View source for Suzi Quatro

{{Short description|American rock musician (born 1950)}}
{{for|her 1973 eponymous album|Suzi Quatro (album)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image               = 2017 Lieder am See - Suzi Quatro - by 2eight - 8SC8448 (cropped).jpg
| alt                 =
| caption             = Quatro performing in 2017
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Susan Kay Quatro
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1950|06|03}}
| birth_place         = Detroit, Michigan, US
| genre               = {{hlist|Rock|[[hard rock]]|[[glam rock]]|[[pop rock]]}}
| occupation          = {{hlist|Singer|musician|songwriter|actress|radio host}}<!--Please do not add to this list without first discussing your proposal on the talk page. -->
| instrument          = {{hlist|Vocals|bass guitar|keyboards}}<!-- If you think an instrument should be listed or removed, a discussion to reach consensus is needed first per: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_musical_artist#instrument -->
| years_active        = 1964–present
| label               = {{hlist|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]|[[Rak Records|Rak]]|[[Arista Records|Arista]]|EMI Int'l|[[EMI Records|EMI]]|BGO|Disky|[[Razor & Tie]]|[[RSO Records|RSO]]|[[AIP Records|AIP]]|First Night|[[CD Baby]]|[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]}}
| past_member_of      = [[The Pleasure Seekers (band)|The Pleasure Seekers]]
| website             = {{URL|suziquatro.com}}
}}
'''Susan Kay Quatro'''<ref name="Unzipped" /> (born June 3, 1950)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |editor-first=Colin |editor-last=Larkin |editor-link=Colin Larkin |publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]] |date=1992 |edition=First |isbn=0-85112-939-0 |page=2020}}</ref> 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 number one in several countries.

Quatro released her self-titled debut album in 1973. Since then, she has released 15 studio albums, 10 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 a recurring role as bass player [[Leather Tuscadero]] on the popular American sitcom ''[[Happy Days]]'', her duet "[[Stumblin' In]]" with [[Smokie (band)|Smokie]]'s lead singer [[Chris Norman]] reached number four in the US, her only song to chart in the top 40 in her homeland.

Between 1973 and 1980, Quatro was awarded six [[Bravo Otto]]s, an award given to musicians as voted in the German teen magazine ''[[Bravo (magazine)|Bravo]]''. In 2010, she was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. She is reported to have sold over 50 million records worldwide,<ref name=EX>{{cite web |title=Suzi Quatro: the original rock chick |work=[[Daily Express]] |author=Pukas, Anna |date=July 25, 2013 |url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/417295/Suzi-Quatro-the-original-rock-chick}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pingitore |first=Silvia |date=March 8, 2021 |title=Interview with the queen of 1970s rock 'n' roll and Happy Days star Suzi Quatro |url=https://the-shortlisted.co.uk/suzi-quatro-interview/ |access-date=October 11, 2021 |website=the-shortlisted.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Thorley |date=March 27, 2019 |title=Review: Suzi Quatro – No Control (2019) |url=https://maximumvolumemusic.com/review-suzi-quatro-no-control-2019/ |access-date=October 11, 2021 |newspaper=Maximum Volume Music}}</ref> Quatro also remains active in radio broadcasting.<ref name="legend">{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/suzi-quatro-legend-album-review |title=Suzi Quatro – Legend album review |first=Everett |last=True |author-link=Everett True |date=September 6, 2017 |work=[[Louder Sound]]<!-- convoluted redirect + history, but better than "loudersound.com" --> |access-date=February 11, 2019}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Quatro was born and raised in [[Detroit]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/><ref>Lloyd, Jack (April 25, 1974). "Image is Tough for Suzi Quatro." ''Lexington (KY) Herald''. p. 20.</ref> Her father, Art, was a semiprofessional musician and worked at [[General Motors]]. Her paternal grandfather was an [[Italian Americans|Italian immigrant to the U.S.]] and her mother, Helen, was [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] and she died in 1992.  Her family name of "Quattrocchi" ("four eyes", meaning "bespectacled") was shortened to Quatro.<ref>{{cite book |last=Quatro |first=Suzi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LJQcmcHqqpkC&q=Quatro,+Suzi+Unzipped |title=Unzipped |orig-year=2007 |year=2008 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London |isbn=978-0-340-93751-8 |page=10}}</ref> Quatro's family was living in Detroit when she 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 US for Britain.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" />

