Peter William "Pete" Wells (1946 – 27 March 2006) was the founder and slide guitarist in Australian hard rock band
Rose Tattoo. Wells was previously bassist with the pioneering
Sydney-based
heavy metal outfit
Buffalo in the 1970s.
In 1976, Wells formed Rose Tattoo with former
Buster Brown vocalist
Angry Anderson, guitarist
Mick Cocks, bassist
Ian Rilen and drummer
Dallas Royal. The band's
hard rock style soon developed a strong following in Sydney leading to
Albert Productions offering them a record contract. Their single "Bad Boy for Love" became a hit and their self-titled debut album established their reputation with production by
George Young and
Harry Vanda formerly of
The Easybeats. Rilen left the band to be replaced by former Buster Brown bassist Geordie Leech.
After the release of their second album
Assault and Battery, Rose Tattoo embarked on an international tour. They were the loudest band to play at the
Marquee Club,
London since
Led Zeppelin. After the release of their third album
Scarred for Life, the band supported
Aerosmith and
ZZ Top on US tours.
Wells left the band in 1983 with Royal and
Robin Riley who had replaced Cocks in 1982. After Wells left Rose Tattoo, he fronted
The Pete Wells Band. He also worked on side projects to his credit, such as the
Lucy DeSoto Band, Rocks Push with Rob Grosser and Chris Turner, and
Hillbilly Moon with
Paul......
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