Yer Cheat'n Heart Tattoo started in 2004. YCH quickly became the premier traditional tattoo
shop in the South Bay. Tattooing has such a rich culture, as ancient as time itself and as modern
as tomorrow. The tattoo itself is the oldest form of artistic expression, practiced by every
primitive civilization. Electric tattooing beginning at the turn of the 20th century began we know
as the traditional tattoo style. Electric tattooing was advertised as painless in comparison to
hand poked tattooing. A tattoo revolution had begun, and the art that accompanied this
bohemian renaissance of the tattoo began to take hold.
2 world wars and the traveling carnival brought different influences and cultures into the art of the tattoo. Rock and roll, Vietnam, the Hippie agitators of Berkeley, Outlaw country, Merle Haggard, the Sex Pistols; all left their mark on traditional American tattooing.
Johnny 2/3rds. (Two-Thirds) began tattooing at the port city of San Pedro, in 1995 at the historic
tattoo parlor Tattoo Deluxe.
His mentor Jeff Lefty
Thielman, instilled a love for custom
tattooing, which was unheard of at the time. Most tattoo shops were flash shops, pre drawn
designs adorn the walls, limiting the customer to picking from these designs only. Aided by the
explosion of American individualism, the kustom tattoo shop was born. Not limited to traditional
designs, but large scale full body Japanese images, black and grey portraits, made famous by
our heroes, Charlie Cartwright, Jack Rudy, and Don Ed Hardy; originating from East Los
Angeles. Tribal tattooing; Maori, polynesian, and Hawaiian style tattooing, this solid black form
of tattoo expression would be made infamous in the 1990's southern california. Tattoo Deluxe
was steeped all forms of tattooing color realism, black and grey realism, biker style tattooing;
Cherry Creek flash
and Judy Parker, neo traditional, new school stylings, Johnny cut his teeth
on all styles of modern tattooing that flourished in the nineties and early 2000s. In 2004 it was
time to say goodbye to Tattoo Deluxe, and open his own tattoo studio.
In July of 2004, Johnny 2/3rds. and his friend and partner, Sparky
opened Yer Cheat'n Heart
along the Los Angeles strip in the city of Gardena California. The original YCH was 6 miles from
downtown L.A. standing on the eastern border of the South Bay, which is made up of the beach
cities of Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Lawndale,
Torrance, and of course Gardena. Although Johnny and Sparky's partnership wouldn't last,
conceptually what they built has thrived and flourished and has become famous the world over.
Named after the Hank Williams song, Your Cheatin Heart,
YCH tattoo has been offering the
very best of custom electric tattooing for 20 years. Still specializing in all styles of tattooing, lean
heavily towards our first love, traditional tattooing. When walking through the doors of YCH
you'll see wall to wall art. Traditional flash ablaze on the walls, peppered with our own paintings,
we are all of course artists first. Amidst the hum of tattoo machines, the antique furniture and
decor transports you to a bygone time of traditional tattooing of the 30s and 40s. Our
sterilization methods are modern, but the ambiance we desire to create is a totally unique and
special experience.
We want to leave you with a tattoo and a memory that will last a lifetime. Guaranteed 30 days in the grave! What makes Yer Cheat'n Heart the best in the West, really comes down to the group of talented and dedicated tattooers that call YCH home. Johnny 2/3rds has been owner and operator for the life of the tattoo shop. It was Johnny seeking relief from the Federal Court that led to the protection of Tattooing under the first amendment and led to the very first shop in the beach cities and Hermosa Beach. Anderson v. Hermosa Beach ended up being a much bigger deal than Johnny ever anticipated, landing him on the cover of the Los Angeles Times, The Daily Breeze, Playboy magazine, and over 100 other local and national publications.
The court decision is still debated in most law schools around the country. As big as the case was and as impactful as the ruling has been, Johnny's preference is to be known for his tattooing and art over his participation in the case. Johnny currently tattoos with Chris Bowman: fuckr13, Captain Dan: captain_dan_tattooer, Darla Deville: darladevilletattoo, Ed Brescia: edacrossthestreet, Jeff Thielman: jeffthielmantattoo, Shane Hall: shanexhall. Tony Zan: thetonyzan our body piercer rounds out our current crew. Yer Cheat'n Heart has been home over the years to some of the best tattoo artist on the planet, YCH first hire was Jon Hall, Michael Ynigeuz, Casey Weigel, Vicky Coleman, Lisa Bracero, Adam Warmerdam, Max Becker, Julia Abraham, Jesse Uruburu, Candice Bauman, Peter Cambell, Nick Hayes, Pepe Ruiz, Dave Sanchez, Gary Graves, Justin Lewis, Spine 1, and many more have been our guest over the years.
Our hope is to do great tattoos, and treat people the right way. Making ourselves available to
make your vision reality. Yer Cheat'n heart desires to be an inclusive environment where
everyone feels welcomed and seen. Johnny was the first tattooer to advertise in the gay pages
as a gay friendly tattoo artist.
This ethos continues today, no matter how an individual identifies
YCH wants you to be heard, seen and respected. Tattoo shops can be intimidating, even scary,
especially if it's your first time in a tattoo studio, we desire to be inclusive of all peoples,
celebrating your unique personhood; gay, lesbian, transgender, our desire is to make you more
beautiful with artwork that becomes a part of you.
With a combined 100 years of tattoo experience, Yer Cheat'n Heart is by far the most experienced and reliable tattoo shop in the SouthBay; Our work speaks for itself. Combining bold imagery, bright colors, smooth shading, we do the cleanest work around in a safe friendly environment. We have thousands of designs to choose from, our we will draw just for you, giving you a tattoo no one else the world over has, completely custom, just for you.