Robert Alan “Robby” Krieger

Robert Alan “Robby” Krieger, born January 8, 1946, in Los Angeles, is a singer, songwriter and former guitarist in the legendary Rock band The Doors. He wrote and co-wrote many of the band’s most iconic songs, including “Break on Through”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly” “Roadhouse Blues” “Spanish Caravan”, and the classic, seven minute song that launched the band’s career instantly by skyrocketing to the #1 position in the 1967 Billboard charts – “Light My Fire.”

Robby Krieger is on “Rolling Stone’s” list as among the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

“The first music I heard that I liked was Peter and the Wolf. I accidentally sat and broke the record (I was about seven). Then I listened to rock ‘n’ roll – I listened to the radio a lot – Fats Dominio, Elvis, The Platters.”

“I started surfing at fourteen. There was lots of classical music in my house. My father liked marching music. There was a piano at home. I studied trumpet at ten, but nothing came of it. Then I started playing blues on the piano. When I was seventeen, I started playing guitar. I used my friend’s guitar. I didn’t get my own until I was eighteen. It was a Mexican flamenco guitar. I took flamenco lessons for a few months. I switched around from folk to flamenco to blues to rock ‘n’ roll.

I didn’t plan on rock ‘n’ roll. I wanted to learn jazz; I got to know some people doing rock ‘n’ roll with jazz, and I thought I could actually make money playing music. In rock ‘n’ roll you can realize anything – just like in jazz. There’s no limitation other than the beat. You have more freedom than you do in anything (except jazz).

“In The Doors we had both musicians and poets, and both knew of each other’s art, so we were able to effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man’s ideas. Most groups today aren’t groups. In a true group all the members create the arrangements among themselves.”