80-647: Quatro is Suzi Quatro 's second album, released in October 1974 by Rak Records as SRAK 509, with the exceptions of the United States and Canada (where the album was released by Bell Records ), Japan ( EMI Records ) and several territories in Europe ( Columbia Records ). The album achieved success in several territories, topping the Australian chart and remaining on that chart for six weeks. It also entered
160-551: A Lulu , I wouldn't have it. I'd say 'go to hell' and walk out." This was the height of the glam rock period of the 1970s and Quatro, who wore leather clothes, portrayed a wild image while playing music that "hinged mostly on a hard rock chug beneath lyrics in which scansion overruled meaning." In 1972, Quatro embarked as a support act on a UK tour with Thin Lizzy and headliners Slade . Rak Records arranged for her to use Thin Lizzy's newly acquired PA system during this, incurring
240-433: A book by Willie Rushton . It ran from February 14 to March 9 at Hornchurch , England, where it was billed as "You'll be amazed how Tallulah did it, and to whom – and how often!" The show received favorable reviews from the majority of critics. In more recent times, Quatro has hosted weekly rock and roll programs on BBC Radio 2 . The first one was titled Rockin' with Suzi Q , while her second programme
320-568: A cameo appearance as a nurse in the "Hospital" episode of the comedy Absolutely Fabulous . She also was filmed in the 1990 Clive Barker horror film Nightbreed , but the studio cut out her character. In 2006, Quatro performed the voice of Rio in the Bob the Builder film Built to Be Wild , and appeared in an episode of the second season of Rock School , in Lowestoft . She also appeared in
400-648: A charge of £300 per week that enabled the Irish band to effectively purchase it at no cost to themselves. In May 1973, her second single " Can the Can " (1973) – which Philip Auslander describes as having "seemingly nonsensical and virtually unintelligible lyrics" – was a No. 1 hit in parts of Europe and in Australia. "Can the Can" was followed by three further hits: " 48 Crash " (1973), "Daytona Demon" (1973) and " Devil Gate Drive " (1974). "Can
480-935: A cover of Goldfrapp 's "Strict Machine", but Quatro's version contains two lines from "Can the Can", referencing the similarity of the tunes for the two songs. In April 2013, she performed in America for the first time in over 30 years, at the Detroit Music Awards where she received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to her by her sister, Patti. In 2017, Quatro released her sixteenth studio album backed by Andy Scott from Sweet on guitar and Don Powell from Slade on drums. In August 2023, Quatro released an album of duets with KT Tunstall entitled Face to Face . After discovering they were mutual fans of each other, they were put in touch with each other by
560-718: A date to a fraternity formal with Ralph Malph . Marshall offered Quatro a Leather Tuscadero spin-off, but she declined the offer, saying she did not want to be typecast. Other acting roles include a 1982 episode of the British comedy-drama series Minder (called " Dead Men Do Tell Tales ") as Nancy, the singer girlfriend of Terry ( Dennis Waterman ). In 1985, she starred as a mentally disturbed ex-MI5 operative in Dempsey and Makepeace – "Love you to Death". In February 2022 Quatro gave an exclusive interview to Paul Stenning regarding her appearance in both shows. In 1994, she made
640-566: A lack of success or respect in the male-dominated rock scene, Wild Honey decided to disband after one final open-mic appearance at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles in 1969. They were spotted at this gig by the secretary of producer Richard Perry , who had been searching for an all-female rock band to mentor. Perry convinced Warner Bros. Records to sign the band, still known as Wild Honey, to Reprise Records . The group won
720-661: A live performance by the Millington sisters. This inspired the formation of a new band called Fanny Walked the Earth. An album also titled Fanny Walked the Earth was released in March 2018. The album marks the first time June, Jean, and Brie all recorded at the same time in nearly 50 years. Fanny were the subject of the documentary film Fanny: The Right to Rock , released in 2021 and directed by Bobbi Jo Hart . Fanny performed at Yerba Buena Gardens on May 20, 2023. Fanny
800-401: A mutual friend. Quatro is possibly best known in the United States for her role as the bass player Leather Tuscadero on the television show Happy Days . The show's producer, Garry Marshall , had offered her the role without having an audition after seeing a photograph of her on his daughter's bedroom wall. Toby Mamis , who was acting as her U.S. representative at that time, helped broker
