Former Doors ride out legal storm with new name

The Doors of the 21st Century are no more. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek announced that the band, which includes two surviving members of The Doors, would now be known as Riders on the Storm.

The band--consisting of ex-Doors keyboardist Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger, along with vocalist Ian Astbury--suffered a setback in July when a judge awarded a permanent injunction to former Doors drummer John Densmore, preventing his former bandmates from using the Doors name. Densmore's 1991 autobiography, ironically, was titled "Riders on the Storm."

Manzarek and Krieger were also ordered to return all profits earned by the revamped group to the band's original partnership, which now includes late frontman Jim Morrison's parents and the parents of Morrison's common-law wife, Pamela Courson.
Manzarek made the announcement during a taping of VH1's "Decades" at Trump's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ. Krieger confirmed the group's decision on his website, noting that "Riders on the Storm" was both the last song Jim ever recorded with the band and the last song Jim ever sang with the band, and that the name change would honor their friend and former bandmate, who died in 1971.

The former members of The Doors--Densmore included--recently announced plans for a limited edition box set, "Love/Death/Travel," commemorating the upcoming 40th anniversary of the band. The three-CD set, which also includes a DVD of live Doors material, will hit stores in October.

Riders on the Storm will make their first appearance under the new moniker Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.