Photo by Tour Bus Live

Happy birthday John Densmore, legendary drummer and co-founder of iconic rock band The Doors. Today, Densmore celebrates his 77th birthday and is still that rhythmic machine he was since forming The Doors in 1965.

Densmore is a local legend from Los Angeles and a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. A man of many talents, he first learned piano at the age of eight, but found a deep love for the clarinet soon after. However, his orthodontist forced him to give up any reed instruments that required wrapping his mouth around. That’s when Densmore made the life-changing switch to percussion instruments drawing inspiration from jazz music. Eventually, he created some of the most famous grooves and beats in rock ‘n’ roll as the first and only drummer for The Doors.

We wish John Densmore a very well deserved happy birthday after all he has contributed to rock music. Watch the drummer pound away with The Doors live in 1968 at The Hollywood Bowl here: