Rocker (subculture)
Encyclopedia
Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are a biker
subculture
that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer
motorcycles and rock and roll
music.
British mods and skinhead
s commonly called rockers, greasers, or grease as an insult. Since then, the terms greaser
and rocker have become fairly interchangeable in the UK but are used differently in North America. Rockers were also derisively known as Coffee Bar Cowboys. In Japan, their equivalent was called the Kaminari-zoku (Thunder Tribe).
period, motorcycling held a prestigious position and enjoyed a positive image in British society, being associated with wealth and glamour. Starting in the 1950s, the middle class
es were able to buy inexpensive motorcars, and motorcycles became transport for the poor.
The rocker subculture came about due to factors such as: the end of post-war rationing in the UK, a general rise in prosperity for working class
youths, the recent availability of credit
and financing for young people, the influence of American popular music and films, the construction of race track-like arterial roads around British cities, the development of transport cafes and a peak in British motorcycle engineering.
Rocker-style youths existed in the 1950s, and were also known as ton-up boys because ton-up was English slang for driving at a speed of 100 mph (160.9 km/h) or over. The Teddy boy
s were considered their "spiritual ancestors". The rockers or ton-up boys took what was essentially a sport and turned it into a lifestyle, dropping out of mainstream society and "rebelling at the points where their will crossed society's". It had a damaging effect on the public image of motorcycling in the UK, and led to the politicisation of the motorcycling community.
The mass media started targeting these socially powerless youths and cast them as "folk devils", creating a moral panic
through highly exaggerated and ill-founded portrayals. From the 1960s on, due to the media fury surrounding the mods and rockers
, motorcycling youths became more commonly known as rockers, a term previously little known outside of small groups. The public came to consider rockers as hopelessly naive, loutish, scruffy, motorized cowboys, loners or outsiders.
Rockers, like the ton-up boys before them, were immersed in 1950s rock and roll
music and fashions, and became known as much for their devotion to music as they were to their motorcycles. Many rockers favored 1950s and early-1960s rock and roll by artists such as Gene Vincent
, Eddie Cochran
and Chuck Berry
; music that George Melly
called "screw and smash" music.
Two groups emerged, one identifying with Marlon Brando
's image in The Wild One
, hanging around transport cafes, projecting nomadic romanticism, violence, anti-authoritarianism and anti-domesticity; the other being non-riders, similar in image but less involved in the cult of the motorbike.
originated in the 1950s, when bikers often frequented transport cafes
, using them as starting and finishing points for road races. A cafe racer is a motorcycle that has been modified for speed and good handling rather than for comfort. Features include: a single racing seat, low handlebars (such as ace bars or one-sided clip-ons mounted directly onto the front forks for control and aerodynamics), half or full race fairings, large racing petrol tanks (often left unpainted), swept-back exhaust pipes, and rear-set footpegs (to give better clearance while cornering at high speeds). These motorcycles were lean, light and handled various road surfaces well. The most defining machine of the rocker heyday was the Triton
, which was a custom motorcycle made of a Norton Featherbed frame
and a Triumph Bonneville
engine. It used the most common and fastest racing engine combined with the best handling frame of its day.
The term cafe racers is now also used to describe motorcycle riders who prefer vintage British, Italian or Japanese motorbikes from the 1950s to late 1970s. These individuals don't resemble the rockers of earlier decades, and they dress in a more modern and comfortable style; with only a hint of likeness to the rocker style. These cafe racers have taken elements of American greaser, British rocker and modern motorcycle rider styles to create a look of their own.
Rockers in the 2000s tend to ride classic British motorcycles such as a Triumph, Norton, or Triton hybrid of the two. Other popular motorcycle brands include Birmingham Small Arms Company
(BSA), Royal Enfield
and Matchless
from the 1960s. Classically styled European cafe racers are now also seen, sometimes using Moto Guzzi
, Ducati or classic Japanese engines with British-made frames, such as those made by Rickman
.
such as The Ace Cafe
, Chelsea Bridge
tea stall, Ace of Spades, Busy Bee and Johnsons. Hence the term cafe racer
, .
