Robby Krieger
Biography
When you think of the Doors, 'guitar' isn't the first thing that usually comes to mind (Jim Morrison's manic persona and Ray Manzarek's swirling organ usually take precedent), but guitarist Robbie Krieger proved to be an integral member of the band -- helping pen the majority of the group's songs. Born on January 8, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, Krieger was first taken by classical music, before discovering such early rock & roll artists as Elvis Presley via the radio. When surfing proved to be taking Krieger's mind off of studying during his teenage years, his parents enrolled him in a private school. Each night, students were forced to study in their rooms for a few hours -- instead, Krieger used this time to teach himself how to play guitar. First interested in flamenco guitar, Krieger's playing style soon expanded into folk, jazz, and blues. But it was a Chuck Berry concert that finally convinced Krieger to give rock music a go, which resulted in the guitarist trading in his classical guitar in for a Gibson SG, an instrument that he would eventually become synonymous with. Studying physics and Indian music at UCLA, Krieger played in bands with friends, and eventually bumped into a drummer he'd met a few years before, John Densmore.
Selected Discography
Cinematix
2000
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC.