In what year was the band The Doors formed?

The Doors were formed in 1965. The band emerged in Los Angeles after UCLA acquaintances Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek reunited in July of that year and began developing Morrison’s songs.

Manzarek brought keyboard skills and a background in the group Rick & the Ravens, while Morrison supplied distinctive lyrics and vocals. Drummer John Densmore joined during August 1965, and guitarist Robby Krieger joined later that year. This four-member lineup became the classic Doors configuration, with Manzarek covering bass parts on keyboard rather than the band using a conventional bass guitarist.

The group’s name came from Aldous Huxley’s 1954 book The Doors of Perception, which itself references a line by poet William Blake. Although The Doors did not release their debut album until 1967, the band’s formation and early development date to 1965. That two-year gap is a frequent source of confusion, especially because the group’s breakthrough single “Light My Fire” also arrived in 1967.