With the work behind me and the first couple of weeks of the book tour now complete, it has made all the countless hours I have poured into this project worth every minute. I have already travelled over 53,678 km and have made it through 6 of the 14 stops of the book tour. Along the way, I have done many interviews that will appear in volumes two and three of the next two books. The reception at the book signings and interviews has been overwhelming, to say the least. I’m looking forward to the West Coast side of the tour. In the meantime, here’s the latest edition of “Historically Speaking.”

Est. 1978 | Ray McDonald (Johnny Ray’s Vintage Tattoo)

Ray was born in England in 1959. He recalled that when he was a young boy, a man would come to collect clothing for people in need. While making his rounds in the neighbourhood with his horse and cart, he always carried little trinkets like notebooks, pencils, stick-on tattoos and balloons, which he would pass out to the children he saw along his route. Young Ray would always go after the stick-on tattoos. Upon receiving a handful of temporary tattoos, he would stick them all over himself and wear them with pride. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he must have known that he was destined to become a tattooist.

Ray McDonald in front of flash sheets.

In 1965, Ray and his family immigrated to Sarnia, Ontario. In his late teens, he saw a guy with his entire back covered in tattoos. He was in awe and asked who did the tattoo; the man replied that he had gotten them in jail. Ray hoped someone in the area had done the backpiece because he wanted the same person to do his. Then, one day, he met Little Vic (Vic Wojtowicz) from Finesse Tattoo (later Joker's Wild Tattoo). Little Vic found out that Ray could draw and offered to trade a tattoo for some of his drawings.

Shortly after Ray received his first tattoo from Little Vic, he started making needles for him and learning some tips on tattooing. However, Little Vic realized that he might be cutting his own throat by teaching Ray how to tattoo. At the time, he was the only tattooist in Sarnia, and he didn’t think that it would be good if there were two working tattoo artists in the area. Eventually, Little Vic bought an old bus, converted it into a tattoo studio, and headed to Calgary.

Once Little Vic left town in 1978, Ray figured that this was his opportunity to get into the business. After finding a Spaulding & Rogers ad in an old car magazine, he ordered himself a complete tattoo setup for about $300. His kit came with two machines, some ink and needles, a roll of acetate plastic and charcoal powder. He said getting his first order of tattoo supplies felt like Christmas Day! Even today, he still loves ordering supplies.

Ray McDonald tattooing.

Wanting to learn more about tattooing, he started crossing the border to visit Fast Freddie Fahs, who was tattooing in Port Huron, Michigan. At the time, Fast Freddie had Sailor Fred working with him. The two helped Ray out and gave him some tips on getting started. Ray kept making trips to see Fast Freddie and eventually started working for him. In exchange for helping around the shop, Fast Freddie taught him the basics of tattooing.

He also started tattooing for Dave Clarke at Black River Tattoo in Port Huron, Michigan, on the weekends. Occasionally, Ray would drop by to see Al Newcombe in London, Ontario. Al treated him well until he found out that Ray was doing tattoos. After discovering he was a tattooist and not that far from him, Al asked him to leave. At the time, tattooists closely guarded their territory.

Ray is a humble and genuine person who brings warmth to any room he enters. His quick wit and great sense of humour make spending time with him very enjoyable. Over the years, life has taken him down a few roads, but his passion has always been tattooing. He said that tattoos create a hunger in you, and getting them feeds that hunger. He said that the highlights of his career are spending time with people and learning about their lives.

He feels that doing tattoos is more than skin deep; it becomes an emotional process for him where he makes deep connections with his clients. He understands the gravity of what he is doing and how tattoos can affect someone's life. Ray’s connection with people is something that has grown over the years. After 40-plus years of tattooing, he has learned a great deal about human nature. Tattooing opened him up in ways other vocations never could. He also feels it is important not to feel threatened by the new technology. Embrace it and don’t be afraid to keep learning.

Ned Burwell is a Canadian master tattooist, and dedicated historian, who began his career in 1993 under the mentorship of veteran tattooist Mack Bregg. Ned’s tattoo style is most recognized for his large-scale, black-and-grey tattoos featuring wildlife and spiritual imagery. Since 2008, he has been meticulously documenting the origins of Canadian body art, and is currently compiling his research and interviews into a comprehensive 3-book series that will trace Canadian tattoo culture back to 1899.

He has recently finished writing The Canadian Electric Tattooing Scene - Volume One, which will be published in the fall of 2026, and to celebrate the launch, and give you a taste of what’s to come, Ned is writing a series of articles called "Historically Speaking", and each month you can expect to see one featured in our Insider Email, and here in the Buzzz. If you want to be sure to get yourself a copy of Ned’s first book, you can order it here.