Her sister Arlene is the mother of actress [[Sherilyn Fenn]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/42/Sherilyn-Fenn.html |title=Sherilyn Fenn |publisher=Film Reference |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> Her sister Patti joined [[Fanny (band)|Fanny]], one of the earliest all-female rock bands to gain national attention.<ref>{{cite news |last=Anderman |first=Joan |title=Rocking the Boat |work=Boston Globe |date=April 20, 2007 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/04/20/rocking_the_boat/?page=3}}</ref> Her brother, [[Michael Quatro]], is also a musician.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quatrophonic.com/michael.htm |title=Michael |publisher=Quatrophonic.com |access-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715135754/http://www.quatrophonic.com/michael.htm |archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>

She was influenced at the age of six by seeing [[Elvis Presley]] perform on television.<ref name="Unzipped" />{{rp|26}} 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 a waistcoat on top{{snd}} she looked hot".<ref name="Guardian2007" />

Quatro received formal training in playing classical piano and percussion—her first instrument was [[bongos]].<ref name=Soundman/> She taught herself how to play the bass,<ref name=Bass>{{cite web |first=Brett |last=Callwood |title=Glycerine queen, forever! |date=April 25, 2012 |url=http://metrotimes.com/music/glycerine-queen-forever-1.1304902 |publisher=metrotimes.com |access-date=January 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126131609/http://metrotimes.com/music/glycerine-queen-forever-1.1304902 |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> after her sister asked her to learn it for her first band, [[The Pleasure Seekers (band)|the Pleasure Seekers]].<ref name=Soundman/> Her father gave her a 1957 [[Fender Precision Bass]] guitar in 1964, which she still uses in the studio.<ref name="Guardian2007">{{cite news |last=Jeffries |first=Stuart |title='I'm kinda different' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/aug/02/biography.popandrock |access-date=January 28, 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=August 2, 2007 |location=London}}</ref><ref name=Soundman>{{cite podcast |last=Gallagher |first=Frank X. |date=October 13, 2021 |title=Suzi Quatro |website=Soundman Confidential |url=https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/soundman-confidential-frank-x-gallagher-mg80NY1A-tU/ |access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref>

==Career==

===Early career and the Art Quatro Trio===
Quatro played drums or percussion from an early age as part of her father's jazz band, 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 drum|bongo]] or [[conga]]s).<ref name="Oxford">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Quatro, Suzi |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher=Oxford Music Online |date=April 7, 2006 |url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/22744 |access-date=January 28, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017140852/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/22744 |url-status=dead}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="gale" /> Subsequently, she appeared on local television as a [[Go-go dancing|go-go dancer]] in a pop music series.<ref name="Oxford" />

===The Pleasure Seekers and Cradle===

{{See also|The Pleasure Seekers (band)}}
[[File:The Pleasure Seekers (band).jpg|thumb|right|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 a television performance by [[the Beatles]], Quatro's older sister, Patti, had formed an all-female [[garage rock]] band called [[The Pleasure Seekers (band)|the Pleasure Seekers]] with two friends.<ref name="gale" /> Quatro joined, too, and assumed the stage name of Suzi Soul; Patti Quatro was known as Patti Pleasure. Suzi sang and played bass in the band. The band also later featured another sister, Arlene.<ref name="Oxford" /> Many of their performances were in [[cabaret]]s, where attention was (initially) focused more on their physical looks than their actual music. They sometimes had to wear [[miniskirt]]s and wigs, which Quatro later considered to be necessary evils in the pursuit of success.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" /> They became well-known fixtures, though, in the burgeoning Detroit music community.<ref>Moser, Margaret. "The Pleasure Seekers: Patti and the Quatro Band". ''The Austin Chronicele''. Fri. July 29, 2011. [http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2011-07-29/the-pleasure-seekers/]</ref>

The Pleasure Seekers recorded three singles and released two: "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 the band and Arlene had left following the birth of her child.<ref name="Quatro Michigan RnR Legend" />