First seen in the United States and then England, the rocker fashion style was born out of necessity and practicality. Rockers wore heavily-decorated leather motorcycle jackets, often adorned with metal studs, patches, pin badges and sometimes an Esso
gas man trinket. When they rode their motorcycles, they usually wore no helmet
, or wore a classic open-face helmet, aviator goggles and a white silk scarf (to protect them from the elements). Other common items included: T-shirts, leather caps, Levi's or Wrangler jeans
, leather trousers, tall motorcycle boots (often made by Lewis Leathers) or brothel creeper
s. Also popular was a patch declaring membership of the 59 Club
of England, a church-based youth organization that later formed into a motorcycle club
with members all over the world. The rocker hairstyle, kept in place with Brylcreem
, was usually a tame or exaggerated pompadour
hairstyle, as was popular with some 1950s rock and roll
musicians.
Largely due to their clothing styles and dirtiness, the rockers were not widely welcomed by venues such as pubs and dance halls. Rockers also transformed rock and roll dancing into a more violent, individualistic form beyond the control of dance hall management. They were generally reviled by the British motorcycle industry and general enthusiasts as being as an embarrassment and bad for the industry and the sport.
Originally, many rockers opposed recreational drug use, and according to Johnny Stuart,
in 1960 to punk rock
bands and their fans in the late 1970s. The look of the ton-up boy and rocker was accurately portrayed in the 1964 film The Leather Boys, starring Rita Tushingham and Directed by Sidney Furie. After 2000, the rocker subculture became an influence on the rockabilly
revival and psychobilly
scenes. The modern-day rocker-style and reunion motorcycle runs have followings all over the world, especially in Japan, the United States and Australia.
In the 2000s, many rockers still wear engineer boots or full-length motorcycle boots, but Winklepickers (sharp pointed shoes) are no longer common. Some rockers in the 2000s wear Dr. Martens
boots, brothel creepers (originally worn by Teddy Boys) or military combat boots. Rockers have continued to wear motorcycle jackets, leather trousers and white silk scarves while riding their bikes. Leather caps adorned with metal studs and chains, common among rockers in the 1950s and 1960s, are rarely seen any more. Instead, some contemporary rockers wear a classic woollen Flat cap
.
s and the Hells Angels
. The remaining rockers became known as greasers, and the scene had all but died out in form, but not in spirit.
In the early 1980s, The Rocker Reunion Club was started by Len Paterson (an original 59 Club member), his wife "Baby Blue", a handful of original rockers and a handful of original "Chelsea Bridge
Boys" who met over the previous 20 or more years at the tea stall on the bridge. They organized nostalgic rocker reunion dances called piss-ups, which attracted individuals from as far as Europe, America and Japan. In 1984, the first rocker reunion motorcycle run of 70 classic British motorcycles rode to Pitsea
. Follow runs went to other destinations with historic relevance to Rockers such as Brighton
, Southend and Southsea which in 1988 attracted over 7,000 bikes. They established a model which has become a worldwide movement. Within a few years, these events attracted 10,000 to 12,000 revivalists, which gained widespread media attention and new converts.
In 1993/1994 discussions between Mark Wilsmore and others led to idea of doing a 25th Anniversary Ace Cafe Reunion, the re-opening of the cafe, and Wilsmore's stewardship of the reunion events. The events now attract up to 40,000 riders.
Motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...
subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer
Café racer
A café racer is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers, or the Ton-up boys, although they were also common in Italy, Germany, and other European countries...
motorcycles and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music.
British mods and skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s commonly called rockers, greasers, or grease as an insult. Since then, the terms greaser
Greaser
Greasers can refer to:* Greaser , a derogatory term for a Mexican on drugs.* Greaser , a subculture that developed in the United States in the 1950s....
and rocker have become fairly interchangeable in the UK but are used differently in North America. Rockers were also derisively known as Coffee Bar Cowboys. In Japan, their equivalent was called the Kaminari-zoku (Thunder Tribe).
