Ray Manzarek was a keyboardist, composer, and producer born Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. on February 12, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois. As co-founder and keyboardist of the Doors, he shaped one of the most distinctive sounds in rock music, his left hand covering bass lines on a Fender Rhodes while his right hand played melodic figures on a Vox Continental organ. Beyond performing, Manzarek was a prolific composer and arranger whose writing credits span the Doors catalog alongside Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger. His solo compositional output includes albums such as The Golden Scarab and The Whole Thing Started with Rock 'n' Roll, an arrangement of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana created with Philip Glass, and the score for his film Love Her Madly. He also produced albums for the punk band X, including Los Angeles and Wild Gift. "In the Eye of the Sun" reflects his interest in expansive instrumental composition. Manzarek died on May 20, 2013, in Germany.
