WE WEAR THE GOLD WITH PRIDE

Gypsy MC Houston Chapter History

The Houston chapter of the Gypsy MC was chartered by TMRA on February 1, 1998. The previous fall (October 1997), Erdin-Erdin, Gypsy MC International President, approved Cowboy's request to establish the Houston Chapter. Ten Charter members of the Houston Gypsy MC formed the Chapter; Cowboy became our first President, Captain Too High was Vice President, Watchman was Treasurer, Miss Bossie was Secretary and Ringer was Sergeant at Arms.

Cowboy, Captain Too High, Magic, Junior and Miss Bossie patched over from the Fort Bend Gypsy chapter, Ringer came out of retirement and Watchman, Little P and Bird became Houston members soon after the chapter was formed. Two of

the original charter members are still part of our chapter. Although Cowboy retired in 2002, trading his “Houston” town rocker for a “USA” rocker, he’s still felt to be part of the chapter and attends as many events as his old bones allow. Captain Too High reclaimed his patch in November 2004 after being out of the club several years.

Gypsys never pass on an opportunity to party and the Houston Patch Party was no exception. A total of seventy-two Gypsys registered in our guest book for the patch-in. Houston was pleased with the turnout from Area A as well as Del Valle, Austin and other Gypsy chapters. Those that can remember the party say that Oh-Baby (our Gypsy International Historian) provided a Gypsy history and Erdin-Erdin presented patches and Houston rockers to the charter members. Big Daddy helped the Captain with a Bar-B-Que feast and the party went on 'til the sun came up.

Several Jehovah's Witnesses visiting the Captain’s neightborhood must have become disoriented because they ended up at the patch-in party. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that they were welcomed and stayed long enough to fill their bellies and get a good dose of Gypsy hospitality. They were impressed enough to come back with more of their fellows later on. I don’t think they converted any Gypsys into Witnesses but we sure introduced them to the meaning of brotherhood and a different view of life. Regardless, all parties reached a mutual understanding and appreciation for each other's lifestyle and beliefs.

Our Chapter continued from 1998 with Cowboy as President. Additional members joined the chapter and some members left. Big Casino, Little Bit, Mouthpiece and Smirnoff joined in 1998, Breeze came back into the Gypsys in November 1998. We hit some hard times in mid-2001 and our membership dropped to less than eight. We began to grown again as Big Casino became President in November of 2001. Raoul and Superman came in during the late summer and fall of 2001. Things really started working in 2002 when Buff-It, Shiney, Eye-Ball, Super Chief and Silent Bob joined our chapter as new members. Gentle Joe and Miss Daisy transferred from Eagle Pass early in 2003. The chapter grew to nearly twenty members by the end of 2003 and, by 2004; it became evident that the chapter needed to spin off a group of members to accommodate the directions that two distinct groups within the chapter were taking. The Bayou City Chapter was formed in October 2004 and was formally recognized at the Gypsy MC President’s meeting that December.

In 2005 the Houston Chapter continued with members, both guys and gals, but began developing a new chapter tradition: one of hard riders and hard partiers. We became far more visible within the Gypsy MC nation when we started attending Gypsy events regardless of how far they were from home. Mouthpiece brought in a new member, High Stakes, in September 2006. In February 2007 we became a “guys only” chapter, not so much by design as by circumstance. That same month we patched in Billy G.; later in 2007 Bill the Cat came back to Houston. We continued our growth in 2008 when we brought Bobby back into the Gypsy MC. Bobby had been a Gypsy in Corpus in the early 70’s and had ridden with his brother, Black Rocker Mack, Papa Jack, Hacksaw, Hombre and many others who are thought of as the elder statesmen in the club.

The Houston chapter has made some notable contributions to the Gypsy MC over the years. Our web site (www.gypsyhouston.com) was unveiled in 2002; it began as little more than a place to post a few pictures but has evolved into an information location for Gypsy events (our “Calendar”) and a pictorial history of our club (our “On the Road section”). A photo album dedicated to the club’s history (“On the Road” album “Gypsy MC History”) contains nearly 300 pages of photos contributed by over forty long-time club members. There’s also an “In Memory Of” album that contains photos of members that have gone on to the Gypsy MC “Forever Chapter”. The Houston chapter is committed to continually update our site with new photos and calendar entries that will maintain our readership.

In 2002 we designed and produced the t-shirt for our Gypsy MC Mandatory hosted by Area A Gypsy MC. Even though we consider ourselves modest, we believe that our design is the best Mandatory t-shirt of, at least, the last decade. We’ve designed a couple more t-shirts over the years but have settled on producing ball caps and knit beanies that include either the trademarked Gypsy MC logo or “Support Your Local Gypsy MC”. Proceeds from hat sales go to support the needs of Gypsy members that need financial help during the year. We’re committed supporters of the Gypsy MC River City chapter’s Fallen Brother project.

Our Chapter is active and strong; our members enjoy riding together and living the biker life-style. We look forward to more rides, parties and good times with members in our chapter, Area A Gypsies and Gypsies from all over the world. We are always interested in growing our Chapter membership and welcome those interested in the Houston Gypsy MC to join us at our monthly meetings. Check us out, and we'll check you out!!!