Origins
Up until the post-World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period, motorcycling held a prestigious position and enjoyed a positive image in British society, being associated with wealth and glamour. Starting in the 1950s, the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
es were able to buy inexpensive motorcars, and motorcycles became transport for the poor.
The rocker subculture came about due to factors such as: the end of post-war rationing in the UK, a general rise in prosperity for working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
youths, the recent availability of credit
Credit (finance)
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately , but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources at a later date. The resources provided may be financial Credit is the trust...
and financing for young people, the influence of American popular music and films, the construction of race track-like arterial roads around British cities, the development of transport cafes and a peak in British motorcycle engineering.
Rocker-style youths existed in the 1950s, and were also known as ton-up boys because ton-up was English slang for driving at a speed of 100 mph (160.9 km/h) or over. The Teddy boy
Teddy Boy
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II...
s were considered their "spiritual ancestors". The rockers or ton-up boys took what was essentially a sport and turned it into a lifestyle, dropping out of mainstream society and "rebelling at the points where their will crossed society's". It had a damaging effect on the public image of motorcycling in the UK, and led to the politicisation of the motorcycling community.
The mass media started targeting these socially powerless youths and cast them as "folk devils", creating a moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
through highly exaggerated and ill-founded portrayals. From the 1960s on, due to the media fury surrounding the mods and rockers
Mods and Rockers
The Mods and Rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early-mid 1960s. Mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youths, and the two groups were seen as folk devils. The rockers were motorcyclists, wearing clothes such as black leather jackets. The...
, motorcycling youths became more commonly known as rockers, a term previously little known outside of small groups. The public came to consider rockers as hopelessly naive, loutish, scruffy, motorized cowboys, loners or outsiders.
Rockers, like the ton-up boys before them, were immersed in 1950s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music and fashions, and became known as much for their devotion to music as they were to their motorcycles. Many rockers favored 1950s and early-1960s rock and roll by artists such as Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
, Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
and Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
; music that George Melly
George Melly
Alan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
called "screw and smash" music.
Two groups emerged, one identifying with Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's image in The Wild One
The Wild One
The Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.-Basis:...
, hanging around transport cafes, projecting nomadic romanticism, violence, anti-authoritarianism and anti-domesticity; the other being non-riders, similar in image but less involved in the cult of the motorbike.
Cafe racers
The term cafe racerCafé racer
A café racer is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers, or the Ton-up boys, although they were also common in Italy, Germany, and other European countries...
originated in the 1950s, when bikers often frequented transport cafes
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
, using them as starting and finishing points for road races. A cafe racer is a motorcycle that has been modified for speed and good handling rather than for comfort. Features include: a single racing seat, low handlebars (such as ace bars or one-sided clip-ons mounted directly onto the front forks for control and aerodynamics), half or full race fairings, large racing petrol tanks (often left unpainted), swept-back exhaust pipes, and rear-set footpegs (to give better clearance while cornering at high speeds). These motorcycles were lean, light and handled various road surfaces well. The most defining machine of the rocker heyday was the Triton
Triton motorcycle
The Triton was a modified café racer motorcycle of the 1960s-1970s. The name derives from a contraction of Triumph and Norton, the two brands of motorcycle combined.The intention was to combine the best elements of each to give a bike superior to both...
, which was a custom motorcycle made of a Norton Featherbed frame
Featherbed frame
The featherbed frame was a motorcycle frame developed by the British Norton motorcycle company to improve the performance of their racing motorcycles around the twisting and demanding Isle of Man TT course in 1950. It was considered revolutionary at the time, and the best handling frame that a...
and a Triumph Bonneville
Triumph Bonneville
The Bonneville is a range of British motorcycles, made in three different production runs from 1959 to 1983, and 1985 to 1988, by the now-defunct Triumph Engineering in Meriden; and since 2001, by Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley. It is named after the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, where Triumph and...
engine. It used the most common and fastest racing engine combined with the best handling frame of its day.
