He tattooed Janis Joplin, Cher, Jo Baker, Paul Stanley, Jeff Scranton, and many other American musicians, actors, and celebrities.
At the age of fourteen on a trip to San Francisco, he purchased his first tattoo for $3.50 (equivalent to $60 today) of a heart with the word “Mother” after seeing it on the shop wall.
[4] Tuttle tattooed Janis Joplin, Cher, Jo Baker,[5] the Allman Brothers, Peter Fonda,[1] and Paul Stanley, among others.
[3] His fame within the U.S. tattoo world was somewhat controversial, as many tattooists of his day disliked his statements to the press and "shameless self-promotion".
[2] When Tuttle was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in October 1970, Sailor Jerry put the picture inside his toilet.
[8] When asked what made tattooing gain in popularity during his early career, he responded: "Women's liberation!
Tuttle worked for 29 and a half years, until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused the building to be yellow tagged.