Mural Of Jim Morrison, <i>The Doors</i> Lead Singer, Created From Archival Photos By 60's Photog Who Took Them, Is Affixed To East Village Building, 400 block E. 4th St.

(Nov. 3, 2013, 10:20 p.m.) -- Approaching what would have been the 70th birthday (Dec. 8) of Jim Morrison, co-founder and lead singer of The Doors (died in Paris at age 27), Long Beach photographer Jim Coke's installed a 20 foot mural called "Flying Morrison" on the side of a retail building at 425 E. 4th Street in Long Beach's East Village on Saturday November 2nd, 2013.

Photo by Joe Mello

The mural featuring a horizontal Jim Morrison holding a microphone overlooks the Park(d) Plaza "parklet" across the street from Fingerprints Music where Coke's 20 piece photographic exhibit on The Doors called "WAKE UP" is currently on display.

Coke gave LBREPORT.com exclusive access to the preparation of the mural and installation of the "WAKE UP" exhibit.

In July 1967, Coke (then a young student photographer interested in documenting the 1960's counterculture) attended the Fantasy Faire and Magic Music Festival at Devonshire Downs in Northridge. The two day festival's bill included The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Iron Butterfly.

Coke told LBREPORT.com that he used a Nikon F camera with a yellow filter that day. From a small area on the stage, he used most of the few frames of color film and two rolls of black and white film he had to capture The Doors performance.

The photos taken that day were stored away at his parents' home when he left for U.C. Berkeley. There they sat for over 30 years until he found them in near perfect condition with their proof sheets. He had never printed them.

Since finding them Coke has used modern digital graphics technology to work with the photos. His "Flying Morrison" mural project took five months to complete. A micro grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach and numerous donations of material and time from volunteers brought the project to fruition.

The printing and installation of the actual mural pieces was donated by Lyon Art Supply (a Graphaids company). The Lyon Art Supply location on 4th Street shares the building complex on which the mural was installed overlooking the parklet.

The "Flying Morrison" mural was printed in sections. Each of the mural's sections was hand cut by Coke on Friday November 1 at the Long Beach Lyon Art store for assembly the next day.

Photo by Joe Mello

On Saturday November 2, the pre-cut mural was adhered to the building piece by piece with wheat paste, a task performed by volunteers coordinated by Lyon employees.

Photo by Joe Mello

Coke said the life of the 20 foot mural "depends on the weather." Coke said he'd like to see the mural "clear-coated" to make it permanent.

Photo by Joe Mello

Photo by Daryl Supernaw

As the mural of Jim Morrison went up on the building, in the parklet a makeshift band area in front of the crew working on the mural featured some other well known talents.

The Doors former Assistant Publicist Chris Boyle read a spoken word tribute to Morrison (who died in Paris at age 27, no autopsy, questions still swirl on cause of death). Boyle's words were accompanied on the string bass by The Blaster's bass guitarist, and long time Long Beach resident John Bazz. In his reading, Boyle recounts asking Morrison what he thought "obscenity was" and relating that Morrison answered "Death is obscenity."

Photo by Joe Mello

Also doing a reading from her poetry book was Cristina "Bliss" Calderon.

Boyle told LBREPORT.com that he first interviewed The Doors in October 1967 as a high school student when the band played in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduation, Boyle moved to California to attend Long Beach State to study journalism. Boyle again interviewed the band when they played the Long Beach Arena in February 1970. Boyle said when he told the band how difficult it was to arrange the interview they offered him a job as an assistant publicist. He stayed with them until Morrison died in 1971. In the Oliver Stone 1991 movie The Doors, Boyle played the cameo role of a New York City journalist doing an interview.

Also appearing with members from his band the Neptune Blues Club was the former Black Crowes' guitar player Marc Ford. Blues and west coast swing band Catfish and the Hollywood Hound Dogs also played a set as did Long Beach's own American folk-rock-country inspired Kern Richards and his band members.

Kern Richards performs. Photo by Joe Mello

Photo by Joe Mello

The mural installation and musical guests attracted Doors fans, art enthusiasts, friends of the artist and bands as well as curious neighborhood walkers and customers from the area's eclectic businesses.

Photo by Joe Mello

Brittany Mann and Travis Brewer and their dogs Sid and Killa were sitting in two of the parklet's yellow chairs watching the mural instillation and the entertainment. The downtown residents learned of the event from a neighbor. Moving to Long Beach from Fresno just 4 months ago, Mann told LBREPORT.com, "We love Long Beach, the arts, the music, this is something you never find in Fresno".

Also watching the event were sisters Carmen and Rafaela Gastelum and there friend Mateo Rojas. The trio had come from Huntington Park just to see the event.

Carmen Gastelum told LBREPORT.com that this was only the 4th time she had been to Long Beach. After learning about the event by email, the three Doors fans took the Blue Line to Long Beach to see the mural installation and the WAKE UP photo exhibit -- which she described as "amazing".

The WAKE UP exhibit's official opening reception will be Thursday Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at Fingerprints Music, 420 E 4th Street, Long Beach. The exhibit includes 19 archival art photographs first printed in the early 1990's.