Ben Cosgrove of LIFE says: “Our gallery of unpublished photos of the Hells Angels from 1965, along with the incredible story of the writer and photographer who worked on the original article (which was unceremoniously spiked by the editors of LIFE) is now live.”
Bill Ray (with camera), Bakersfield, California, 1965. Of this photo, Ray says: “I got along with the Angels. I got to like some of them very much, and I think they liked me. I accepted them as they were, and they accepted me. You know, by their standards, I looked pretty funny. Just look at this picture — I can’t believe I looked like that, either. That’s some kind of a plaid shirt I’ve got on,” he says, incredulity mixing with amusement, “but that was the best I could do to try to fit in!”
Never-Seen: Hells Angels, 1965