasting ceremony with rock critic and science fiction/fantasy author Patricia Kennealy. Before witnesses, one of them a Presbyterian minister, the couple signed a document declaring themselves wed, but none of the necessary paperwork for a legal marriage was filed with the state.” (Wikipedia.org)
All discography for Jim Morrison lists music by The Doors. However, there are four books credited to Jim Morrison, the man. They are: The Lords and the New Creatures (1969), An American Prayer (1970), Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison (1988), and The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison (1990). There are also 12 films featuring Morrison, and one film about him: The Doors, a 1991 film by Oliver Stone.
