THE DOORS' VERSION OF "I'M A KING BEE" AND ITS ORIGINS

Among the covers that The Doors recorded between 1966 and 1967 was "I'm A King Bee", a medium-paced blues song that was originally written and recorded by Slim Harpo in 1957 (it was the B-side of his debut single).

The Doors performed the song several times during their career, including at a concert in Detroit on 5 May 1970 during the promotional tour for the "Morrison Hotel" LP.

Of the few live recordings that have survived, however, the version which the band performed at the famous "The Matrix" in San Francisco in March 1967 surely stands out (link here). Let's examine its main characteristics and explore the origins of this cover.

At the "Matrix", John Densmore's drum tempo throughout the tune essentially mirrors that of Slim Harpo's original composition (link here).

This provides a solid foundation for Ray Manzarek's vocal performance, which is one of his sporadic stints as lead singer during the group's early live shows.

This circumstance meant that Jim Morrison was limited to backing vocals, discreetly supporting the vocal efforts of the band's keyboardist. The result is an atmosphere that is rarely heard in The Doors recordings.

This meant that Jim Morrison was limited to backing vocals, discreetly supporting the keyboardist's lead vocals. The result is an atmosphere rarely heard in The Doors' recordings.

Manzarek is convincing and engaging, displaying just the right amount of grit and vocal drive. However, his performance is not among the quartet’s best nor up to Morrison’s standards.

The most interesting moment in The Doors' cover of "I'm a King Bee" is Robby Krieger's solo, where he uses the slide guitar technique on his electric guitar.

By doing so, he clearly emphasizes the band's connection to the blues, the musical genre in which this guitar style originated and evolved.

The vibrant notes produced by this elongated and sharp-edged guitar sound set Krieger apart from most rock musicians of the time. In fact, only a few guitarists could play this style to such a high standard in concert.

This solo also reveals the inspiration behind The Doors' cover of this song.

Following Slim Harpo, the Rolling Stones recorded "I'm a King Bee" (link here) and included it on their debut album, "Rolling Stones", released in April 1964.

This is widely considered to be the best version of the song ever recorded, with Brian Jones deviating from the original with a short, sharp solo played using the slide guitar technique.

Alongside Jones's solo, Mick Jagger's vocal performance is also notable, while Bill Wyman's continuous glissando on the electric bass is an engaging sonic element which further elevates this version.

Inspired by the Rolling Stones' successful rendition of "I'm a King Bee" in the wake of the "British Invasion”, The Doors created their own version of the tune.

In fact, contrary to the Rolling Stones version, Slim Harpo's original has no "slide guitar" and its arrangement is simpler and sparser.

Moreover, in an interview conducted after the band's breakup, Manzarek explicitly acknowledged the influence of the Rolling Stones on The Doors in their early stages as well as on other bands who wanted to play rock music in the mid-1960s.

With this blues number, Manzarek was able to give Morrison a few minutes' rest while simultaneously diversifying the group's artistic offerings during concerts.

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