===Work with Mickie Most===

[[File:Suzi Quatro - TopPop 1973 3.png|thumb|alt=A black and white photograph of Quatro and her unnamed backing band. Quatro is holding her bass guitar, standing, and wearing a black leather jacket; her three taller and long-haired male band members are standing behind her wearing dark tee shirts.|Quatro and her supporting band in [[Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep|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)]]

Quatro moved to England in 1971, after being spotted by 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 Quatro|Michael]], who was managing the band.<ref name="gale" /> Like other music producers at the time, Most was looking for a female rock singer who could fill the void created by the death of [[Janis Joplin]].<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" /> 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."<ref name="Oxford" />

She had also been attracting attention from [[Elektra Records]], and subsequently explained, "According to the Elektra president, I could become the new Janis Joplin. Mickie Most offered to take me to England and make me the first Suzi Quatro&nbsp;– I didn't want to be the new anybody."<ref name="gale" /> Most had no interest in the other band members<ref name="Quatro Michigan RnR Legend" /> 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.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" />

Quatro's first single, "[[Rolling Stone (Suzi Quatro song)|Rolling Stone]]", was successful only in Portugal, where it reached number one on the charts.<ref name="gale">{{cite web |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/suzi-quatro |title=Quatro, Suzi |publisher=Gale Musician Profiles |access-date=January 1, 2011}}</ref> This was a solo effort, although aided by people such as [[Duncan Browne]], [[Peter Frampton]] and [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]]. Subsequently, with the approval of Most, she auditioned for a band to accompany her.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" /><ref name="PhonographBetrock1974">{{Cite news |title=Suzi Quatro: ''Suzi Quatro'' |first=Alan |last=Betrock |newspaper=Phonograph Record |date=March 1974 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro-suzi-quatro-2}} {{subscription required}}</ref> It was also after this record<ref name="PhonographFrith1974">{{Cite news |title=Suzi Quatro in England |first=Simon |last=Frith |newspaper=Phonograph Record |date=August 1974 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro-in-england}} {{subscription required}}</ref> 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{{snd}} such as [[Jeff Beck]] and [[Rod Stewart]]{{snd}} balked, did not extend to manufacture and that "If he tried to build me into a [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]], I wouldn't have it. I'd say 'go to hell' and walk out."<ref name="NMEStewart1973">{{Cite news |title=This Is Suzi Quatro. She's Heavy |first=Tony |last=Stewart |newspaper=NME |date=June 2, 1973 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/this-is-suzi-quatro-shes-heavy}} {{subscription required}}</ref> 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."<ref name="Oxford" />{{efn|Quatro appears to have changed her look after the failure of "Rolling Stone". [[Simon Frith]] wrote in August 1974 that when Most had first introduced him to her, she was "...&nbsp;a musician and not a glamour girl.&nbsp;... Her press photos showed a thoughtful, natural, healthy girl in jeans and a singlet; she was sitting in a field and looking at the sky, clearly a singer-songwriter&nbsp;– sexy, but in an adult sort of way" and that this image was changed after "Rolling Stone": "Underwear is what Suzi Quatro doesn't wear anymore. Since May 1973, she's never been seen in anything but soft leather cat suits with zips down the front. No bra, no panties, but lots of chains and big boots. She put her band together. It's got three men in black vests and biceps."<ref name="PhonographFrith1974" />}}

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 [[Public address system|PA system]] during this, incurring a charge of £300 per week that enabled the Irish band to effectively purchase it at no cost to themselves.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6kvltyHwX8C&pg=PA48 |pages=48, 51 |title=Thin Lizzy |first=Alan |last=Byrne |publisher=SAF Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-946719-81-5}}</ref> In May 1973, her second single "[[Can the Can]]" (1973){{snd}} which Philip Auslander describes as having "seemingly nonsensical and virtually unintelligible lyrics"<ref name="I Wanna Be Your Man" />{{rp|1}}{{snd}} was a number-one hit in parts of Europe and in Australia.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs" />

