Jimmy Barnes ProfileJimmy Barnes has paid tribute to Australian rock music icon Angry Anderson, lead singer of the influential band Rose Tattoo, following his recent passing.
Angry Anderson passed away at the age of 79 last month. His family confirmed the news in a statement sent to the media and published online.
“It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson on the eve of Monday 21 September 2026, surrounded by his loved ones here in Australia,” the statement read.
The statement continued, “Angry was a devoted father, and much-loved bandmate, friend, and member of the wider music and entertainment community. His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas.”
Now, in a tribute, Jimmy Barnes has shared his take on Rose Tattoo’s Rock ‘n’ Roll is King. All proceeds from the cover will be donated to Support Act. Check out the track below.
Rock ‘n’ Roll is King was originally released in 1981 and features on the band’s album, Assault & Battery. In a statement, Barnes looked back on his memories with Angry rocking out and how that inspired his cover of the Rose Tattoo classic.
Barnes recalled that, during his early career with Cold Chisel, he and Rose Tattoo crossed paths plenty, especially on tours. “We shared stages, we shared crew members, we even shared equipment at times. Rock’n’roll was king and we were all young, taking on the world together,” he wrote.
He ruminated on friendships, including those that ended, but “Angry and I always seemed to remain standing.” Barnes continued, “He was my friend; my brother in arms. We laughed a lot, talking about taking the rock establishment by the throat and shaking it as hard as we could, in an endless struggle to get the best out of it.
“Like all mates we saw the world differently at times, but one thing mattered more than all that: we liked the same music; music that came from the heart. We liked music with substance, music with backbone, music that moved our souls.”
Barnes added that Rose Tattoo moved him and became one of his favourite bands after he saw them live for the first time. He wrote, “They took no prisoners. Played hard. Lived hard.
“I spent so many nights drinking until dawn with them and their roadcrew that sometimes I almost felt I was one of them. I even tried to make Mossy and the guitar players in my solo band sound a bit more like the Tatts, turning up the volume on their amps when they weren’t looking.”
He continued, “Rose Tattoo were the ultimate rock band. They showed those so-called hard rock bands overseas how it was REALLY done. There were always some killer musos in their lineup from Ian Rilen, Pete Wells and Digger Royal in the early days, right up until recent years when my son Jackie joined them on drums for a few years.
“But out front was always Angry, driving the band harder. Faster. Harder. Faster. If there was ever anyone who deserved to be called a rock’n’roll singer, it was him.”
Barnes shared that he’s previously covered other Rose Tattoo songs, and their track One of the Boys is one of his top five rock ‘n’ roll songs of all time, but Rock ‘n’ Roll is King summed up the band’s “whole ethos.”
He continued, “I spoke to Angry about covering that song for my last album and he was excited. We cut it but it didn’t make the record for some reason even though I love the recording. I couldn’t wait to sit down with Angry and play it to him because the song takes on a whole new meaning for me now, looking back through all those years and all those gigs.
“But The Lifesaver and the Bombay Rock aren’t around anymore so Angry and I didn’t see each other as much as we used to do. Plus, rock singers are never in one place for long, so I never got to play it for him. Now that Angry has left us I want to release this song, I won’t keep any money it makes, I just want to tip my hat to my mate and let the world know what great songs he and his band wrote.
“I hope you like it. Turn it up fucking LOUD. Angry’s gone to the Big Gig upstairs but I bet he’ll be listening.”