880-421: A new song: "From sitting at my piano in my front room, writing down a title (always first), picking up my bass, figuring out the groove, going back to the piano ... working on the lyrics, playing electric guitar ... and finally I type out the lyrics. Only then is it officially a song. Next it goes down on my tiny 8-track , [with] me playing everything ... this is the version all muso's use to get into
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#1732781027983960-744: A post-show party where he showed them mime techniques. With young engineer Leslie Ann Jones as their road manager and live sound mixer, Fanny toured worldwide, opening for Slade , Jethro Tull and Humble Pie , gaining widespread popularity in the United Kingdom. A 1971 article in Sounds remarked that the group "seems that they are the support group to everyone these days". The group made several live television appearances during tours, including The Sonny and Cher Show , American Bandstand , The Old Grey Whistle Test and Beat-Club . The group's third album, Fanny Hill (1972) featured
1040-439: A rave review of the album, praising the group's musical skills and particularly June's ability to play both lead and rhythm guitar. Their fourth album, Mothers Pride (1973), was produced by Todd Rundgren . By the time Mothers Pride was released, June was feeling constrained by the group format. The record label wanted her to wear certain designer clothes and adopt a hard rock image, which she resisted. She decided to quit
1120-563: A recurring role as bass player Leather Tuscadero on the popular American sitcom Happy Days , her duet " Stumblin' In " with Smokie 's lead singer Chris Norman reached No. 4 in the US, her only song to chart in the Top 40 in her homeland. Between 1973 and 1980, Quatro was awarded six Bravo Ottos , an award given to musicians as voted in the German teen magazine Bravo . In 2010, she was voted into
1200-553: A waistcoat on top – she looked hot". Quatro received formal training in playing classical piano and percussion—her first instrument was bongos . She taught herself how to play the bass, after her sister asked her to learn it for her first band, the Pleasure Seekers . Her father gave her a 1957 Fender Precision bass guitar in 1964, which she still uses in the studio. Quatro played drums or percussion from an early age as part of her father's jazz band,
1280-637: A way to apply it to their own lives, because grouping together takes away the whole idea of Women's Lib. The interviewer, Charles Shaar Murray , considered her viewpoint to be "... somewhat anomalous, because unless the woman in question happens to be well known, she has no way of letting people hear her unless she unites with other women and then elects a spokesman." He also noted the apparent contradiction that Quatro seemed proud that girls were writing to her saying that they were emulating her look and her attitude. In 1974, Quatro believed that, unlike men, women were burdened with emotional responses and that it
1360-572: The If you knew Suzi... album. A year later, Quatro released Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words , but none of her other work had much US success. This featured the hits "She's in Love with You", which made No. 11 in Britain, "Mama's Boy" (number 34), and "I've Never Been in Love" (number 56). In 1980, after Quatro's contract with Mickie Most had expired, she signed with Chapman's Dreamland Records. In
1440-514: The Billboard Hot 100 in April 1975. By the time that single was released, the group was through. After the breakup in 1975, the Millington sisters put together a new line-up of Fanny for a short tour, though no older Fanny material was played. This group ultimately morphed into a renamed all-women band called the L.A. All-Stars. Some interest was shown by record labels who stipulated that
1520-659: The Funk Brothers , the loose studio musician collective on Motown records. The band resisted suggestions by the record company to dress in a typical girl group style or emphasize any sex appeal; the band also rehearsed regularly, wanting to acquire a reputation based on their musical talent. Jean later said that Fanny had to have a strong live presence in order to overcome audience's perceptions that women could not play rock music well. June added, "We knew we had to prove we could play and deliver live. Otherwise, no one would believe it." The group were more successful in
