John Paul Densmore was born on December 1,1944 and is an American musician, songwriter, author, and actor.
22 Facts About John Densmore
2.
John Densmore is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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John Densmore appeared on every recording made by the band, with drumming inspired by jazz and world music as much as by rock and roll.
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John Densmore has worked additionally in the performing arts as a dancer and actor, and written successfully as both a playwright and the author of two books on the topic of the Doors, and a third book, The Seekers, on a selection of notable people he has worked with and encountered.
5.
John Densmore was born in Los Angeles on December 1,1944, to a Catholic family, the son of Margaret Mary and Ray Blaisdell John Densmore.
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John Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and California State University, Northridge; at the latter he studied ethnic music under jazz cellist Fred Katz.
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John Densmore favored a lean, crisp, clear style in feel-good rhythmic explorations that, like the band's songs, gathered together ideas from blues, pop, jazz, classical, and Latin, Eastern, and African music.
8.
John Densmore repeatedly suggested that the band stop touring, but Krieger and Manzarek were resistant to this notion.
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John Densmore remained a member until the band's dissolution in 1973.
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John Densmore formed a musical group with fellow ex-Doors member Krieger in 1973 called the Butts Band.
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John Densmore left rock and roll in the 1980s, moving to the world of dance as he performed with Bess Snyder and Co.
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John Densmore developed and performed a one-man piece from the Donald Barthelme short story, The King of Jazz, at the Wallenboyd Theatre in 1989.
13.
John Densmore has acted in numerous TV shows, most memorably as himself in the show Square Pegs, working as a drummer for Johnny Slash's band Open 24 Hours, and in an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 in 1992, in Series 2, Episode 23, where he plays Ben, Dylan's sponsor.
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John Densmore produced and co-scored the feature film, Window of Opportunity, a dark comedy about corporate greed written and directed by Samuel Warren Joseph.
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John Densmore wrote his best-selling autobiography, Riders on the Storm, about his life and the time he spent with Morrison and the Doors.
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John Densmore appears alongside Krieger and Manzarek in 2012's RE:GENERATION, a documentary directed by Amir Bar-Lev.
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John Densmore later stated that he "heard Jim's voice" in his ears and ended up donating his share of the money earned to charity.
18.
Notable musicians who testified in support of John Densmore included Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Eddie Vedder, and Tom Waits.
19.
In 2013, John Densmore released The Doors Unhinged, a book covering his lengthy but victorious legal battle with Krieger and Manzarek over their use of the Doors' name and logo in their touring and John Densmore's veto of the Cadillac commercial offer.
20.
Manzarek and John Densmore reconciled shortly before Manzarek's death in 2013.
21.
John Densmore married his first wife Julia Brose in 1970 with Robby and Lynn Krieger as best man and bridesmaid.
22.
John Densmore then married actress Leslie Neale in 1990 and they had one daughter together.