"Can the Can" was followed by three further hits: "[[48 Crash]]" (1973), "Daytona Demon" (1973), and "[[Devil Gate Drive]]" (1974), each of which sold over one million copies and were awarded [[music recording sales certification|gold discs]],<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Murrells |year=1978 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |edition=2nd |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/334 334–335, 349] |isbn=978-0-214-20512-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/334}}</ref> although they met with little success in her native United States, where she had toured as a support act for [[Alice Cooper]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book |last=Strong |title=The Great Rock Discography |publisher=Mojo Books |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-84195-017-4 |edition=5th |location=Edinburgh |pages=785–786}}</ref> Rak Records' artists had generally not succeeded in the US and her first album, ''[[Suzi Quatro (album)|Suzi Quatro]]'', was criticized 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."<ref name="PhonographBetrock1974" /> Writing for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Greg Shaw (writer)|Greg Shaw]] was also downbeat, saying that the album "may be a necessary beginning".<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=Rolling Stone |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro-suzi-quatro |first=Greg |last=Shaw |title=Suzi Quatro: ''Suzi Quatro'' |date=June 6, 1974}}</ref>

In 1973, Quatro played on the [[Cozy Powell]] hit "[[Dance with the Devil (instrumental)|Dance With the Devil]]", a track written by Mickie Most while Cozy Powell was part of the Rak Records roster.
[[File:Suzi Quatro - TopPop 1973 1.png|thumb|left|Quatro on the ''[[TopPop]]'' television program, 1973]]
Musicians who acted as her backing band around this period included Alastair McKenzie, Dave Neal, and [[Len Tuckey]],<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" /> with [[Robbie Blunt]] also being listed by some sources.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Silverhead Savage |first=Mark |last=Plummer |newspaper=Melody Maker |date=June 9, 1973 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/silverhead-savage}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Tuckey's brother, Bill, acted as tour manager.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974" />

With 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 the UK top 30, her first hit to have done so in three years. Another year passed before she had another big hit, this time with a change to a more mellow style<ref name="Oxford" /> 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 (band)|Smokie]], reached number four in the US.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Both tracks were featured on 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 number 11 in Britain, "Mama's Boy" (number 34), and "I've Never Been in Love" (number 56).<ref name=UKCharts>{{cite web |title=Suzi Quattro |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/suzi%20quatro/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=January 28, 2013}}</ref>

===Mike Chapman and Dreamland records===

In 1980, after Quatro's contract with Mickie Most had expired, she signed with Chapman's Dreamland Records.<ref name="Rock Hard (album) CD booklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=Rock Hard |title-link=Rock Hard (album) |others=Suzi Quatro |date=February 2011 |first=Phil |last=Hendriks |author2=Tim Smith |type=CD booklet |publisher=[[7T's Records]] |id=GLAM CD 126 |location=London, United Kingdom}}</ref>{{rp|4}}

In the same year, she released the album ''[[Rock Hard (album)|Rock Hard]]''; both the album and title single went platinum in Australia. ''Rock Hard'' was also used in the cult film ''[[Times Square (1980 film)|Times Square]]'' and was included on the soundtrack album. The single reached number 11 in Australia, but only 68 in the UK due to distribution problems. At this point her hit single career clearly was beginning to wane. A second single from 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 (Them song)|Gloria]]'' by [[Them (band)|Them]]. ''Suzi Quatro's Greatest Hits'', which was released in 1980, peaked at number four in the UK charts, becoming her highest-charting album there.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

===Independence===
[[File:Suzi Quatro at AIS Arena 01.jpg|thumb|alt=Quatro, playing bass guitar, performing in Australia.|Quatro performing live at the [[AIS Arena]], in [[Canberra]], Australia, 2007]]

After Chapman's Dreamland Records folded in 1981, Quatro was left without a record label.<ref>{{Discogs label|label=Dreamland Records, Inc.|name=Chapman's Dreamland Records}}</ref>

