Robby Krieger

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Lore & Background

Krieger's musical journey began in Los Angeles, where he attended a Hebrew school with his older brother Ronny. While boarding at Menlo School in Atherton, California, night study time allowed him to teach himself guitar by detuning a ukulele to the bottom four strings and mimicking records. By the mid-1960s, scholar Frank Chin taught him flamenco guitar, an influence clearly heard in "Spanish Caravan." At the University of California, Santa Barbara, his style was further shaped by listening to Wes Montgomery, Albert King, and Larry Carlton. Upon joining The Doors in 1965 alongside Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Jim Morrison, Krieger's distinctive fingerstyle playing became a hallmark of the band's sound. Together with Densmore, he studied Indian music at the Kinnara School of Music in Los Angeles, integrating non-Western scales into the band's psychedelic rock foundation.

In Their Own Story

After Jim Morrison's death in 1971, Krieger, Manzarek, and Densmore carried on as a trio, releasing two more albums before disbanding in 1973. They later reconvened to set poetry recorded by Morrison shortly before his passing to music, resulting in the 1978 album An American Prayer. In 1974, Krieger formed the Butts Band with Densmore, while also releasing his first solo record, Robbie Krieger & Friends, in 1977. The decades that followed saw a diverse array of projects: he appeared on four tracks of The Acid Casualties' Panic Station in 1982, formed the Robby Krieger Band with his son Waylon in 1991, and released the instrumental fusion album Cinematix in 2000. In 2002, he reformed as "Doors of the 21st Century" with Manzarek and Ian Astbury. His later years included touring with the Roadhouse Rebels in May 2012, playing alongside Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre in October 2013, joining Alice in Chains on stage in August 2018 to perform "Rooster," and releasing his memoir Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With the Doors on October 12, 2021.

Reader's Guide

To understand Krieger's impact, one must look at his specific gear and songwriting credits. He utilized a variety of electric guitars during his time with The Doors, including a 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom ("Black Beauty"), multiple Gibson SG models from 1964 to 1968, and a 1958 National 'Town & Country'. His discography spans the original eight studio albums of The Doors, two Butts Band records, and numerous solo efforts like Versions (1982) and The Ritual Begins At Sundown (2020). He also made guest appearances on tracks by Fuel, Hollywood Vampires, X, and Alice Cooper. In 2023, Rolling Stone positioned him at number 248 in their list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time. Krieger began uploading guitar tutorials for Doors songs to the band's official YouTube channel in 2020, ensuring new generations could learn his distinctive style. His personal life includes being married to Lynn Krieger with one child.

Did You Know?

• Krieger taught himself guitar by detuning a ukulele to the bottom four strings of a guitar and mimicking records he had.
• He studied Indian music at the Kinnara School of Music in Los Angeles alongside fellow Doors member John Densmore.
• Krieger sang lead vocals on "Runnin' Blue" and also provided vocals on the last two Doors albums, Other Voices and Full Circle, which were recorded after Jim Morrison's death.
• On August 29, 2018, he joined Alice in Chains onstage at the Hollywood Palladium to close their concert with a performance of "Rooster."
• In May 2012, Krieger toured with the Roadhouse Rebels, a trio side-project that included Rich Robinson and featured material from Robinson's new album.