1600-504: The Philippines to California in the early 1960s. After playing through several variations of the band, they attracted the interest of producer Richard Perry who signed them to Reprise Records in 1969 as Fanny. The band recorded four albums together before June quit the group, leading to the original line-up splitting. Following a final album, Fanny disbanded in 1975. The Millington sisters have continued to play music together since
1680-623: The Philippines to Sacramento , California, in 1961. They began to play music together on ukuleles , which helped them gain friends. In high school they formed an all-female band called the Svelts with June on guitar, Jean on bass, Addie Lee on guitar, and Brie Brandt on drums. Brandt left to get married and was later replaced by Alice de Buhr. Lee and de Buhr later formed another all-female band, Wild Honey. The Millington sisters later joined this band as well. Wild Honey played Motown covers and eventually moved to Los Angeles . Frustrated by
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#17327810279831760-586: The Rock Hard album, titled "Lipstick", was released in February 1981, but radio refused to play it as they claimed it sounded too much like Gloria by Them . Suzi Quatro's Greatest Hits , which was released in 1980, peaked at No. 4 in the UK charts, becoming her highest-charting album there. After Chapman's Dreamland Records folded in 1981, Quatro was left without a record label. Her last UK hit for some time
1840-512: The 1990s, Quatro released four new albums, though Unreleased Emotion had been recorded several years previously. What Goes Around – Greatest & Latest was released in 1995 and consisted of mainly older hits rerecorded; this proved a success in Denmark. Except for 1999's Free the Butterfly self-help album, it would take a further 11 years for Quatro to release a new album. Back to
1920-562: The Art Quatro Trio. Sources vary regarding whether her playing in the band began at the age of seven or eight, and whether the instrument she played was a drum kit or percussion ( bongo or congas ). Subsequently, she appeared on local television as a go-go dancer in a pop music series. In 1964, after seeing a television performance by the Beatles , Quatro's older sister, Patti, had formed an all-female garage rock band called
2000-460: The Beatles' engineer Geoff Emerick in addition to Perry's production. It included covers of the Beatles' " Hey Bulldog " and Marvin Gaye 's " Ain't That Peculiar ". The latter featured regular Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys , and was released as a single, reaching number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fellow Stones sideman Jim Price also played brass on the album. Rolling Stone wrote
2080-578: The Can", "48 Crash" and "Devil Gate Drive" each sold over one million copies and were awarded gold discs , although they met with little success in her native United States, where she had toured as a support act for Alice Cooper . Rak Records' artists had generally not succeeded in the US and her first album, Suzi Quatro , was criticised by Alan Betrock for its lack of variety, for its Quatro-written "second-rate fillers" and for her voice, described as "often too high and shrill, lacking punch or distinctive phrasing." Writing for Rolling Stone , Greg Shaw
2160-620: The Drive in 2006 showed a return to Quatro's harder rock roots, rather than the smoother sounds of her previous albums. Back to the Drive also returned Quatro to the worldwide charts – her first album to do so since 1980s Rock Hard . Back to the Drive also produced a download only single "I'll Walk Through the Fire with You". Quatro released In the Spotlight in 2011 with the lead single, "Whatever Love Is". Quatro marked her 50th anniversary in
2240-658: The Essex manor house. Toward the end of 2008, Quatro's children had moved out of the house and she temporarily put it up for sale, stating that she had empty nest syndrome . Quatro continues to live in Essex and Hamburg , and sometimes in Detroit . Since 2011, she has published music videos on YouTube . On March 31, 2012, Quatro broke her right knee and left wrist while boarding an aircraft in Kyiv , Ukraine , where she had performed
2320-538: The Go-Go's , who cited Fanny as an influence. She collaborated with Real Gone Music in a reissue program for the group's albums. Patti Quatro continued to work as a session musician for her sister Suzi and was involved in the reissue of material by the Quatro sisters' early band the Pleasure Seekers . Brie Brandt , later known as Brie Howard-Darling and currently as Brie Darling, had an active post-Fanny career, fronting