Her last UK hit for some time was "[[Heart of Stone (Suzi Quatro song)|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.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> She commented in an article for ''[[Kerrang!]]'' in 1983, after playing a successful show at [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|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&nbsp;... I've kept working consistently even though I've not been in 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 number 140 in the UK charts.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/guntaandressen9/sq-timeline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120203454/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/guntaandressen9/sq-timeline.html |archive-date=January 20, 2008 |title=Suzi Quatro Timeline, Gunta Anderson, via Wayback |date=January 20, 2008 |access-date=February 25, 2012}}</ref> Quatro also collaborated with [[Bronski Beat]] and members of [[the Kinks]], [[Eddie and the Hot Rods]], and [[Dr. Feelgood (band)|Dr. Feelgood]] on the Mark Cunningham-produced cover version of [[David Bowie]]'s "[["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|Heroes]]", released the following year as the 1986 [[BBC]] ''[[Children in Need]]'' single. Quatro also released a cover version of "[[Wild Thing (The Troggs song)|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 the UK charts.<ref name=timeline /> She was also part of the [[Ferry Aid]] charity single "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]", which was a UK number one, 13 years and 26 days after Quatro's last UK number-one song.

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 '80s,  Quatro's hitmaking days were clearly over, though she still recorded persistently despite lack of chart success. During the '90s, 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, a further 11 years were needed for Quatro to release a new album. ''[[Back to 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 the '80s ''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 the music industry with an anthology, ''Girl from Detroit'', in 2014 with two new tracks.<ref>{{cite web |last=McAllister |first=Emery |title=No. 1 facts and feats from ukcharts.20m.com, Longest Gap Between Number One Hits |publisher=ukcharts.20m.com |location=Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |url=http://ukcharts.20m.com/number1.html#gap |access-date=June 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Selvin |first=Joel |title=All-Star Charity Albums: From Good Cause to the Bargain Bin |work=San Francisco Chronicle |location=San Francisco, United States |url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/ALL-STAR-CHARITY-ALBUMS-FROM-GOOD-CAUSE-TO-THE-2812603.php#page-2 |access-date=June 25, 2012 |date=March 7, 2004}}</ref>

Around 2005, a documentary chronicling Quatro's life, ''Naked Under Leather'', named after a 1975 [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] album recorded in Japan, directed by a former member of [[the Runaways]], [[Victory Tischler-Blue]], was made, but this has never been released.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dwyer |first=Michael |title=Eternity in Black |work=The Sunday Herald |date=March 21, 2005 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Eternity-in-black/2005/02/20/1108834658469.html |location=Melbourne}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404267/ |title=Naked Under Leather (2004) |publisher=IMDb |access-date=April 11, 2014}}</ref> In February 2006, Quatro released ''[[Back to the Drive]]'', produced by [[The Sweet|Sweet]] guitarist [[Andy Scott (guitarist)|Andy Scott]]. The album's title track was written by her former collaborator, Chapman.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r825228|pure_url=yes}} "Back to the Drive" review/credits], [[AllMusic]]</ref> In March 2007, Quatro released a cover version of the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] song "[[Desperado (Eagles song)|Desperado]]", followed by the publication of her autobiography, ''Unzipped''.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.suziquatro.com/news.htm |title=Suzi Quatro Official website: News |publisher=Suziquatro.com |access-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720143234/http://www.suziquatro.com/news.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> By this time, Quatro had sold 50 million records.<ref name="Guardian2007" />
[[File:Suzi Quatro 28.JPG|thumb|left|Quatro performing in 2011]]
On June 11, 2010, she headlined the 'Girls Night Out' at the [[Isle of Wight Festival 2010#Big Top|Isle of Wight Festival]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/music/music-interview-suzi-quatro-i-will-retire-when-i-go-onstage-in-my-leather-suit-turn-my-back-to-the-audience-shake-my-ass-and-there-s-silence-1-8799034 |title=Music interview – Suzi Quatro: 'I will retire when I go onstage in my leather suit, turn my back to the audience, shake my ass, and there's silence' |access-date=September 19, 2018 |archive-date=September 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919094514/https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/music/music-interview-suzi-quatro-i-will-retire-when-i-go-onstage-in-my-leather-suit-turn-my-back-to-the-audience-shake-my-ass-and-there-s-silence-1-8799034 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Quatro was also inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2010, following an on-line vote.<ref name="Quatro Michigan RnR Legend">{{cite web |title=Michigan Rock and Roll Legends – SUZI QUATRO |publisher=Michigan Rock and Roll Legends |location=Michigan, United States |url=http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mrrl-hall-of-fame/145-suzi-quatro |access-date=December 6, 2011}}</ref>

