Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger (born October 8, 1938) is an American author and actor, who is a founding member (1957) of the Oakland, California, U.S. chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. He is the author of five books - Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club (2000), Dead in 5 Heartbeats (2004), Freedom: Credos from the Road (2005), 6 Chambers, 1 Bullet (2006), and Let's Ride: Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling (2010) - and editor of the book Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-Raising Stories (2003). Onscreen, Barger was identified but did not speak in Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) and was one of several members of the Angels who had speaking parts playing themselves in Hell's Angels '69 (1969); he has appeared in several additional films. He also appeared in the Sons of Anarchy television show as "Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz.
Video Sonny Barger
Biography
1960s
Barger figures prominently in Hunter S. Thompson's book, Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (1966). Barger and the Hells Angels are also depicted in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), during Ken Kesey's La Honda encampment. Barger was one of the Hells Angels present at the Rolling Stones' Altamont Free Concert in 1969, and appears in the documentary film about the concert: Gimme Shelter (1970).
1980s
In 1983, Barger was diagnosed with throat cancer, after years of heavy smoking. Consequently, his vocal cords were removed, and after a laryngectomy he learned to vocalize using the muscles in his throat.
In 1988, Barger was found guilty of conspiring to blow up the clubhouse of a rival motorcycle club, The Outlaws in Louisville, Kentucky, and spent four years in federal prison in Arizona.
2000s
Sonny Barger remains an active member of the Hells Angels in the Phoenix Arizona Chapter, having moved there from Oakland in 1998. He has owned 10 to 12 motorcycles throughout his life.
In recent years, Barger has worked to promote motorcycle safety; he co-authored a book on the subject with Darwin Holmstrom (the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles (1998)) titled Let's Ride: Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling (2010).
In terms of pure workmanship, personally I don't like Harleys. I ride them because I'm in the club, and that's the image, but if I could I would seriously consider riding a Honda ST1100 or a BMW. We really missed the boat not switching over to the Japanese models when they began building bigger bikes. I'll usually say "Fuck Harley-Davidson."
On November 30, 2010, Barger made a guest appearance as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz on the Season 3 finale of the FX television series Sons of Anarchy, about a fictional outlaw motorcycle club, allegedly based on the Hells Angels. Show creator Kurt Sutter spent time with Barger and other members of Hells Angels researching for the show, and acted opposite Barger in his scene. Barger returned again on the Sons of Anarchy as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz November 29, 2011, in the Season 4 finale, part one. Barger's third guest appearance on Sons of Anarchy as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz was during Season 5, Episode 10, which aired on November 13, 2012.
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Selected works
- with Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman (2001). Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. William Morrow. ISBN 0-06-093754-8. CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories. William Morrow. 2003. ISBN 0-06-000603-X.
- Dead in 5 Heartbeats. HarperTorch. 2004. ISBN 9780060532536.
- Freedom: Credos from the Road. William Morrow. 2005. ISBN 0-06-053256-4.
- 6 Chambers, 1 Bullet. William Morrow. 2006. ISBN 9780060745318.
- Let's Ride: Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling. William Morrow. 2010. ISBN 0-06-196427-1.
Filmography
- Hell's Angels on Wheels (1967)
- Hell's Angels '69 (1969)
- Gimme Shelter (1970)
- Hell's Angels Forever (1983), featuring Sonny Barger, Jerry Garcia, Scott Barnes, Johnny Paycheck, Willie Nelson
- Sons of Anarchy television series, (2010-2012), played recurring character Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz
- Dead in 5 Heartbeats (2012)
References
Further reading
- Associated Press (Jun 14, 1979). "Authorities Crack Down on 'Angels'". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- Associated Press (Aug 2, 1980). "Hells Angels Leader Leaves Jail". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- Bryant, Nick (October 5, 2000), ""Hell's Angel" interview (audio)", Salon.com, archived from the original on July 18, 2007
- Martin, Phillip (December 2, 1992). "Look Homeward Angelcycle Icon Sonny Barger Kick-Starts Life as a Free Man by Violating Parole". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- Stillman, Deanne (July 10, 2000), "Hell's author; Legendary bad-ass biker Sonny Barger and his roaring Harley are burnin' up the highways on a ... uh ... book tour?", Salon.com
External links
- Official website
- Sonny Barger on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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