Guns, Keel, Nashville Pussy, Motosierra, Pud Spuke, Helen Schneider, Skrewdriver, and the Uruguayan band the Knight's Night have covered Rose Tattoo songs.

These include four of the early recording line-up: Dallas Royall (1991), Peter Wells (2006), Ian Rilen (2006), Lobby Loyde (2007), Mick Cocks (2009), Neil Smith (2013) and John Meyer (2020).

[3][4] Rhythm guitarist Mick Cocks soon replaced Johnston; Lake and Vandersluys were substituted by former Buster Brown members Angry Anderson and Dallas "Digger" Royall, respectively.

[3] Chiefly inspired by the Rolling Stones, Faces and Billy Thorpe and his 1970s Aztecs, Rose Tattoo's hard-rocking sound quickly earned a following in the Sydney area.

The band toured nationally on the pub rock circuit competing with the Angels, Cold Chisel, Dragon and Kevin Borich Express.

[1] One-time Buster Brown bass guitarist Geordie Leach was recruited to record their self-titled debut LP, Rose Tattoo, which reached the top 40 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in November 1978.

[1][6] Leach left the band in May 1979 to be replaced in October by guitarist Lobby Loyde filling in on bass guitar (Coloured Balls, Purple Hearts, Wild Cherries).

Three years after their debut the band issued the follow-up album, Assault and Battery in September, which reached the top 30 in Australia.

[1] Rose Tattoo's 1981 tour of Europe included an appearance at the Reading Festival, where Anderson repeatedly head butted the amp stacks until his scalp started bleeding.

[8] Returning to Australia, the band began work on their third album; with new guitarist Robin Riley replacing Cocks, who went on to join Heaven, they issued Scarred for Life in 1982, subsequently touring the US in support of Aerosmith and ZZ Top.

The remaining duo of Anderson and Leach recruited guitarists Greg Jordan and John Meyer from Perth progressive metal band Saracen.

With drummer Scott Johnston (Jimmy and the Boys, Outline, Kids in the Kitchen, Flash in the Pan, Swannee, Peter Wells) the band recorded 1984's Southern Stars, their last album for Albert Productions and Vanda & Young as producers.

[citation needed] "Suddenly" had little chart success until it was used on TV soap opera, Neighbours for the wedding of characters Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) and Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue).

[6] In the early 1990s, Anderson tried to reunite Rose Tattoo, but Dallas Royall died in 1991, of cancer when being treated for his heroin addiction and alcoholism, which delayed that reformation.

[3][9] Anderson explained to Nick Milligan in March 2011, "I was in Los Angeles in 1989 recording an album which the 'Bound for Glory' single came off and I was hanging around with the Gunners and a lot of other LA bad boy rock bands that we supposedly influenced.

[1] Around this time, some ex-members of Rose Tattoo formed a short lived band with ex-Candy Harlots vocalist, Aiz Lynch.

[12] On 16 August Rose Tattoo were inducted by musician Sarah McLeod, into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame alongside former member Lobby Loyde and Daddy Cool, Divinyls, Icehouse and Helen Reddy.

In an interview with Australian rock magazine Unbelievably Bad, Anderson announced his intention to retire the band after one more album.

They were uncertain of continuing when DeMarco was arrested in September 2014: he pled guilty to gun supply offences and was sentenced to a minimum of six years jail.

[19][20] On 5 August 2017 a new line-up of Anderson, Dai Pritchard, Bob Spencer, Mark Evans and John "Watto" Watson was announced.

[23] Outlaws is a re-recording of the band's debut album, Rose Tattoo, plus three early songs, which did not appear on the 1978 release: "Snow Queen", "Sweet Love (Rock n Roll)" and "Rosetta".

[24] On 1 September 2020 it was announced through Rose Tattoo's social media that John Meyer, the group's slide guitarist from 1983 to 1985, had died.

[25] After 16 years of loyal service, Dai Pritchard announced his retirement from Rose Tattoo on 14 April 2021 via Facebook, leaving the band amicably to move into a new career in mental health.

When the band resumed live performances in 2022, Paul DeMarco was back behind the drums and Mick Arnold had taken over slide guitar duties.

After 5 years of loyal service Bob Spencer announced his retirement from the band via Facebook on 18 September 2022, and has been replaced by Ronnie Simmons.