Mike Malone "ROLLO BANKS"

It's Rollomatic

Mike Malone (1942–2007), known as Rollo Banks, was a pivotal figure in American tattooing, renowned for carrying forward the legacy of his mentor, Sailor Jerry, while leaving his own indelible mark on the art form. Born in San Rafael, California, Malone’s early life was steeped in the 1960s counterculture, where he explored ceramics, carpentry, and photography before discovering tattooing. His journey began in earnest in the late 1960s in New York City, where he met Thom DeVita and began documenting underground tattoo culture, then illegal in the city. This led to his involvement in the 1971 “Tattoo!” exhibition at the Museum of American Folk Art, sparking a lifelong friendship with Don Ed Hardy and a fateful connection with Sailor Jerry. After Jerry’s death in 1973, Malone purchased his mentor’s Honolulu shop, renaming it China Sea Tattoo, and ran it for nearly three decades, cementing his role as a steward of American traditional tattooing.

Malone’s tattoo style was deeply rooted in the bold, vibrant aesthetic of American traditional tattooing, characterized by clean lines, vivid colors, and iconic imagery like anchors, roses, pin-up girls, and nautical motifs. Influenced by Sailor Jerry, he blended these with innovative elements, often incorporating Asian-inspired designs, such as Japanese waves and kanji, and a touch of humor, like his Fudo-Bluto fusion combining a Buddhist deity with a Popeye character. His flash designs, sold through his Mr. Flash business, revolutionized tattoo parlors worldwide by offering high-quality, pre-drawn sheets that elevated the art form’s accessibility and consistency. Malone’s “Hawaiian Band” design, featuring interlocked triangles and arrows, became a cultural staple, reflecting his ability to honor tradition while pushing boundaries.

Beyond tattooing, Malone was a polymath—building custom tattoo machines, including the Rollomatic, and creating art for T-shirts and local publications. In the 1980s, he briefly worked in Austin, Texas, producing large-scale works like a full-body Japanese monster movie-themed tattoo, and later opened the Aloha Monkey shop in Minnesota before settling in Chicago. His collaboration with Hardy on Sailor Jerry flash books preserved and popularized Jerry’s designs, ensuring their influence on future generations. Malone’s career was marked by a commitment to artistic integrity, mentorship, and innovation, making him a bridge between tattooing’s gritty past and its modern renaissance. He died by suicide in 2007 in Chicago, leaving behind a legacy as a master of flash and a guardian of tattoo tradition.