In August 2011, Quatro released her 15th studio album, ''[[In 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.<ref name="www.suziquatro.com">{{cite web |title=Suzi Quatro News |author=Patrick Doonan |publisher=Suziquatro.com |url=http://www.suziquatro.com/news.htm |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720143234/http://www.suziquatro.com/news.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=O'Brien |first=Jon |title=AllMusic review, Overview |work=[[AllMusic]] |location=Ann Arbor, USA |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-spotlight-r2239057 |access-date=September 18, 2011}}</ref> 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 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=O'Brien |first=Jon |title=AllMusic review |work=[[AllMusic]] |location=Ann Arbor, USA |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-spotlight-r2239057/review |access-date=November 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Victory Tischler-Blue]] (video producer), Suzi Quatro (actress, lead vocals, bass guitar), [[Mike Chapman]] (record producer) |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Suzi Quatro Strict Machine Official Video.mp4 |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/SUZIQUATROOFFICIAL?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/1ZT1itl8UlE |medium=Trailer |work=Suzi Quatro Official |via=YouTube |access-date=November 23, 2011 |quote=From the studios of the brilliant Victory Tischler Blue – here is the official video for Suzi Quatro's "Strict Machine". It includes live footage from Quatro's recent ''Rocks the Spotlight Tour'' (Sept/Oct 2011) of Australia. Quatro's cover version of the [[Goldfrapp]] song is on her new album ''[[In the Spotlight]]''. |display-authors=etal}}</ref>

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 16th studio album backed by [[Andy Scott (guitarist)|Andy Scott]] from [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]] on guitar and [[Don Powell]] from [[Slade]] on drums.<ref name="legend" />

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 a mutual friend.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Graff |first1=Gary |title=Suzi Quatro gets 'Face to Face' with KT Tunstall on new duo album |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/08/suzi-quatro-gets-face-to-face-with-kt-tunstall-on-new-duo-album.html |website=The Plain Dealer |access-date=August 11, 2023 |date=August 9, 2023}}</ref>

===Acting and radio hosting===
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 US representative at that time, helped broker 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 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.<ref name=rocks>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc-mallorca.com/suzi-quatro/ |title=Suzi Quatro Rocks On! |access-date=January 25, 2009 |date=March 6, 2008 |publisher=abc-mallorca.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822040626/http://www.abc-mallorca.com/suzi-quatro/ |archive-date=August 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Her other acting roles include a 1982 episode of the British comedy-drama series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'' (called "[[List of Minder episodes#Dead Men Do Tell Tales|Dead Men Do Tell Tales]]") as Nancy, the singer girlfriend of Terry ([[Dennis Waterman]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Minder (1979) – Season 3, Episode 1: Dead Men Do Tell Tales |publisher=tv.com |location=San Francisco, USA |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/minder-1979/dead-men-do-tell-tales-67745/ |access-date=May 24, 2012 |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721141403/http://www.tv.com/shows/minder-1979/dead-men-do-tell-tales-67745/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1985, she starred as a mentally disturbed ex-MI5 operative in ''[[List of Dempsey and Makepeace episodes|Dempsey and Makepeace]]'' – "Love you to Death".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dempsey and Makepeace – Season 2, Episode 3: Love You to Death |publisher=tv.com |location=San Francisco, USA |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/dempsey-and-makepeace/love-you-to-death-129976/ |access-date=May 22, 2012 |archive-date=September 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921054029/http://www.tv.com/shows/dempsey-and-makepeace/love-you-to-death-129976/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In February 2022 Quatro gave an exclusive interview to [[Paul Stenning]] regarding her appearance in both shows.<ref>{{cite web |author=Paul Stenning |url=https://minderpodcast.co.uk/episode-9-suzi-quatro-interview-pt-1/ |title=Episode 9 – Suzi Quatro Interview Pt.1 |publisher=The Minder Podcast |date=February 7, 2022 |access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>