2400-717: The Kinks , Eddie and the Hot Rods and Dr. Feelgood on the Mark Cunningham-produced cover version of David Bowie 's " Heroes ", released the following year as the 1986 BBC Children in Need single. Quatro also released a cover version of " Wild Thing " in November 1986, as a duet with The Troggs singer Reg Presley . "Can the Can"/"Devil Gate Drive" were re-released in 1987 as a single and reached number 87 in
2480-587: The Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. She is reported to have sold over 50 million records worldwide, and continues to perform live. Quatro's most recent studio album, Face to Face , was released in 2023 and follows the 2021 collaboration The Devil in Me with her son Richard Tuckey who had already taken part in No Control in 2019. Quatro also remains active in radio broadcasting. Quatro
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2560-483: The Pleasure Seekers with two friends. Quatro joined too and assumed the stage name of Suzi Soul; Patti Quatro was known as Patti Pleasure. Suzi would sing and play bass in the band. The band also later featured another sister, Arlene. Many of their performances were in cabaret , where attention was (initially) focused more on their physical looks than their actual music. They sometimes had to wear miniskirts and wigs, which Quatro later considered to be necessary evils in
2640-481: The Spotlight (and its single, "Spotlight"). This album is a mixture of new songs written by Mike Chapman and by herself, along with some cover versions. A second single from the album, "Whatever Love Is", was subsequently released. On November 16, 2011, a music video (by Tischler-Blue) for the track " Strict Machine " was released onto the Suzi Quatro Official YouTube channel. The track is
2720-885: The UK Singles Chart. " Devil Gate Drive " reached No. 1 in February 1974; "Too Big" rose to No. 14 in June; and "The Wild One" reached No. 7 in November. Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both " Can the Can " (1973) and " Devil Gate Drive " (1974) reaching No. 1 in several countries. Quatro released her self-titled debut album in 1973. Since then, she has released fifteen studio albums, ten compilation albums, and one live album. Other songs, including " 48 Crash ", " Daytona Demon ", "The Wild One", and "Your Mama Won't Like Me", also charted highly overseas. Following
2800-457: The UK Top 30, her first hit to have done so in three years. It would take another year for another big hit, this time with a change to a more mellow style giving Quatro a 1978 single " If You Can't Give Me Love " that became a hit there and in the United Kingdom. Later that year, " Stumblin' In ", a duet with Chris Norman of the band Smokie , reached No. 4 in the US. Both tracks were featured on
2880-414: The UK and Europe, where audiences appreciated their music and respected their work, than in the US. De Buhr was disappointed to discover that some record company executives merely treated Fanny as a gimmick that should not be taken seriously. Promoter Bill Graham was reluctant to give the group a headlining slot at venues, for fear the group would split up as the members got married and had children, though
2960-500: The UK charts. She was also part of the Ferry Aid charity single " Let It Be ", which was a UK No. 1, 13 years and 26 days after Quatro's last UK No. 1. In 1989, Quatro released a prerecorded backing track single "Baby You're a Star", which was released in the UK, though it failed to chart. By the late 80's, it was clear that Quatro's hitmaking days were over, though she still recorded persistently despite lack of chart success. During
3040-455: The US charts, reaching the top 150. " Devil Gate Drive " became a major hit, reaching the No. 1 spot in the UK and Australian charts, becoming her second number one in both countries. The singles "The Wild One" and "Too Big" also achieved commercial success, with the former reaching the top 10 in both the UK and in Australia, and the latter reaching the top 20 in those same territories. "The Wild One"
3120-406: The band and Arlene had left following the birth of her child. Quatro moved to England in 1971, after being spotted by the record producer Mickie Most , who had by that time founded his own label, Rak Records . Most had been persuaded to see Cradle by her brother Michael , who was managing the band. Like other music producers at the time, Most was looking for a female rock singer who could fill
3200-459: The band tour as Fanny and play only Fanny songs, which June opposed. This ended the chance of a Fanny reunion. June subsequently released three solo albums in the 1980s and has had a career as a producer for artists including Holly Near , Cris Williamson and Bitch and Animal . She operates the Institute for Musical Arts, a non-profit organization supporting girls and women in music. Jean
