Rose Tattoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rose Tattoo
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Rose Tattoo at Wacken Open Air 2022
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
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| Members | Angry Anderson Paul DeMarco Mark Evans Mick Arnold Ronnie Simmons |
| Past members | See below |
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band that started in Sydney in 1976. The band is currently led by Angry Anderson. Their music is a mix of hard rock and blues rock. Some of their most famous songs include "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten", and "Scarred for Life".
The first four albums by Rose Tattoo were produced by Vanda & Young, who also worked with the famous band AC/DC. Rose Tattoo broke up in 1987 but got back together for a short time in 1993 to open for Guns N' Roses during their Australian tour. They reformed again in 1998 and have released two more studio albums since then.
Many musicians and bands, like Guns N' Roses, have covered Rose Tattoo songs. On August 16, 2006, Rose Tattoo was honored by being added to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. Sadly, several former members of the band have passed away over the years.
Band History
Starting the Band (1976–1977)
Rose Tattoo was formed in Sydney in 1976. The first members included Leigh Johnston on rhythm guitar and Tony Lake on lead vocals. The band was led by slide guitarist Peter Wells, who had been the bass guitarist for the heavy metal band Buffalo. Michael Vandersluys joined on drums, and Ian Rilen joined on bass guitar. Ian Rilen had learned to play music while in prison, which gave the band a tough, street-smart image.
Soon, Mick Cocks replaced Leigh Johnston on rhythm guitar. Tony Lake and Michael Vandersluys were replaced by Angry Anderson and Dallas "Digger" Royall, who were both from the band Buster Brown. Rose Tattoo played their first show on New Year's Eve at a local rock club called Chequers.
Rose Tattoo's hard-rocking sound quickly became popular in Sydney. They were inspired by bands like the Rolling Stones, Faces, and Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. Members of AC/DC were big fans and suggested Rose Tattoo to their record label, Albert Productions.
The band's first single, "Bad Boy for Love", was written by Ian Rilen. He left the band to start a punk rock group called X before the song was released in October 1977. "Bad Boy for Love" was produced by Vanda & Young and became a hit, reaching No. 19 on the Australian music charts. After Rilen left, Mick Cocks played bass guitar for a short time, and then Chris Turner joined as the new bass guitarist. The band toured all over Australia, playing in pubs and competing with other popular bands like the Angels and Cold Chisel.
First Albums and Success (1978–1982)
Geordie Leach joined as the new bass guitarist to record Rose Tattoo's first album, Rose Tattoo. This album made it into the top 40 on the Australian charts in November 1978. The album was produced by Vanda & Young. In some countries, it was released as Rock N' Roll Outlaw, named after their second single.
Geordie Leach left the band in May 1979, and Lobby Loyde filled in on bass guitar. In 1980, Rose Tattoo toured the United States and then Europe, including the United Kingdom. By September, Lobby Loyde had left, and Geordie Leach returned to the band.
In early 1981, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" became a hit in Europe, reaching No. 2 in France and No. 5 in Germany. The band, with Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Geordie Leach, Dallas Royall, and Peter Wells, toured Europe starting in April. Three years after their first album, they released Assault and Battery in September, which reached the top 30 in Australia. Both Rock N' Roll Outlaw and Assault and Battery were No. 1 on the UK heavy metal albums chart. Rose Tattoo's 1981 European tour included a performance at the Reading Festival. They were known as the loudest band to play London's Marquee Club since Led Zeppelin.
After returning to Australia, the band started working on their third album. Robin Riley replaced Mick Cocks on guitar. They released Scarred for Life in 1982 and then toured the US, opening for famous bands like Aerosmith and ZZ Top. Even though their US tour wasn't a huge success, it influenced many underground bands in Los Angeles, like Guns N' Roses, who later said Rose Tattoo was one of their favorite bands and even recorded a cover of "Nice Boys" in 1986.
Changes and New Directions (1983–1986)
In 1983, after the US tour, Robin Riley, Dallas Royall, and Peter Wells all left the band. Angry Anderson and Geordie Leach then brought in guitarists Greg Jordan and John Meyer, and drummer Scott Johnston. This new lineup recorded Southern Stars in 1984. This was their last album with Albert Productions and Vanda & Young as producers. Geordie Leach then left to join another band.
In 1985, Angry Anderson took a break to act in the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, playing the character 'Ironbar' Bassey. That same year, Rose Tattoo, with a new lineup, released a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild". This was their first release with Mushroom Records. John Meyer left, and the group recorded Beats from a Single Drum in 1986 as a four-member band. Soon after, Angry Anderson started his solo career, and the band broke up by the end of 1987. The album Beats from a Single Drum was later re-released as Angry Anderson's first solo album, featuring the ballad "Suddenly". This song became a big hit when it was used in the TV show Neighbours for a wedding scene. "Suddenly" reached No. 2 on the charts in September 1987.
Breaks and Reunions (1988–1997)
Rose Tattoo reunited to support Guns N' Roses on their Australian tour in 1993. Angry Anderson, Peter Wells, Mick Cocks, and Geordie Leach were joined by a new drummer, Paul DeMarco. This reunion was short, and the members went back to their own projects afterward.
Second Reunion: Pain to Blood Brothers (1998–2010)
Rose Tattoo reformed again in 1998 for the "All Hell Breaks Loose!!" tour, with original bassist Ian Rilen rejoining for that tour. The next year, Geordie Leach returned, but his place was taken by Steve King in 2000. Music historian Ian McFarlane has called Rose Tattoo "one of the most respected bands of all time."
