Back in 2010 the most enthusiastic man in the world (more commonly known as Daryl Clark) had this slightly mental idea. He sat down with me and my Thunder band mate Danny Bowes and told us how he was going to raise a load of money for Childline by organising a road trip on Harley Davidson motorcycles through some of the more ‘off the beaten track’ areas in North America. Being a confirmed fan of the well known TV show ‘Sons Of Anarchy’, Daryl didn’t have to tax his brain overly to come up with a name for this apparently hair-brained scheme.

Cynical musicians that we are we asked ‘Why would people want to do that?’

‘Because it’ll be GREAT!!!!’ came the reply in Daryl’s thunderous baritone. ‘There’ll be great music, incredible scenery, a great bunch of people and......’
‘Whoa, back up’ we interrupted. ‘Where will this music come from?’ we stupidly enquired.
‘From you of course!’ said Daryl grinning from ear to ear while at the same time daring us to say no. He is, it must be said, a difficult man to say no to.
Nine years and a good few impromptu singalongs and gigs later, with thousands of miles travelled and £250,000 raised, here we are having recently announced next years’ Sons Of Royalty tenth anniversary pilgrimage across many of the southern States of the USA. This epic and ambitious journey will be taking place in April/May.

Anyway, I’m not here to sell you a ticket, more to give you my impressions of what it means to be part of the SOR and my reasons for coming back year after year.

Over the last ten years we’ve had some amazing adventures in some incredible places; all the Rocky Mountain states from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada down into the USA passing like men and women possessed through Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico and that’s just off the top of my head!

The stunning scenery flashing by has definitely made for some unforgettable moments and memories but when I look back at the whole SOR experience (and it is an experience, trust me), the element that makes it ‘really special’ as Daryl would say is without doubt the people that take part. A more interesting and diverse mixture you couldn’t wish to meet. We’ve had musicians, military types, financial wizards, novelists, celebrity chefs, yoga gurus, photographers, film makers, journalists (and probably many others I’ve forgotten) and every single person has entered into the spirit of the ride. This has created an amazing camaraderie on every trip and I would hazard a guess that nearly everyone that has taken part over the years has made friends for life. I know I certainly have. The great thing is you don’t even have to be a biker to take part! If like me you’re not of the two wheel persuasion you can drive or be a passenger in a car! Every year there are several cars in the convoy and they are welcomed equally. The big plus about driving of course is you will find yourself becoming extremely popular with the many pillion riders should the weather take a turn for the worse!

All I can say is if you’re looking to spend some time raising some money for a worthwhile cause and you’re in a quandary as to which way to go, please consider rolling with this amazing bunch of lunatics and always remember.......... ‘The crow flies straight!

Luke Morley, guitarist and songwriter with Thunder.

December 2019