3280-406: The band's first three albums, beginning with Fanny in 1970. Because of the connection to Perry and Reprise Records, Barclay was invited to tour with Joe Cocker as a backing singer, and consequently appeared on the album Mad Dogs and Englishmen . The group's cover of Cream 's " Badge " from the first album earned significant radio airplay. The follow-up album, Charity Ball , was released
Quatro (album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-409: The bands American Girls , which released one album in 1986, and Boxing Gandhis , which has released four albums since the mid-1990s. She has also acted in films such as 1982's Android and is the mother of Playboy Playmate Brandi Brandt . Quatro and Brandt both toured with Electric Light Orchestra and appeared on the album A New World Record in 1976. In 2002, Rhino Records released
3440-650: The charts. This was a solo effort, although aided by people such as Duncan Browne , Peter Frampton and Alan White . Subsequently, with the approval of Most, she auditioned for a band to accompany her. It was also after this record that Most introduced her to the songwriting and production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman , who wrote songs specifically to accord with her image. She agreed with Most's assessment of her image, saying that his influence, at which some of his artists – such as Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart – balked, did not extend to manufacture and that "If he tried to build me into
3520-401: The charts." Around this time, Quatro recorded a new album that was shelved until 1997, when it was issued as Unreleased Emotion . Quatro briefly returned to recording for two more singles, "I Go Wild" in 1984, and in 1985 her " Tonight I Could Fall in Love "/"Good Girl (Looking for a Bad Time)" single reached No. 140 in the UK charts. Quatro also collaborated with Bronski Beat and members of
3600-403: The contract without the label hearing them play, on the grounds of being a novelty act, despite their genuine musical talent. Warner Bros. installed the band in a rented mansion formerly owned by Hedy Lamarr , on Marmont Lane near Sunset Boulevard. Prior to recording their first album, the band recruited keyboardist Nickey Barclay while bringing in early Svelts member Brie Brandt. The band
3680-431: The deal and generate enormous media attention to it, elevating Quatro's profile in her home country. Leather was the younger sister of Fonzie's former girlfriend, motorcycle trick rider Pinky Tuscadero. Leather fronted a rock band joined by principal characters Richie Cunningham , Potsie Weber , Ralph Malph , Chachi Arcola , and even Joanie Cunningham once. The character returned in other guest roles, including once for
3760-467: The earliest all-female rock bands to gain national attention. Her brother, Michael Quatro , is also a musician. She was influenced at the age of six by seeing Elvis Presley perform on television. She has said that she had no direct female role models in music, but was inspired by Billie Holiday and liked the dress sense of Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las "because she wore tight trousers and
3840-410: The episode " The Axeman Cometh " of Midsomer Murders in the role of Mimi Clifton. Quatro has also performed in theatre. In 1986, she appeared as Annie Oakley in a London production of Annie Get Your Gun and in 1991 she performed the title role in a musical about the life of actress Tallulah Bankhead . Titled Tallulah Who? , which had music and lyrics co-written by her and Shirlie Roden, with
3920-406: The exception of Australia, her chart success faltered thereafter, as proven with her 1975 hit "Your Mamma Won't Like Me", which proved to be a moderate success in the UK. Further singles "I Bit off More Than I Could Chew" and "I May Be Too Young", both failed to reach the UK Top 50. Quatro recorded the album Aggro-Phobia in 1976 and released a new single in 1977 called "Tear Me Apart" which reached
4000-489: The final Fanny album, Rock and Roll Survivors , in 1974. The first single, "I've Had It" reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Brandt left the band shortly after the album's completion when she married composer James Newton Howard , and was briefly replaced by Cam Davis. Barclay quit the group at the end of 1974 to pursue other interests. Concurrently, the album's second single, "Butter Boy", written by Jean about Bowie, became their biggest hit, reaching number 29 on
