‘Sons of Anarchy’: Here’s Why Lowell and His Son Were so Important

Sons of Anarchy fans may not remember much about Lowell Harland, Sr., and his son, who shares the same name. Lowell Sr. is dead by the start of the series, and Lowell Jr. only appears in season 1, yet these characters are involved in an essential part of the story. Here’s why.

Lowell Sr. was a mechanic at Teller-Morrow

Prior to the start of Sons of Anarchy, Lowell Sr. was a mechanic for Jax’s father, John. He was the only person John trusted to work on his motorcycle. After John’s death, Lowell Sr. disappeared, presumably abandoning his family. However, SOA Season 1 revealed that he died.

Clay Morrow and Tig Trager buried Lowell Sr. with several of the Mayans who were killed during their conflict with SAMCRO in the ’90s. His son Lowell Jr. later becomes a mechanic for Teller-Morrow and developed a drug problem.

After Lowell Sr.’s body is found, Clay tracks down his son Lowell Jr., worried that he will rat to the ATF. He informs Lowell Jr. that he killed his father because he was a rat and an abuser. Clay considered killing Lowell Jr. but decided against it. Instead, Lowell continued to work for SAMCRO and appears to have received help for his drug problem.

Clay persuaded Lowell Sr. to tamper with John Teller’s bike

Sons of Anarchy fans know that John Teller and Clay Morrow were among the founding members of SAMCRO. Toward the end of his life, John wanted to move the Club away from illegal activities, such as gun-running. His wife, Gemma, was also involved in an affair with Clay.

Due to this, Clay and Gemma orchestrated John’s death in a motorcycle crash. Clay manipulated Lowell Sr. into tampering with John’s bike and causing his fatal crash. Afterward, Clay shot Lowell in the head and buried him with the Mayans to cover his tracks.

What happened to the rest of the First 9?

By the end of Sons of Anarchy, all of the founding “First 9” members of SAMCRO are either dead or in prison. According to ScreenRant, Wally Grazer, Thomas “Uncle Tom” Whitney, Chico Villanueva, Otto “Lil’ Killer” Moran, and John Teller all died prior to the start of the series.

Clay killed Piney Winston in season 3 after Piney hinted that he knew what Clay did to JT. Clay also killed Keith McGee by pushing him off a roof after discovering that he was a traitor. After a Mayhem vote, Jax killed Clay Morrow.

By the end of Sons of Anarchy, the only surviving member of the First 9 is Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz, who is serving a life sentence in Stockton State Prison.

All episodes of Sons of Anarchy are currently streaming on Hulu.