The term cafe racers is now also used to describe motorcycle riders who prefer vintage British, Italian or Japanese motorbikes from the 1950s to late 1970s. These individuals don't resemble the rockers of earlier decades, and they dress in a more modern and comfortable style; with only a hint of likeness to the rocker style. These cafe racers have taken elements of American greaser, British rocker and modern motorcycle rider styles to create a look of their own.
Rockers in the 2000s tend to ride classic British motorcycles such as a Triumph, Norton, or Triton hybrid of the two. Other popular motorcycle brands include Birmingham Small Arms Company
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
(BSA), Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was...
and Matchless
Matchless
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models was produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke twins...
from the 1960s. Classically styled European cafe racers are now also seen, sometimes using Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It is one of seven brands owned by Piaggio.Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its central historic role in Italy's motorcycling manufacture, its prominence worldwide in motorcycle racing, and a series of...
, Ducati or classic Japanese engines with British-made frames, such as those made by Rickman
Rickman Motorcycles
Rickman Motorcycles was established by Derek and Don Rickman and manufactured motorcycles from 1960 through to 1975.Initially the frame designs were for scrambles, and then for road racing. Later, in 1966, road bikes were produced as well. The first street legal bike used a Triumph Bonneville engine...
.
Characteristics
Rockers bought standard factory-made motorcycles and stripped them down, tuning them up and modifying them to appear like racing bikes. Their bikes were not merely transport, but were used as an object of intimidation and masculinity projecting them uneasily close to death, an element exaggerated by their use of skull and crossbone-type symbolism. They raced on public roads and hung out at transport cafesTruck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
such as The Ace Cafe
The Ace Cafe
The Ace Cafe London is a transport cafe in Stonebridge, north west London, England. It is a notable venue in motorcycle culture which originally operated from 1938 until 1969, then re-opened on the original site in 1997.-History:...
, Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank. There have been two Chelsea Bridges, on the site of what was an ancient ford....
tea stall, Ace of Spades, Busy Bee and Johnsons. Hence the term cafe racer
Café racer
A café racer is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers, or the Ton-up boys, although they were also common in Italy, Germany, and other European countries...
, .
First seen in the United States and then England, the rocker fashion style was born out of necessity and practicality. Rockers wore heavily-decorated leather motorcycle jackets, often adorned with metal studs, patches, pin badges and sometimes an Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
gas man trinket. When they rode their motorcycles, they usually wore no helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
, or wore a classic open-face helmet, aviator goggles and a white silk scarf (to protect them from the elements). Other common items included: T-shirts, leather caps, Levi's or Wrangler jeans
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
, leather trousers, tall motorcycle boots (often made by Lewis Leathers) or brothel creeper
Brothel creeper
Creepers or brothel creepers are a type of shoe.They found their beginnings in the years following World War II, as soldiers based in the deserts in North Africa wore suede boots with hardwearing crepe soles because of the climate and environment...
s. Also popular was a patch declaring membership of the 59 Club
59 Club
The 59 Club, also written as The Fifty Nine Club and known as "the '9", is a British motorcycle club with members internationally.The 59 Club started as a Church of England-based youth club founded in Hackney Wick on 2 April 1959, in the East End of London, then an underprivileged area suffering...
of England, a church-based youth organization that later formed into a motorcycle club
Motorcycle club
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.In the U.S. the abbreviation, MC or MCC, can have a special social meaning from the point of view of the outlaw subcultures, and is usually reserved by them for those clubs that are mutually...
with members all over the world. The rocker hairstyle, kept in place with Brylcreem
Brylcreem
Brylcreem is a brand of hair styling products for men. The first Brylcreem product was a pomade created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England. The pomade is an emulsion of water and mineral oil stabilised with beeswax.Beecham was the longtime...
, was usually a tame or exaggerated pompadour
Pompadour (hairstyle)
Pompadour is a tall style of men's haircut which takes its name from Madame de Pompadour.There are Latin variants of the hair style more associated with European and Argentine tango fashion trends and occasionally with late 20th century musical genres such as rockabilly and country.The pompadour...
hairstyle, as was popular with some 1950s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
musicians.