4080-513: The first Suzi Quatro – I didn't want to be the new anybody." Most had no interest in the other band members and he had no idea at that time of how he might market Quatro. She spent a year living in a hotel while being nurtured by Most, developing her skills and maturing. Most later said that the outcome was a reflection of her own personality. Quatro's first single, " Rolling Stone ", was successful only in Portugal, where it reached No. 1 on
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#17327810279834160-470: The following year and its title track reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The members of Fanny also worked as session musicians, and played on Barbra Streisand 's 1971 album Barbra Joan Streisand , because Streisand had wanted to record with a small band. The group continued to pick up well-known fans; David Bowie sent the group a letter admiring their work and invited the band to
4240-584: The group have stressed this was due to business pragmatics and not chauvinism. During tours, female fans would ask the group how to form a band. Later all-female bands such as the Runaways and the Bangles cited Fanny as a key influence. A retrospective review of the group's career in Rebeat stressed that Fanny were simply a good band, irrespective of gender. June has been praised for her guitar skills, and
4320-427: The group, later saying "I needed to figure out who I was" and regularly clashed with Barclay due to conflicting personalities. June moved to Woodstock to study Buddhism , but insisted that the group continue without her. De Buhr also left the band, with a returning Brandt replacing her on drums. Patti Quatro (sister of Suzi Quatro ) replaced June on guitar. This lineup signed with Casablanca Records and released
4400-653: The limited edition 4-CD box set First Time in a Long Time , which collected Fanny's first four studio albums along with live recordings, outtakes, and promotional items. A reunion concert featuring the Millington sisters and de Buhr (Barclay declined to appear for health reasons) was held at Berklee College of Music on April 20, 2007, where the band members received the ROCKRGRL Women of Valor award for their achievements. The first four original Fanny albums are available on Real Gone records, with updated liner notes, pictures, and new mixes. In 2016, Brie Howard joined
4480-526: The most emancipated: a small girl leading an all-man group in which she herself plays bass guitar. The image is of a tomboy, lank-haired, tight-bottomed and (twice) tattooed; a rocker, a brooder, a loner, a knife-carrier; a hell-cat, a wild cat, a storm child, refugee from the frightened city of Detroit. In 2020, Quatro was awarded the Icon Award by the Women's International Music Network. In 2011, Quatro
4560-517: The music industry with an anthology, Girl from Detroit , in 2014 with two new tracks. Around 2005, a documentary chronicling Quatro's life, Naked Under Leather , named after a 1975 bootleg album recorded in Japan, directed by a former member of the Runaways , Victory Tischler-Blue , was made, but this has never been released. In February 2006, Quatro released Back to the Drive , produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott . The album's title track
4640-479: The night before. As a result, she had to cancel her appearance at the Detroit Music Awards on April 27, where she was to perform and be inducted into the Detroit Hall of Fame along with her sisters. Had she been able to go, that would have been her first performance in America in over 30 years. Quatro also had to reschedule other concert dates, while some were canceled altogether. In a 2012 interview, Quatro
4720-417: The participants were ... completely hypocritical. Their leaders stand up there and say, 'We're individuals blab blab blab,' and yet they're all in a group following like sheep. For me, I cannot put the two together ... I'm talking about the masses that follow [the movement's leaders who get press attention] and who have nothing at all to say. It gives it all a very phony light. I hope they can find
4800-582: The pursuit of success. However, they would become well-known fixtures in the burgeoning Detroit music community. The Pleasure Seekers recorded three singles and released two of these: "Never Thought You'd Leave Me" / "What a Way to Die" (1966) and "Light of Love" / "Good Kind of Hurt" (1968). The second of these was released by Mercury Records , with whom they briefly had a contract before breaking away due to differences of opinion regarding their future direction. They changed their name to Cradle in late 1969, not long after another Quatro sister, Nancy, had joined
