Games Fortune photographed The Doors performing on May 7, 1967 at the Valley Music Theater, Woodland Hills, California.

Anaheim Convention Centre Anaheim CA 15th July 1967.

Linda McCartney Remembers Jim Morrison

“I first photographed The Doors at a small New York club, close to the 59th Street Bridge, called Ondine’s, which was a favorite place for out of town bands to come and play residencies. It was the winter of 1966 and I was down there with some friends to see a Los Angeles band that Elektra Records had recently signed. I had my camera with me and started taking pictures of them as they played. No one in New York had heard of The Doors. They had never performed outside of Los Angeles and hadn’t released any records. Because they were unknown and the club was so intimate I had the unique opportunity of being able to get up really close as they played. It wasn’t Jim Morrison’s looks that struck me first about him. It was the poetry of his songs and the way he would get completely lost in the music. He had this habit of cupping his hand behind his ear so the he could hear his vocals the way the traditional folk singers did. I thought the whole band was great; Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore were all very creative musicans. They returned to Ondine’s in March 1967 by which time their debut album The Doors and their first single “Break On Through” had been released, and they were getting national attention. In May they played their last residency in New York – three weeks at Steve Paul’s Scene Club.

Jim Morrison. Alexandria, VA, 1960

10/24/1966 The Doors give their first performance in New York. Billie Winters— a friend of Jim Morrison and Ondine club owner Brad Pierce, is hosting this concert for The Doors. Apparently, this performance is the first audition in residence in Ondine. After the first performance, Brad Pierce hired The Doors to perform throughout November. The Doors stay at the Henry Hudson Hotel during their stay in New York. The owner of the club, Brad Pierce, takes The Doors shopping during this period in search of new stage clothes. The Doors record their first album in Elektra Studio during the day and perform at night. During this period, Hit Parader editor and photographer Don Paulsen interviewed The Doors for the first official interview. On November 24, The Doors take a day off, they were invited to Paul Rothschild's house for Thanksgiving dinner.

📷1966.11 The Doors on the stage of the Ondine nightclub. Photo by Don Paulsen

Van Nuys CA. Birmingham High School Stadium. May 20th 1967  © Joe Klein.

🔻The Doors join the bill for a fundraiser for the local High School. This concert is notable as it is the bands first major outdoor concert with more than 15,000 attending.  A third of the crowd leaves after The Doors set. They are 2nd billing to Jefferson Airplane but that will be turned on it's head once Light My Fire, released the previous month, takes off and hits #1.

Bobby Klein: "Jim was irreverent and mischievous. One time we were shooting outside and he suddenly disappeared. He came back with this cheeky smile and I took his picture. Only later, when I got the photos developed, did I realise what he had been doing: he’d hidden behind a tree, got himself aroused and, through his trousers, was pointing his erection right at my camera."

January-February 1967, Venice Beach, California. © Bobby Klein.

Regardless of his own aptitude, Morrison appreciated his bandmates’ talent and he made a gesture to them that still resonates with Densmore. “He said, ‘Why don’t we just split all the credits,'” he says. “That moment was pivotal. I don’t think any musical organization since the Thirties had done that. It produced 200 percent commitment from each of the four members. Later, when we played a gig and we were big, and we were introduced as ‘Jim Morrison and the Doors,’ he dragged the announcer back out and forced him to call it ‘The Doors.’ He was the star frontman, but behind the scenes, it was totally equal.”

January-February 1967, Venice Beach, California. © Bobby Klein.

On August 8, 1967, The Doors recorded the play "The End" in Toronto for the Canadian television series  'Rock Scene: Like It Is'. The band were given the priceless opportunity to choose the song they would perform, and they wisely decide to do their epic masterpiece, “The End”. Although advertised as appearing in the O'keeffe Centre it was actually filmed at CBS studios in the former Carlton Theatre with a live audience. date October 16th is the actual broadcast date. The band in 'white' (light) clothing and Gym in black highlighted the two tones within The Doors. Jim was always the darkest band member and loved being a 'Door' 24/7 whilst the others could relax into a sort of 'renowned anonymity' away from the insanity of The Doors.

When The Doors came together, “a diamond was formed. And it was clear and hard and luminous.” – Ray Manzarek

The Doors by Gene Trindl. During a  public photo  shoot for "Elektra Records", Los Angeles, California, late Summer-early Fall, 1966