Iconic images are on display for band’s 50th anniversary album
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Doors’ seminal Morrison Hotel album release, Morrison Hotel Gallery is excited to introduce an exclusive collection of rare and iconic images handpicked from The Doors Archives. With over 25+ images that have never been available before as fine art prints, the Doors Archive will now be made available exclusively through morrisonhotelgallery.com.
The exhibition comes just ahead of the October 9th release of The Doors Morrison Hotel 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, a 2 CD/1 LP box set that expands the band’s fifth studio album with over an hour of unreleased session outtakes that show how the songs evolved in the studio. Both the iconic cover photo taken by Henry Diltz and the album itself have become legendary touchstones in rock and roll history.
With an intoxicating, genre-blending sound, provocative and uncompromising songs, and the mesmerizing power of singer Jim Morrison’s poetry and presence, The Doors had a transformative impact not only on popular music but on popular culture. The Doors’ arrival on the rock scene in 1967 marked not only the start of a string of hit singles and albums that would become stone classics, but also of something much bigger – a new and deeper relationship between creators and audience. Refusing to be mere entertainers, the Los Angeles quartet relentlessly challenged, confronted, and inspired their fans leaping headfirst into the heart of darkness while other bands warbled about peace and love. Though they’ve had scores of imitators, there’s never been another band quite like them. And 50 years after their debut album, The Doors’ music and legacy are more influential than ever before.
The Doors collection will feature images captured by a lineup of extraordinary photograhers, including Paul Ferrara, Jerry Hopkins, Bobby Klein, Nettie Pena, Gloria Stavers, and David Sygall. Each image is printed directly from the original negatives that have been stored in the Doors’ archives for over 50 years. Each fine art print will come with an original estate stamp along with a certificate of authenticity. There will be three available sizes, each having their own limited edition.
Paul Ferrara attended UCLA film school with Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison. In 1968, The Doors hired Paul to photograph the band and create their first official concert program. Paul then went onto work with the band shooting footage for their film Feast of Friends and later Morrison’s unreleased film HWY. Ferrara was also a musician, and The Doors contributed to his songs “One More Drink” and “Hopi.”
In 1967, Gloria Stavers was the editor in chief (and head photographer) of the influential teen magazine, 16. When the Doors were going to be featured in the magazine, Stavers set up a photo shoot at her studio in New York. She photographed the band, then Morrison stayed behind and she shot a solo reel of Morrison. It was also rumored that the pair were romantically involved.
Nettie Pena was a classmate and friend of Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison at UCLA film school in Los Angeles. As part of her 1966 student film project, Call It Collage, Nettie photographed her friends and their new band, The Doors, at a local club called The London Fog. She used these photos and the audio she recorded in her student film.
In 1967, when The Doors were looking for someone to take their first real publicity shots, Bobby Klein was their first pick. He was young, hip, living in Laurel Canyon, and was already known for shooting rock album covers. Klein started out shooting the band on Venice Beach, the Venice Canals, and finished off the day with dinner at their favorite local spot, The Lucky U. He also photographed the band and their famous Sunset Strip billboard. Lastly, Klein went with The Doors to San Francisco, photographed them throughout the city, and finished off with shots of the band performing at the Avalon Ballroom.
Davd Sygall was already a well known rock photographer when The Doors travelled to New York to play the Filmore East in 1968. His iconic shots of Jimi Hendrix made it easy to get front row seats to witness The Doors’ epic show at the Fillmore. He did not disappoint, capturing Jim at his prime at one of the premier venues in New York.
Jerry Hopkins was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine when he first met Jim Morrison. Hopkins was assigned to write an article about Morrison for Rolling Stone and came to Los Angeles to interview him. Hopkins was invited to attend a rehearsal where he took some candid shots of the band, after which he was to interview Morrison, who made the interview as awkward as possible for Hopkins when he insisted on doing the interview at one of Morrison’s favorite strip clubs, The Extension, which happened to be right next door to The Doors’ rehearsal studio. The pair hit it off so well that the Morrison invited Hopkins to travel with them to their upcoming gig in Mexico, where Hopkins spent the week with the band photographing their every move.
Morrison Hotel Gallery is the world’s leading brand in fine art music photography representing over 125 of the world’s finest music photographers and their archives. Their vast catalog of photography encompasses jazz, blues, and rock imagery spanning several generations through to today’s contemporary music artists and now includes iconic photographs in the world of celebrity and sports as well. MHG has a robust online presence, featuring over 100,000 images searchable by photographer, music artist, band or concert.
