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, U.S.
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 Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. She became famous in the 1970s. Her songs like "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974) were number one hits in many countries. She was especially popular in Europe and Australia.

Suzi Quatro released her first album, named after herself, in 1973. Since then, she has released many more albums. Other popular songs include "48 Crash", "Daytona Demon", and "The Wild One". She also played the bass player Leather Tuscadero on the TV show Happy Days. Her song "Stumblin' In" with Chris Norman was a big hit in the US. It was her only song to reach the top 40 there.

Between 1973 and 1980, Suzi won six Bravo Otto awards. These awards are chosen by readers of a German teen magazine called Bravo. In 2010, she was added to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. Suzi Quatro has sold over 50 million records around the world. She still performs live and is also a radio host. Her latest album, Face to Face, came out in 2023.

Early Life

Suzi Quatro was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Her father, Art, was a musician who played part-time. He also worked at General Motors. Her family name, "Quattrocchi," was shortened to Quatro.

Suzi has three sisters and a brother, Michael Quatro. Her parents also cared for other children while she was growing up. Her sister Patti joined Fanny, one of the first all-female rock bands to become well-known. Her brother, Michael, is also a musician.

When she was six, Suzi was inspired by watching Elvis Presley perform on TV. She learned to play classical piano and percussion. Her first instrument was bongos. She taught herself to play the bass guitar. Her sister asked her to learn it for their first band, the Pleasure Seekers. In 1964, her father gave her a 1957 Fender Precision Bass guitar. She still uses this guitar in the studio today.

Career

Early Music Days

Suzi Quatro started playing drums or percussion at a young age. She was part of her father's jazz band, the Art Quatro Trio. She began playing with them when she was about seven or eight years old.

The Pleasure Seekers and Cradle

Quatro, at far right, pictured, along with two of her sisters, Patti and Arlene, and Eileen Biddlingmeier (center), in the Pleasure Seekers, 1966

In 1964, after seeing the Beatles on TV, Suzi's older sister, Patti, formed an all-female garage rock band. They called themselves the Pleasure Seekers. Suzi joined the band and used the stage name Suzi Soul. She sang and played bass. Another sister, Arlene, also joined the band later.

The Pleasure Seekers recorded three singles and released two of them. They became well-known in the Detroit music scene. In late 1969, the band changed its name to Cradle. Suzi's sister Nancy joined Cradle, and Arlene left after having a child.

Working with Mickie Most

Quatro and her supporting band in AVRO's TopPop, a Dutch television show, on December 7, 1973 (Left to right: Len Tuckey, guitar; Suzi Quatro, bass guitar; Alastair MacKenzie, keyboards; Dave Neal, drums)

In 1971, Suzi Quatro moved to England. Record producer Mickie Most had seen her perform and wanted to work with her. He had started his own record label, Rak Records. Most was looking for a female rock singer. He was impressed by Suzi's looks and her skills as a bass guitarist, singer, and performer.

Suzi chose to work with Mickie Most because he offered to help her become the "first Suzi Quatro." She did not want to be like anyone else. She spent a year working with Most, improving her skills. Most then introduced her to the songwriting team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. They wrote songs that fit her rock image. Suzi wore leather clothes and had a wild look. This was during the glam rock period of the 1970s.

In 1972, Suzi toured the UK as a support act for Thin Lizzy and Slade. In May 1973, her second single, "Can the Can", became a number-one hit in parts of Europe and Australia.

After "Can the Can," she had three more big hits: "48 Crash" (1973), "Daytona Demon" (1973), and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974). Each of these songs sold over one million copies. However, they were not as successful in her home country, the United States.

Her chart success slowed down after 1974. In 1975, "Your Mamma Won't Like Me" was a moderate hit in the UK. In 1977, "Tear Me Apart" reached the UK top 30. In 1978, she had another big hit with "If You Can't Give Me Love". This song had a softer style. Later that year, "Stumblin' In", a duet with Chris Norman from the band Smokie, reached number four in the US. These songs were on her album If you knew Suzi....

Mike Chapman and Dreamland Records

In 1980, Suzi Quatro signed with Mike Chapman's Dreamland Records. Her contract with Mickie Most had ended.

That same year, she released the album Rock Hard. Both the album and its title song were very popular in Australia. The song "Rock Hard" was also used in the movie Times Square. It reached number 11 in Australia. Her album Suzi Quatro's Greatest Hits, released in 1980, reached number four in the UK charts. This was her highest-charting album there.

Independent Music

Quatro, playing bass guitar, performing in Australia, 2007

After Dreamland Records closed in 1981, Suzi Quatro did not have a record label. Her last UK hit for a while was "Heart of Stone" in late 1982. In 1983, she said she did not care about being in the charts. She was more interested in releasing the music she wanted to make. She had been working since 1964 and became famous nine years later.

Suzi continued to record music even without big chart success. In the 1990s, she released four new albums. What Goes Around – Greatest & Latest (1995) was successful in Denmark. In 2006, she released Back to the Drive. This album brought her back to her harder rock style. It also put her back on the worldwide charts for the first time since the 1980s.

In 2011, Suzi released her 15th studio album, In the Spotlight. It included new songs and some cover versions. In April 2013, she performed in America for the first time in over 30 years. This was at the Detroit Music Awards. She received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award there.

In 2017, Suzi released her 16th studio album. In August 2023, she released an album of duets with KT Tunstall called Face to Face.