4880-404: The same year, she released the album Rock Hard ; both the album and title single went platinum in Australia. Rock Hard was also used in the cult film Times Square and was included on the soundtrack album. The single reached No. 11 in Australia, but only 68 in the UK due to distribution problems. It was clear at this point that the hit single career was beginning to wane. A second single from
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#17327810279834960-457: The split, and with a former drummer, Brie Howard-Darling , formed the spin-off group Fanny Walked the Earth in 2018. The group had attracted critical acclaim for rejecting typical girl group styles and expectations of women in the rock industry, and emphasizing their musical skills. Later groups such as the Go-Go's , the Bangles , and the Runaways cited Fanny as a key influence. Sisters June and Jean Millington moved with their family from
5040-443: The tune ... then into the studio and we go from there." Quatro married her long-time guitarist, Len Tuckey , in 1976. They had two children together, and divorced in 1992. Before 1993, Quatro lived with her two children in a manor house not far from Chelmsford in Essex, England, that she and Tuckey bought in 1980. She married German concert promoter Rainer Haas in 1993. In 2006, her daughter and grandchild moved back into
5120-616: The void created by the death of Janis Joplin . According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music , his attention to Quatro was drawn by "her comeliness and skills as bass guitarist, singer and chief show-off in Cradle." She had also been attracting attention from Elektra Records and subsequently explained that "According to the Elektra president, I could become the new Janis Joplin . Mickie Most offered to take me to England and make me
5200-435: The way I am. If I wanted to play a bass solo, it never occurred to me that I couldn't. When I saw Elvis for the first time when I was 5, I decided I wanted to be him, and it didn't occur to me that he was a guy. That's why it had to fall to somebody like me. In a 1973 interview, Quatro sympathized with many of the opinions voiced by the women's liberation movement while distancing herself from it because she considered that
5280-647: Was " Heart of Stone " in late 1982. In 1983 another single "Main Attraction" was released. It failed to chart, but did become a moderate airplay hit. She commented in an article for Kerrang! in 1983, after playing a successful show at Reading Festival on August 27, that she did not care about being in the charts, but was more interested in releasing what she wanted to; commenting that she started in 1964, and did not become famous for nine years "I would never accept having my career molded by other people ... I've kept working consistently even though I've not been in
5360-417: Was a little bit easier, which is good. I'm proud of that. If I have a legacy, that's what it is. It's nothing I take lightly. It was gonna happen sooner or later. In 2014, I will have done my job 50 years. It was gonna be done by somebody, and I think it fell to me to do because I don't look at gender. I never have. It doesn't occur to me if a 6-foot-tall guy has pissed me off not to square up to him. That's just
5440-634: Was also downbeat, saying that the album "may be a necessary beginning". In 1973, Quatro played on the Cozy Powell hit " Dance With the Devil ", a track written by Mickie Most while Cozy Powell was part of the Rak Records roster. Musicians who acted as her backing band around this period included Alastair McKenzie, Dave Neal and Len Tuckey , with Robbie Blunt also being listed by some sources. Tuckey's brother, Bill, acted as tour manager. With
5520-426: Was asked what she thought she had achieved for female rockers in general. She replied: Before I did what I did, we didn't have a place in rock 'n' roll. Not really. You had your Grace Slick and all that, but that's not what I did. I was the first to be taken seriously as a female rock 'n' roll musician and singer. That hadn't been done before. I played the boys at their own game. For everybody that came afterward, it
5600-467: Was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan , United States. Her father, Art, was a semi-professional musician and worked at General Motors . Her paternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant to the U.S. and her mother, Helen, was Hungarian and she died in 1992. Her family name of "Quattrocchi" ("four eyes", meaning "bespectacled") was shortened to Quatro. Quatro's family was living in Detroit when she
