Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison

During their brief but phenomenal period of fame, The Doors defined a sound which was a true melting-pot of influences - from psychedelic and avant garde rock, to improvised jazz with spoken word vocals - all thoroughly steeped in Morrison's colourful literacy and mysticism. When Light My Fire earnt the band a number one chart spot, accusations of commercialism and "selling out" dogged Morrison, and his rock'n'roll excesses notoriously reached Dionysian levels - he was the first musician ever to be arrested on stage. He died aged 27, apparently suffering a heart attack in the bath. His enduring legacy is acknowledged in Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors, and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now immortalised one of his most controversial songs, The End.