Largely due to their clothing styles and dirtiness, the rockers were not widely welcomed by venues such as pubs and dance halls. Rockers also transformed rock and roll dancing into a more violent, individualistic form beyond the control of dance hall management. They were generally reviled by the British motorcycle industry and general enthusiasts as being as an embarrassment and bad for the industry and the sport.
Originally, many rockers opposed recreational drug use, and according to Johnny Stuart,
They had no knowledge of the different sorts of drugs. To them amphetamines, cannabis, heroin were all drugs - something to be hated. Their ritual hatred of Mods and other sub-cultures was based in part on the fact that these people were believed to take drugs and were therefore regarded as sissies. Their dislike of anyone connected with drugs was intense.
Cultural legacy
The rockers' look and attitude influenced pop groups from The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in 1960 to punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands and their fans in the late 1970s. The look of the ton-up boy and rocker was accurately portrayed in the 1964 film The Leather Boys, starring Rita Tushingham and Directed by Sidney Furie. After 2000, the rocker subculture became an influence on the rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
revival and psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
scenes. The modern-day rocker-style and reunion motorcycle runs have followings all over the world, especially in Japan, the United States and Australia.
In the 2000s, many rockers still wear engineer boots or full-length motorcycle boots, but Winklepickers (sharp pointed shoes) are no longer common. Some rockers in the 2000s wear Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs...
boots, brothel creepers (originally worn by Teddy Boys) or military combat boots. Rockers have continued to wear motorcycle jackets, leather trousers and white silk scarves while riding their bikes. Leather caps adorned with metal studs and chains, common among rockers in the 1950s and 1960s, are rarely seen any more. Instead, some contemporary rockers wear a classic woollen Flat cap
Flat cap
A flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...
.
Rocker Reunion Club revivals
In the early 1970s, the British rocker and hardcore motorcycle scene fractured and evolved under new influences coming from California: the hippieHippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s and the Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
. The remaining rockers became known as greasers, and the scene had all but died out in form, but not in spirit.
In the early 1980s, The Rocker Reunion Club was started by Len Paterson (an original 59 Club member), his wife "Baby Blue", a handful of original rockers and a handful of original "Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank. There have been two Chelsea Bridges, on the site of what was an ancient ford....
Boys" who met over the previous 20 or more years at the tea stall on the bridge. They organized nostalgic rocker reunion dances called piss-ups, which attracted individuals from as far as Europe, America and Japan. In 1984, the first rocker reunion motorcycle run of 70 classic British motorcycles rode to Pitsea
Pitsea
Pitsea is a small town in the east of the Basildon district of south Essex, England. It comprises five sub-districts: Eversley, Northlands Park Neighbourhood , Chalvedon, Pitsea Mount and Burnt Mills. Vange is located to the west of Pitsea, Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet to the east and Nevendon...
. Follow runs went to other destinations with historic relevance to Rockers such as Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Southend and Southsea which in 1988 attracted over 7,000 bikes. They established a model which has become a worldwide movement. Within a few years, these events attracted 10,000 to 12,000 revivalists, which gained widespread media attention and new converts.
In 1993/1994 discussions between Mark Wilsmore and others led to idea of doing a 25th Anniversary Ace Cafe Reunion, the re-opening of the cafe, and Wilsmore's stewardship of the reunion events. The events now attract up to 40,000 riders.
Films and documentaries
- The Wild OneThe Wild OneThe Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.-Basis:...
- The Leather BoysThe Leather BoysThe Leather Boys is a 1964 British drama film about the rocker subculture in London featuring a gay motorcyclist. This film is notable as an early example of a film that violated the Hollywood production code, yet was still shown in the United States, as well as an important film in the genre of...
- QuadropheniaQuadrophenia (film)Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing debut...
- BBC Home Truths
- Cafe Society
- Look at LifeLook at Life (British cinema series)Look at Life was a regular series of short documentary films produced between 1959 and 1969 by the Special Features Division of the Rank Organisation for screening in their Odeon and Gaumont cinemas and always preceded the main feature film that was being shown in the cinema that week...
: Behind the Ton-Up Boys
External links
- In The Name Of The Fathers article about rockers on Visor Down