The Doors had many memorable moments with Jim Morrison. He was the frontman and the vocalist of the band. Their poetic songs made many people fall in love with the band.
However, the band had a problem with Morrison.
His drug addiction and alcohol problems were going out of hand. Most of his fans have heard the tales of his drug and alcohol problems creating difficulties for the band.
However, the most significant issue happened during their last concert. It was a disaster.
Maybe, because of this reason, Morrison then went to Paris to get clean. He went there with his girlfriend. Little did anyone know that this would be the last time seeing Morrison perform. He was found dead on July 7, 1971.
While Morrison was in Paris his bandmates were preparing for their album, ‘Other Voices’.
His sudden death left the band all puzzled while still in grief. In the end, they made a decision to continue and finish their album. Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek took over the vocals. Having said that, getting into Morrison’s shoes was too much for them.
So, like any other band, they thought of replacing Morrison with another vocalist.
Who did The Doors Think of Hiring to Replace Jim Morrison?
As per a few sources, The Doors had a few people in mind who they thought of hiring after The Lizard King’s demise.
One of the vocalists was Paul McCartney. Back in 2014 Manzarek in an interview with Louder Sound was asked if they were trying to hire Paul.
He spoke about the rumor and said, “Yes. Paul was going to play bass. That would have worked out great. Who knows what direction we would have gone off into had that actually happened.”
Although the rumor had some truth in it, they were just trying to hire Macca as a bass guitarist.
Morrison died in 1971 while The Doors were active till 1973 after disbanding.
Decades after The Doors disbanded, in 2011 Paul Rodgers revealed that he was lined up to replace Morrison. Robby and other band members could not meet Rodgers during their visit to England because he was busy with projects.
Rodgers said, “I discovered quite recently that I was lined up to join The Doors, Robby Krieger told me that the Doors were all fans of Free, and after Jim Morrison’s death, they came to England looking for me. (The) thing is, at that time, I had buried myself in the country, working on things, and they couldn’t get a hold of me. My jaw actually dropped like in a cartoon when Robby told me this.”
Although he found out years later about this, he was still asked if he would have joined the band. His reply was rather diplomatic at first. Later on, he added, “But I think not. I tend to form bands, that’s what I do. Although it’s always flattering to be asked!”
If he had joined the band then it would have been really interesting. Maybe, The Doors would not have disbanded just two years after Morrison’s death. On the flip side though, bands like Bad Company and The Law wouldn’t exist.
Yet, if we are to imagine either Macca or Rodgers joined the band, the band would have produced amazing music for fans all around the globe.