Quatro performing in 2011

On June 11, 2010, she was the main performer at the 'Girls Night Out' at the Isle of Wight Festival. Suzi was also added to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2010.

Acting and Radio Hosting

Suzi Quatro is well-known in the United States for her role as Leather Tuscadero. This was a bass player character on the TV show Happy Days. The show's producer, Garry Marshall, offered her the role after seeing her picture. Leather was the younger sister of Fonzie's former girlfriend. Leather led a rock band that included other characters from the show. Marshall offered Suzi a TV show just for Leather Tuscadero, but she said no. She did not want to be known only for that one role.

She also acted in other TV shows. These include an episode of the British show Minder in 1982. In 1985, she was in Dempsey and Makepeace. In 1994, she had a small role as a nurse in the comedy Absolutely Fabulous. In 2006, she voiced the character Rio in the Bob the Builder film Built to Be Wild. She also appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders in 2007.

Suzi Quatro has also performed in theatre. In 1986, she played Annie Oakley in a London show of Annie Get Your Gun. In 1991, she played the main role in a musical about the actress Tallulah Bankhead.

More recently, Suzi has hosted weekly rock and roll shows on BBC Radio 2. These shows were called Rockin' with Suzi Q and Wake Up Little Suzi.

Songwriting

Suzi Quatro started writing songs by herself. Then she worked with other songwriters. Now, she mostly writes songs alone again.

She describes how she creates a new song: "I start at my piano, writing down a title first. Then I pick up my bass and figure out the rhythm. I go back to the piano to work on the lyrics. I play electric guitar, and finally, I type out the lyrics. Only then is it a song."

Personal Life

Suzi Quatro married her guitarist, Len Tuckey, in 1976. They had two children and later divorced in 1992.

In 1993, she married German concert promoter Rainer Haas. Suzi lives in Essex, England, and Hamburg, Germany. She also sometimes stays in Detroit.

Since 2011, she has shared music videos on YouTube. In March 2012, Suzi broke her right knee and left wrist while getting on a plane in Kyiv, Ukraine. She had to cancel some concerts and an appearance at the Detroit Music Awards.

Awards and Honours

In 2020, Suzi Quatro received the Icon Award from the Women's International Music Network.

In 2011, she was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

In October 2016, Suzi received an honorary doctorate in music from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK.

In August 2019, a film about Suzi Quatro's life, called Suzi Q, was shown in Australia. It was the first official documentary about her. Suzi said the film showed both her successes and challenges. It focused on her decision to leave her sisters in Detroit to start a solo career in London.

Bravo Otto

Bravo is a big magazine for teenagers in German-speaking Europe. Each year, its readers choose the winners of the Bravo Otto award.

Suzi Quatro has won these Bravo Otto awards:

• 1973: Gold for female singer
• 1974: Gold for female singer
• 1975: Bronze for female singer
• 1978: Bronze for female singer
• 1979: Bronze for female singer
• 1980: Silver for female singer

Queens of British Pop

In April 2009, BBC TV chose Suzi Quatro as one of 12 queens of British pop.

Influence on Music

Suzi Quatro has inspired many female musicians. Tina Weymouth, who played bass in Talking Heads, learned to play by listening to Suzi's albums.

Suzi also directly influenced bands like the Runaways and Joan Jett. Other musicians like Chrissie Hynde and Kathy Valentine (from The Go-Go's) have said Suzi was a big influence on them.

The American indie rock band Tuscadero was named after Suzi's Happy Days character, Leather Tuscadero. Their song "Leather Idol" was a tribute to her.

On the cover of KT Tunstall's 2007 album Drastic Fantastic, Tunstall dressed like Suzi Quatro to show her respect.

In October 2013, Suzi Quatro received the Woman of Valor Award. This award was given by Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women (MEOW). It recognized her role in inspiring female musicians.

Musical Style

Quatro in 2017

Suzi Quatro's music includes different styles. Her main styles are hard rock and glam rock. She sometimes performs only as a bass player, not singing. She also shows off her bass guitar skills with long solos during her concerts.

With the Pleasure Seekers, their music included power pop, garage rock, and Motown. Suzi Quatro also performs in musicals.

Discography

List of Songs

See: List of songs by Suzi Quatro

Filmography

Television

Acting

• Happy Days (seven episodes, 1977–1979)
• Minder (one episode "Dead Men Do Tell Tales", [series 3 episode 1] 1982)
• Dempsey and Makepeace (one episode, 1985)
• Absolutely Fabulous (one episode, 1994)
• Midsomer Murders (season 10 Episode 4 The Axeman Cometh, 2007)

Guest appearances

• Countdown (six episodes, 1997)
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks (4 episodes, 1999 – 2006)
• Rock School (one episode on series two, 2006)
• Trust Me – I'm a Beauty Therapist (in October 2006)
• Australian Idol (one episode as guest judge, 2009)
• RocKwiz (one episode as performer and quiz contestant, 2011)
• Spicks and Specks (one episode as quiz contestant, 2014)
• Disco (Quatro is in eleven episodes plus two retrospections of this German TV programme)

Film

• Bob the Builder – Built to Be Wild (voice of Rio Rogers, 2006)
• Suzi Q (Herself) 2019 Palstar Entertainment (directed by Liam Firmager)

See also

In Spanish: Suzi Quatro para niños

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