HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAILOR JERRY!

There is no greater legend in tattooing than Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. From his tiny Hawaiian shop, the roughneck tattooer blended Japanese style and shading with his own hardnosed art and humor and changed tattooing forever. He would have been 101 today. A few years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to contribute a biography of the man for a book called Homeward Bound. You can read excerpts here and then buy a copy for your coffee table, tattoo shop or old lady. The book is a companion piece to the killer documentary Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry. In the rankings of American folk art, I put Sailor Jerry on par with Hank Williams. You should too.