Rose Tattoo

Rose Tattoo, an Australian rock and roll band, got its start in Sydney in 1976 and is currently fronted by Angry Anderson. Their music mixes hard rock with blues rock, and their well-known tracks include "Bad Boy for Love," "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw," "Nice Boys," "We Can't Be Beaten," and "Scarred for Life." The team of Harry Vanda and George Young, who also produced for AC/DC, handled production on the band's first four albums. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, Rose Tattoo is "one of the most revered bands of all time. The Tatts played peerless, street-level heavy blues with the emphasis on slide guitar and strident lyric statements." They were welcomed into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame on August 16, 2006.

The band formed in Sydney in 1976 with slide guitarist Peter Wells, who had left the heavy metal band Buffalo, along with rhythm guitarist Leigh Johnston and lead vocalist Tony Lake. Drummer Michael Vandersluys completed the initial lineup. Bassist Ian Rilen, who had taught himself to play in prison, joined after being recommended by talent manager Sebastian Chase. Johnston was soon replaced by rhythm guitarist Mick Cocks, and Lake and Vandersluys were replaced by former Buster Brown members Angry Anderson and Dallas "Digger" Royall, respectively. Rose Tattoo played an early show on New Year's Eve at the local rock club Chequers.

Inspired mainly by the Rolling Stones, Faces, and Billy Thorpe and his 1970s Aztecs, the band quickly built a following in Sydney. AC/DC members were fans and recommended them to Albert Productions. Their debut single, "Bad Boy for Love," written by Rilen, was released in October 1977 after Rilen had left to form the punk group X. Produced by Vanda & Young, it reached number 19 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Cocks initially switched to bass, then Chris Turner joined on bass. The band toured nationally on the pub rock circuit alongside the Angels, Cold Chisel, Dragon, and Kevin Borich Express.

Former Buster Brown bassist Geordie Leach was brought in for their self-titled debut album, Rose Tattoo, which hit the top 40 on the Australian albums chart in November 1978. The album, produced by Vanda & Young, was released in some markets as Rock N' Roll Outlaw after their second single, which did not chart in the top 50. Leach left in May 1979 and was replaced in October by guitarist Lobby Loyde on bass. During his brief time, they recorded "Legalise Realise," released as an independent split single in March 1980 to promote marijuana legalization. After touring the US and Europe in 1980, Loyde left and Leach returned.

In early 1981, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" charted in Europe, hitting number 2 in France, number 5 in Germany, and number 60 in the UK. The lineup of Anderson, Cocks, Leach, Royall, and Wells toured Europe from April. Their follow-up album, Assault and Battery, released in September, reached the top 30 in Australia. Both Rock N' Roll Outlaw and Assault and Battery hit number 1 on the UK heavy metal albums chart. During a 1981 European tour, they played the Reading Festival, where Anderson headbutted amp stacks until his scalp bled, and were hailed as the loudest band to play London's Marquee Club since Led Zeppelin.

Back in Australia, with new guitarist Robin Riley replacing Cocks, they released Scarred for Life in 1982 and then toured the US supporting Aerosmith and ZZ Top. The US visit was not a major success but influenced the Los Angeles underground sleaze metal scene, with Guns N' Roses later citing Rose Tattoo as a favorite and covering "Nice Boys" on Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide in 1986.

In 1983, Riley, Royall, and Wells left. Anderson and Leach recruited guitarists Greg Jordan and John Meyer from Perth progressive metal band Saracen, plus drummer Scott Johnston, to record 1984's Southern Stars, their last album with Albert Productions and Vanda & Young. Leach then left to join Illustrated Men. Anderson took a break to play 'Ironbar' Bassey in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

That year, Rose Tattoo, with Anderson, Johnston, Meyer, bassist Andy Cichon, and slide guitarist Tim Gaze, released a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" on Mushroom Records. Meyer left, and the group recorded 1986's Beats from a Single Drum as a four-piece. Anderson then began a solo career, and the band disbanded by the end of 1987. They briefly reformed in 1993 to support Guns N' Roses on an Australian tour, then reassembled again in 1998 and have since released two more studio albums.