In 1994, she made a cameo appearance as a nurse in the "Hospital" episode of the comedy ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''.<ref>{{cite web |work=[[BBC America]] |title=Absolutely Fabulous |url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/absolutely-fabulous/guide/series-2/episode-1/ |access-date=July 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511133110/http://www.bbcamerica.com/absolutely-fabulous/guide/series-2/episode-1/ |archive-date=May 11, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> She also was filmed in the 1990 [[Clive Barker]] horror film ''[[Nightbreed]]'', but the studio cut out her character.<ref>{{cite web |title=NIGHTBREED (1990) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58639 |access-date=November 11, 2020 |website=AFI Catalog}}</ref> In 2006, Quatro performed the voice of Rio in the ''[[Bob the Builder]]'' film ''Built to Be Wild'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toonhound.com/built.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111094840/http://www.toonhound.com/built.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 11, 2007 |title=Bob the Builder: Built to be Wild |publisher=Toonhound.com |date=July 8, 2006 |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> and appeared in an episode of the second season of ''[[Rock School]]'', in [[Lowestoft]]. She also appeared in the episode "[[List of Midsomer Murders episodes#Series 10 (2006–2008)|The Axeman Cometh]]" of ''[[Midsomer murders]]'' in the role of Mimi Clifton.

Quatro has also performed in theater. In 1986, she appeared as [[Annie Oakley]] in a London production of ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]''<ref name=timeline /> 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 Shirlie Roden and her, with 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{{snd}} and how often!" The show received favorable reviews from the majority of critics.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Queen's Theatre listing of Quatro's performance in ''Tallulah Who?'' (via Wayback) |publisher=The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch |location=Hornchurch, UK |year=2003 |url=http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/tallulahwho1991.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20041216081341/http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/tallulahwho1991.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 16, 2004 |access-date=December 16, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Tallulah Who?'' |publisher=The Guide to Musical Theatre |location=Accrington, UK |year=2012 |url=http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_t/TallulahWho.html |access-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref>

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 was given the title ''Wake Up Little Suzi''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cps75 |title=Suzi Quatro homepage |publisher=BBC |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

==Songwriting==
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, "...&nbsp; [the] album tracks are a very different story from [the] singles. The two-minute low-and-behold commercial single will not come out of my brain, but ain't I gonna worry about it."<ref name="NMEShaarMurray1973b">{{Cite news |title=Suzi Quatro: Quatro Lib |first=Charles Shaar |last=Murray |newspaper=NME |date=October 13, 1973 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro-quatro-lib}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

She describes creating 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&nbsp;... working on the lyrics, playing electric guitar&nbsp;... and finally I type out the lyrics. Only then is it officially a song. Next it goes down on my tiny [[8-track tape|8-track]], [with] me playing everything&nbsp;... this is the version all muso's use to get into the tune&nbsp;... then into the studio and we go from there."<ref name="In the Dark booklet">{{cite AV media |first=Suzi |last=Quatro |title=In the Dark |year=2012 |others=[[Mike Chapman]], [[Holly Knight]], [[Gered Mankowitz]], Daryl Smith, Steve Kitchen |type=CD booklet |publisher=[[Cherry Red Records]] |id=CR CDBOX8 |location=London}}</ref>{{rp|2}}

==Personal life==
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 Tuckey and she bought in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/news/22614221.suzi-quatro-speaks-us-life-essex-first-novel/ |title=Suzi Quatro speaks to us about life in Essex and her first novel |date=September 19, 2017}}</ref>

