Jay Thompson Photographed Chris Crosby And Jim Morrison In New York In September 1967

967.05.30 Hullabaloo, Hollywood, CA. Photographs by Barbara Gray

April 21,22,23, 1967 The Doors performed at the Kaleidoscope at Ciro's, West Hollywood, CA

Kim Fowley Remembers the Doors

“I first saw them at Ciro's in 1966 - I think I'd first heard about them from Billy James. I got to Ciro's before the Doors' set began, and the musicians were up on stage setting up. A heckler started yelling at the band: 'You guys are horrible. You can't play. You're crap. You can't drink, you can't think, you can't fight, you can't fuck.' He was in dirty clothes and looked dangerous. The band looked nervous and started playing - and this guy hopped up on stage and started singing. It was Morrison, who'd been heckling his own band. That was one of the best things I'd ever seen in a club. No introduction - just the singer yelling at the band and then the music. I thought, 'My God, these guys are going to be interesting to watch.'

May 20th 1967: Boss City KHJ-TV Los Angeles. 

The band return to Boss City on KJH-TV for a second time and the show now has a 90 minute format due to its popularity. It is not certain but it is believed the band play an album version of Light My Fire. Whether they mime or play live is unknown. It is likely the band did an interview with host Sam Riddle. 

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

1967.05.30 Hullabaloo, Hollywood, CA. Photographs by James Fortune. 

Jim Morrison. Alexandria, VA, 1960

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.

July 1967. Photo by Paul Ferrara.