5680-441: Was born. She has three sisters, a brother ( Michael Quatro ), and one older half-sister. Her parents fostered several other children while she was growing up. Quatro grew up to be an "extrovert but solitary," according to Philip Norman of The Sunday Times , and she only became close to her mother after leaving the U.S. for Britain. Her sister Arlene is the mother of actress Sherilyn Fenn . Her sister Patti joined Fanny , one of
5760-625: Was described by Guitar Player as the hottest female guitar player in the music industry. During her time in Fanny, she initially favored the Gibson ES-355 and Fender Twin Reverb amp, before acquiring a Gibson Les Paul Junior guitar and Traynor amplifiers . She used the Les Paul primarily for slide guitar playing. Jean's main instrument in Fanny was a 1963 Fender Precision Bass , which
5840-564: Was featured in Floria Sigismondi 's 2010 film The Runaways , a coming-of-age film/biopic about Cherie Currie (portrayed by Dakota Fanning ) and the 1970s all-girl rock band the Runaways . (The film was inspired by, and loosely based on, Currie's 1989 memoir Neon Angel ). Suzi Quatro was a major influence both musically and personally for the Runaways and especially for Joan Jett , so the film makes several references to her. The album contained three songs that were major hits on
5920-628: Was given the title Wake Up Little Suzi . She started writing songs alone, then collaborated with other songwriters (such as Len Tuckey, Rhiannon Wolfe, and Shirley Roden), and now mainly writes songs alone once again. Quatro's early recorded songwriting was deliberately limited to album tracks and the B-sides of singles. She said in late 1973, that "... [the] album tracks are a very different story from [the] singles. The two-minute lo-and-behold commercial single will not come out of my brain, but ain't I gonna worry about it." She describes creating
6000-461: Was inducted to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Fanny (band) Fanny was an American rock band, active in the early to mid 1970s. They were one of the first all-female rock groups to achieve critical and commercial success, including two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 singles. The group was founded by sisters June and Jean Millington (on guitar and bass respectively), who had been playing music together since they moved from
6080-438: Was married to Bowie's guitarist Earl Slick for a time and later became an herbalist . The Millingtons continued to record together after Fanny as well, most recently on the 2011 album Play Like a Girl on June's label Fabulous Records. Nickey Barclay released a solo album titled Diamond in a Junkyard in 1976 then withdrew from the music industry. De Buhr later worked in marketing for several major record labels, and promoted
6160-421: Was more difficult for them to succeed in the music industry because they are more prone to jealousy and thus female audiences tend not to buy the recordings of female artists. Her unusually free use of swear words in conversation was often picked upon by interviewers in the 1970s, as have been her diminutive stature and boy-ish nature. In 1974, Philip Norman said that Of all female rock singers, she appears
6240-470: Was not the first all-female rock band to sign with a major label, coming after Goldie and the Gingerbreads and the Pleasure Seekers . However, the earlier groups released only singles, so Fanny were the first all-female ensemble to release a full-length album on a major label and one of the first to achieve top 40 success on the Billboard Hot 100 . Fanny's music was influenced by the Beatles and
6320-494: Was then renamed Fanny, not with a sexual connotation but to denote a female spirit. The initial lineup consisted of June on guitar, Jean on bass, de Buhr on drums, Barclay on keyboards, and Brandt on lead vocals and percussion. Perry dismissed Brandt because he wanted the group to be a self-contained four-piece band like the Beatles . The Millingtons and Barclay all assumed lead vocal duties on alternating songs, while de Buhr sang lead occasionally on later albums. Perry produced
6400-627: Was written by her former collaborator, Chapman. In March 2007, Quatro released a cover version of the Eagles song " Desperado ", followed by the publication of her autobiography, Unzipped . By this time, Quatro had sold 50 million records. On June 11, 2010, she headlined the 'Girls Night Out' at the Isle of Wight Festival . Quatro was also inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2010, following an on-line vote. In August 2011, Quatro released her fifteenth studio album, In
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