Freebird Chapter
BACK IN THE EARLY 1970s, WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE
CLUB TURF WARS WERE STARTING TO GET VIOLENT,
OUR EARLY BROTHERS HAD TO DECIDE IF WE WERE
REALLY READY TO FACE THIS KIND OF CHALLENGE.
KNOWING THAT SOME OF OUR BROTHERS COULD BE
KILLED IN THE ONGOING BOMBINGS, THE NIGHTLY
DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS AND THE BLOODY SKIRMISHES
THAT WE ALL WERE HAVING TO EXPERIENCE SIMPLY
BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE A RECOGNIZED CLUB IN
THE STATE OF FLORIDA. WE ALL AGREED THAT WE
HAD TO STAND TOGETHER NO MATTER WHAT THE
COST AND FIGHT BACK WITH ANY AND EVERY MEANS
NECESSARY TO PROTECT OUR NEW BROTHERHOOD.
FOLLOWING THIS DECISION MANY BROTHERS MADE
OUT WILLS, WHO WOULD GET WHAT AND HOW WE
WANTED TO BE BURIED, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
DURING THIS SAME PERIOD, RONNIE VAN ZANT, THE
SINGER OF A POPULAR AND RISING TRIBUTE BAND
LYNYRD SKYNYRD, HAD WRITTEN AND RECORDED A
SONG CALLED FREE BIRD, WHICH HE DEDICATED TO
DUANE ALLMAN OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND,
WHO HAD JUST BEEN KILLED IN A MOTORCYCLE
ACCIDENT IN OCTOBER 1971. THIS SONG BECAME AN
INSTANT HIT WITH OUR BROTHERS, MAINLY DUE TO
THE TITLE, BUT WITH THE OPENING LYRICS OF THE
SONG "IF I LEAVE HERE TOMORROW WILL YOU STILL
REMEMBER ME" WAS AS IF THE SONG HAD REALLY
BEEN WRITTEN JUST FOR US. SO MOST OF OUR
BROTHERS HAD ADDED IN THEIR WILLS, THAT THIS
SONG BE PLAYED AT THEIR FUNERALS. OVER THE
PROCEEDING YEARS THIS RECORDING HAS PLAYED
AT MANY OF OUR BROTHERS' FUNERALS, WAKES &
PATCH BURNING CEREMONIES. IN LATER YEARS IT
WAS OUR EUROPEAN CHAPTERS WHO HAD BEGAN
TO REFER TO OUR DECEASED BROTHERS, AS THEM
BEING OUR FREE BIRD BROTHERS. SO BROTHERS OF
OUR FREE BIRD CHAPTER, RIDE IN PEACE, FOR YOU
ARE WARLOCKS FOREVER FOREVER WARLOCKS!!!!
