Happy Birthday John Densmore: The Doors Drummer Joins Santana In 2011

Today, December 1, marks John Densmore‘s 75th birthday. While he is most famous as the drummer for The Doors, he later enjoyed success as a dancer, actor, author and playwright. He was also a staunch defender of Jim Morrison’s wish to keep The Doors’ music from being used in commercials.

In The Doors, Densmore brought a jazzy flair to Morrison’s bluesier style as a big fan of John Coltrane’s drummer Elvin Jones and others. He was also in a somewhat rare position as a rock drummer who didn’t play regularly with a bass guitar player. While Ray Manzarek handled bass lines on the keys, not having the low end of a heavy bass guitar freed Densmore up from the tyranny of the bass drum. This allowed him to pursue a lighter, airier style often utilizing rim shots on the snare and crisp cymbal wizardry. In 2010 Modern Drummer praised his ride cymbal work as some of the most distinctive in classic rock.

While he stepped away from music in the 1980s to follow other artistic pursuits, Densmore would reunite with his Doors bandmates sporadically over the years. In 2016, he teamed up with Doors guitarist and fellow surviving member Robby Krieger along with an all-star cast to pay tribute to Manzarek who died in 2013.

But one of Densmore’s most fitting collaborations came in 2011 with the legendary Carlos Santana. Both musicians have affinities for musical flavors from around the world as well as interests in mysticism. After Santana revealed that The Doors were his favorite band of the ’60s, John emerged with a djembe and recited two poems, one by Etheridge Knight and one by Jim Morrison. Densmore then hopped behind the kit for a performance of a Doors classic. Check it out below: