The Doors

USA, 1965–1973

Los Angeles group led by poet and singer Jim Morrison. Psychedelic rock with a literary and theatrical dimension.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced The Doors and 10 artists The Doors influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced The Doors?

• Elvis Presley — Elvis was Morrison's first musical influence, opening rock as an art form for him.
• Muddy Waters — Robby Krieger cited Muddy Waters as the Doors' primary blues reference.

Which artists did The Doors influence?

• The Cult — The Doors are a foundational influence — so much so that Ian Astbury later fronted the surviving members of the Doors on stage (as The Doors of the 21st Century).
• The Stranglers — The Stranglers named the Doors a major influence; Dave Greenfield's swirling, organ-led keyboards give their sound a direct Doors-like psychedelic undertow.
• Danzig — Where the baritone comes from, and the pose with it — his voice is routinely compared to Morrison's.
• Patti Smith — Jim Morrison was a defining model for Smith — the shamanic poet-frontman she named among her core musical influences.
• Alice Cooper — Jim Morrison's dark, theatrical menace was a key model for the sinister persona Cooper built the Alice Cooper act around.
• The Stooges — Iggy Pop has said seeing Jim Morrison confront a Michigan crowd in 1967 showed him what a frontman could be — the Stooges formed in that wake.
• Martin Hannett — The Doors are the third source Hannett named for that sound, alongside dub and Patsy Cline.
• a-ha — Morten Harket has named Jim Morrison and the Doors a formative vocal and atmospheric influence on a-ha's darker side.
• Stone Temple Pilots — Scott Weiland's baritone croon and theatrical, psychedelic side echo Jim Morrison and the Doors.
• Blue Öyster Cult — The Doors' dark, literate rock was a clear influence on Blue Öyster Cult — they covered 'Roadhouse Blues' and echoed the Doors' menace and pretension.