It is not uncommon for a band to break up after a while and band members to form or join other bands; however, it is unusual for two bands to intertwine with each other to the point that one of the bands eventually ceases to exist as a separate entity. But such is the case with the hard rock band Tattoo Rodeo.
When band member Gary Brandon left the White Sister band, the remaining members Dennis Churchill-Dries, Rick Chadock, and Rick Wright decided to move in a new direction and formed a new group with new band member Michael Lord. In 1985 Tattoo Rodeo was born. While White Sister was a more laid back heavy rock type, Tattoo Rodeo leaned more towards Motley Crue or Guns N Roses meets Lynard Skynard or 38 Special type of music.
Tattoo Rodeo was a southern heavy rock band with traces of Delta Blues; but the members of the band were not from the southern part of the United States, the members came from the area of southern California in Burbank. The band’s musical offerings were similar to those of Ratt, Cinderella, Danger Danger, and Tora Tora.
Along with a new band member and a new band name came a new record label: Atlantic. Tattoo Rodeo’s first album, “Rode Hard – Put Away Wet”, was released in 1991. While there were some new compositions, the album also consisted of a series of old White Sister demos that had been reworked to suit the new style. from the band. The album was moderately successful, but not so successful that Atlantic decided not to make any new albums.
In 1993, Tattoo Rodeo signed a contract with Beligian Mausoleum Records and released their second album “Skin”, which was a collection of new material exclusively from the band. Once again, the album was moderately successful, but again failed to achieve award-winning status. Two years later, Tattoo Rodeo faded when Michael Lord pursued his solo career and to make way for a reunion of the original White Sister lineup; a task that took several years to complete.
In 2006, the band members minus Michael Lord took the stage for a show in Hollywood. It wasn’t until Firefest that White Sister one took the stage again.
Tattoo Rodeo is no longer officially a band, but members of the band take the stage on occasion to perform some of the old material. Despite the lack of great commercial success, the internet is full of sites offering Tattoo Rodeo ringtones. There are also some sites that offer videos of the band and a host of sites that sell Tattoo Rodeo cassette tapes, CDs, and mp3 music downloads.
