Suzi Quatro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Suzi Quatro
Quatro performing in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Susan Kay Quatro
Born	(1950-06-03) June 3, 1950 (age 75) Detroit, Michigan, US
Genres	Rock hard rock glam rock pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer musician songwriter actress radio host
Instruments	Vocals bass guitar keyboards
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Mercury Rak Arista EMI Int'l EMI BGO Disky Razor & Tie RSO AIP First Night CD Baby Cherry Red

Susan "Suzi" Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who became a rock and roll star. She is famous for playing the bass guitar and singing. In the 1970s, she had many hit songs in Europe and Australia. Her songs "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974) both reached number one on the music charts in several countries.

Quatro released her first album in 1973. Since then, she has made over 15 studio albums. In the United States, she is well-known for playing the character Leather Tuscadero on the popular TV show Happy Days. Her song "Stumblin' In", a duet with Chris Norman from the band Smokie, was a big hit in the US.

Quatro has sold over 50 million records around the world. She was given many awards for her music, especially from the German teen magazine Bravo. In 2010, she was added to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. She still performs concerts, records new music, and hosts radio shows.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Suzi Quatro was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, Art, was a musician who also worked for the car company General Motors. Her mother, Helen, was from a Hungarian family. Suzi's family name was originally "Quattrocchi," which means "four-eyes" in Italian, but it was shortened to Quatro.

She has three sisters and a brother, and her parents also cared for other children. Her sister Patti was in one of the first famous all-female rock bands, Fanny. Her brother, Michael, is also a musician.

When Suzi was six years old, she saw Elvis Presley perform on TV and was inspired to become a musician. She said she didn't have many female role models in music but liked the style of Mary Weiss from the band the Shangri-Las.

Suzi learned to play classical piano and drums. Her first instrument was the bongos. She taught herself to play the bass guitar when her sister asked her to join her first band. In 1964, her father gave her a 1957 Fender Precision Bass guitar, which she still uses today.

Music Career

The Pleasure Seekers and Cradle

Quatro (far right) with her sisters Patti and Arlene in their band, The Pleasure Seekers, in 1966.

In 1964, after watching the Beatles on TV, Suzi's older sister Patti started an all-girl garage rock band called The Pleasure Seekers. Suzi joined the band, playing bass and singing. Her stage name was Suzi Soul.

The band became popular in the Detroit music scene. They recorded a few songs and even had a short contract with Mercury Records. In 1969, they changed their name to Cradle.

Becoming a Solo Star

Quatro and her band on the Dutch TV show TopPop in 1973.

In 1971, a record producer named Mickie Most saw Quatro perform and asked her to move to England to start a solo career. Most was looking for a female rock singer to fill the space left by the death of Janis Joplin. Quatro agreed because she wanted to be a unique artist, not a copy of someone else.

Her first single, "Rolling Stone", was only a hit in Portugal. After that, Most introduced her to the songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. They wrote songs that fit her powerful image. This was during the glam rock era, and Quatro became known for her leather outfits and energetic hard rock music.

In 1973, her second single, "Can the Can", became a number-one hit across Europe and in Australia. She followed this with more hits, including "48 Crash" and "Devil Gate Drive". These songs sold over a million copies each. However, she was not as famous in her home country of the United States.

Continued Success and Acting

Quatro performing on the TV show TopPop in 1973.

After her first few big hits, Quatro's chart success slowed down a bit. But in 1978, she had another major hit with the song "If You Can't Give Me Love".

That same year, her duet with Chris Norman called "Stumblin' In" reached number four on the US charts. This became her biggest hit in America. The song was featured on her album If You Knew Suzi....

In 1980, she released the album Rock Hard, which was very successful in Australia. After the 1980s, Quatro's songs were not in the charts as often, but she never stopped working. She continued to record albums and perform for her fans.

She said in an interview that she didn't care about being on the charts. She was more interested in making the music she wanted to make.

Recent Work

Quatro performing live at the AIS Arena in Canberra, Australia, in 2007.

Quatro has continued to release new music. Her 2006 album Back to the Drive was a return to her hard rock style and brought her back to the worldwide charts.

In 2011, she released the album In the Spotlight. To celebrate 50 years in the music business, she released an anthology called Girl from Detroit in 2014.

Her more recent albums include No Control (2019) and The Devil in Me (2021), which she worked on with her son, Richard Tuckey. In 2023, she released an album of duets with singer KT Tunstall called Face to Face.

Acting and Radio Career

In the United States, many people know Suzi Quatro from her role on the TV show Happy Days. She played Leather Tuscadero, a bass-playing rock singer. The show's producer, Garry Marshall, offered her the part after seeing a picture of her on his daughter's wall. She appeared in seven episodes between 1977 and 1979.

She has also appeared in other TV shows, including the British series Minder and Midsomer murders. In 1994, she had a small part as a nurse in the comedy show Absolutely Fabulous.

Quatro has also performed in stage musicals. In 1986, she starred as Annie Oakley in a London production of Annie Get Your Gun.

For many years, she has hosted rock and roll shows on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom.

Personal Life

Quatro married her guitarist, Len Tuckey, in 1976. They had two children together, a daughter and a son. They divorced in 1992.

In 1993, she married a German concert promoter named Rainer Haas. She lives in England and Germany, and also spends time in her hometown of Detroit.

In 2012, Quatro had an accident while getting on a plane in Ukraine. She broke her knee and wrist, which forced her to cancel several concerts. This included a special performance in Detroit where she was going to be inducted into the Detroit Hall of Fame.

Why Suzi Quatro is Important

Quatro performing in 2017.

Suzi Quatro is seen as a pioneer for women in rock music. Before her, most women in rock were only singers. Quatro was different because she was a bandleader who wrote songs, sang, and played a powerful instrument—the electric bass. She showed that a woman could rock just as hard as men.

Music experts say she "kicked down the male door in rock and roll." She proved that a female musician could play as well as, or even better than, the boys.

Musicians Influenced by Quatro

Quatro has inspired many female musicians who came after her.

• Tina Weymouth, the bass player for the bands Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, learned to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro's albums.
• Joan Jett and the band the Runaways were directly influenced by her style and attitude.
• Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders and Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's have also named Quatro as a major influence.
• Scottish singer KT Tunstall paid tribute to Quatro by dressing like her on the cover of her 2007 album, Drastic Fantastic.

In 2013, Quatro received the Woman of Valor Award for her role in inspiring generations of female musicians.

Discography

Filmography

Television

• Happy Days (seven episodes, 1977–1979)
• Minder (one episode, 1982)
• Dempsey and Makepeace (one episode, 1985)
• Absolutely Fabulous (one episode, 1994)
• Midsomer murders (one episode, 2007)

Film

• Bob the Builder – Built to Be Wild (voice of Rio Rogers, 2006)
• Suzi Q (as herself in a documentary, 2019)

See also

In Spanish: Suzi Quatro para niños

• List of female rock singers
• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• Women in music