Since then, Rose Tattoo has toured regularly in Australia and Europe. In 2000, the band played at the Wacken Open Air festival. These live shows were used for their 25 to Life live album. In 2002, they released Pain, their first studio album in 16 years. Mick Cocks rejoined the group, and they started preparing new music.
Plans for their next album, Blood Brothers, were changed when Peter Wells passed away on March 27, 2006, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. On August 16, Rose Tattoo was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. Angry Anderson shared that Peter Wells was very happy to hear about the induction before he passed. Founding member Ian Rilen also passed away on October 30, 2006. One of his last public appearances was at the Hall of Fame induction.
In October 2006, several Rose Tattoo songs were voted onto the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown, including "Bad Boy for Love" and "We Can't Be Beaten". On April 21, 2007, Lobby Loyde passed away. In June, Rose Tattoo supported Guns N' Roses on their Australian tour, and in October, they supported Motörhead. In an interview, Angry Anderson mentioned that he planned for the band to retire after one more album.
In 2008, they played at the Download Festival in England. In April 2009, it was announced that guitarist Mick Cocks had liver cancer, and he passed away on December 22.
Recent Years (2011–Present)
Rose Tattoo celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2011. They were working on new songs for an album that Angry Anderson said would be the band's "final statement," but this album didn't happen at that time. The band faced uncertainty when Paul DeMarco had to step away from the band for a period, leading to new drummers joining.
On August 5, 2017, a new lineup was announced: Angry Anderson, Dai Pritchard, Bob Spencer, Mark Evans, and John "Watto" Watson. In August 2018, Jackie Barnes, the son of Australian singer Jimmy Barnes, joined as the new drummer.
The band toured Europe in March 2020 with Justin Ngariki on drums. They released a new album called Outlaws that same month. In May 2020, they planned to tour the US for the first time since 1982, but the tour was postponed due to COVID-19. Outlaws is a re-recording of the band's first album, Rose Tattoo, plus three early songs that weren't on the 1978 release: "Snow Queen", "Sweet Love (Rock n Roll)", and "Rosetta". Angry Anderson explained that the album was made to "honor the past and respect the future."
On September 1, 2020, it was announced that John Meyer, the band's slide guitarist from 1983 to 1985, had passed away. Dai Pritchard announced his retirement from Rose Tattoo on April 14, 2021, to start a new career in mental health. When the band started playing live again in 2022, Paul DeMarco was back on drums, and Mick Arnold took over on slide guitar. After five years, Bob Spencer also announced his retirement on September 18, 2022, and was replaced by Ronnie Simmons.
Band Members
Current Members
- Angry Anderson – lead vocals (1976–1987, 1992–1993, 1998–present)
- Paul DeMarco – drums (1992–2016, 2021-present)
- Mark Evans – bass guitar (2017–present)
- Mick Arnold – slide guitar (2022–present)
- Ronnie Simmons – guitar (2022–present)
Former Members
- Peter Wells – slide guitar, bass guitar (1976–1983, 1992–1993, 1998–2006; died 2006)
- Michael "Stork" Vandersluys – drums (1976)
- Leigh Johnston – guitar, backing vocals (1976)
- Ian Rilen – bass guitar, vocals (1976–1977, 1998; died 2006)
- Mick Cocks – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals (1976–1982, 1992–1993, 1998–2000, 2005–2009; died 2009)
- Dallas "Digger" Royall – drums (1976–1983; died 1991)
- Gordon "Geordie" Leach – bass guitar (1977–1979, 1980–1984, 1992–1993, 1999, 2007–2013)
- Chris Turner – guitar (1977)
- Neil Smith – bass guitar (1979; died 2013)
- Lobby Loyde – bass guitar (1979–1980; died 2007)
- Robin Riley – guitar (1982–1983, 2000–2005, 2010–2011), slide guitar (2005–2006)
- John Meyer – slide guitar (1983–1985; died 2020)
- Greg Jordan – guitar (1983–1985)
- Scott Johnston – drums (1983–1987)
- Robert Bowron – drums (1982)
- Tim Gaze – slide guitar (1985–1987)
- Andy Cichon – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals (1985–1986)
- Jake Lardot – guitar (1987)
- Rick Melick – keyboards (1987)
- Steve King – bass guitar (2000–2007)
- Randall Waller – guitar (2016)
- John Watson – drums (2017–2018)
- Jackie Barnes – drums (2018–2019)
- Dai Pritchard – guitar (2007–2021)
- Justin Ngariki – drums (2019–2021)
- Bob Spencer – guitar (2017–2022)
Managers
- Crispin Dye
Timeline
Discography
- Rose Tattoo (1978)
- Assault & Battery (1981)
- Scarred for Life (1982)
- Southern Stars (1984)
- Beats from a Single Drum (1986)
- Pain (2002)
- Blood Brothers (2007)
- Outlaws (2020)
Awards and Recognition
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates great music in Australia. Rose Tattoo was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 2006 | Rose Tattoo | ARIA Hall of Fame | inductee |
Images for kids
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Rose Tattoo at Meredith Festival 2006
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Rose Tattoo at Meredith Festival 2006
See also
In Spanish: Rose Tattoo para niños
