Lookie here.....

You've probably seen the above photo, or "poster" (I've never seen an actual poster) by now. The picture has been traveling the internet, message boards, and people's blogs for years. Some have said that it's a photo of Terry the Tramp, or Freewheelin' Frank, but it is neither of them. I don't know who this Member is for sure, or what Charter he belonged to, but here's something I found that I thought was interesting.......

I was over looking at the Diggers site, and I came across some photographs that Chuck Gould took of the "Digger Family" in San Francisco and other locations during 1967-1968. The photos he took included several pictures of Pete Knell, then President of the Frisco Charter of the Hells Angels (seen above), as well as Billy Fritch ( Sweet William).

It's a photo of Pete Knell working on the handlebar wiring of a chopper, in his garage. Look at his garage wall, in the upper left corner....what do you see?

That's right, it's the photo that was used for the poster. This print seems to be approximately 18" x 24" vs. the standard at the time 24" x 36" size most posters like this were. Also notice this print isn't as cropped as the one you're used to seeing . You can see another bike just to the right of the front wheel, and you see more of the street, too.

My guess is that this photo was taken by Eve Crane, and it may have been shot right out in front of Pete Knell's house, by the looks of the foreground. It most probably was made into a poster by some place like The Print Mint (other Crane photos were made into posters), right in San Francisco, probably not by Roth down in L.A., as some have thought. If anybody knows anything for sure about the history of this photo, I'll be glad to pass it on, and post up any replies.

Oh yeah, who's Eve Crane? Well, there's a really good story on her (along with her relationship with the Frisco Hells Angels, and others) by Sully Hake in Garage magazine #13, March 2007 issue if you can find one, or you can go here....

http://www.evecranephotography.com/