She married German concert promoter Rainer Haas in 1993. In 2006, her daughter and grandchild moved back into the Essex manor house.<ref name="Unzipped">{{cite book |last=Quatro |first=Suzi |title=Unzipped |orig-year=2007 |year=2008 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London |isbn=978-0-340-93751-8 |pages=334–335}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/hamburg_journal/Suzi-Quatro-Die-Wahl-Hamburgerin-bei-903,hamj75406.html |title=Suzi Quatro: Die Wahl-Hamburgerin bei 90,3 |date=December 10, 2018 |work=Hamburg Journal |publisher=[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk|NDR]] |access-date=December 12, 2018 |author=Sabine Engel |language=de |type=video |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212095708/https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/hamburg_journal/Suzi-Quatro-Die-Wahl-Hamburgerin-bei-903,hamj75406.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Since 2011, she has published music videos on YouTube.<ref>Suzi Quatro (January 21, 2011).<!-- https://www.youtube.com/SUZIQUATROOFFICIAL/about --> {{YouTube|u=SUZIQUATROOFFICIAL}}.</ref> On March 31, 2012, Quatro broke her right knee and left wrist while boarding an aircraft in [[Kyiv]], [[Ukraine]], where she had performed 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.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Lynn & Skip of the Suzi Quatro Official Fan Club (video producer), Suzi Quatro (presenter) |date=April 8, 2012 |title=Suzi Quatro accident - broken wrist & leg.wmv |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiUXpEoG97U&list=UUutQebYflgcV6kCiNKKtbxg&index=1&feature=plcp |work=Suzi Quatro Official |via=YouTube |access-date=April 13, 2012 |quote=Suzi Quatro filmed today (8th April 2012) at home in Essex. A message to fans about her accident on 31st March in Kyiv while making her return journey following her gig in Kyiv on Friday March 30th 2012.}}</ref>

==Public image==
In a 2012 interview, Quatro was asked what she thought she had achieved for female rockers in general. She replied: {{blockquote|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 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 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 five, 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.<ref name="Metro Times page 3">{{cite web |last=Callwood |first=Brett |title=Glycerine queen, forever! – Music – Detroit Metro Times, page 3 |work=Metro Times |location=Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States |url=http://metrotimes.com/music/glycerine-queen-forever-1.1304902?pgno=2 |access-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214235942/http://metrotimes.com/music/glycerine-queen-forever-1.1304902?pgno=2 |archive-date=14 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{efn|Quatro actually had her "Elvis moment" on January 6, 1957, when she was ''six'' years old, not five. With her older sister Arlene, she was watching the third (and final) appearance of [[Elvis Presley#Leiber and Stoller collaboration and draft notice|Elvis Presley]] on [[The Ed Sullivan Show#Second and third appearances|The Ed Sullivan Show]]. Arlene was screaming as Elvis sang "[[Don't Be Cruel]]". When he sang "Mmmmmm", Quatro had her first sexual thrill (but did not know what it was). Then their father (Art) entered the room, said "That's disgusting", and switched off the television. At this point, Quatro decided that ''she'' wanted to be Elvis. Art later brought home a copy of Elvis singing "[[Love Me Tender (song)|Love Me Tender]]" and conceded, "OK, dammit{{snd}} so the kid can sing!"<ref name="Unzipped" />{{rp|26}}<ref name="Metro Times page 3" />}}
}}

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 the participants were {{blockquote|...&nbsp;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&nbsp;... 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 a way to apply it to their own lives, because grouping together takes away the whole idea of Women's Lib.<ref name="NMEShaarMurray1973b" />}} The interviewer, [[Charles Shaar Murray]], considered her viewpoint to be "...&nbsp;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.<ref name="NMEShaarMurray1973b" /> In 1974, Quatro believed that, unlike men, women were burdened with emotional responses and that it 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.<ref name="MMCoon1974" />

Her unusually free use of swear words in conversation was often picked upon by interviewers in the 1970s,<ref name="MMCoon1974">{{Cite news |title=Suzi Quatro & Olivia Newton-John: Dolly Mixture |first=Caroline |last=Coon |newspaper=Melody Maker |date=July 20, 1974 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro--olivia-newton-john-dolly-mixture}} {{subscription required}}</ref> as have been her diminutive stature and boy-ish nature. In 1974, [[Philip Norman (author)|Philip Norman]] said that {{blockquote| Of all female rock singers, she appears 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.<ref name="SundayTimesNorman1974">{{Cite news |newspaper=The Sunday Times |first=Philip |last=Norman |title=Suzi Quatro: The Girl in the Gang |year=1974 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/suzi-quatro-the-girl-in-the-gang}} {{subscription required}}</ref>{{efn|Quatro has a tulip tattooed on her shoulder and a star on her wrist.<ref name="PhonographFrith1974"/>}}}}

==Awards and honors==
In 2020, Quatro was awarded the Icon Award by the Women's International Music Network.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sherocksawards.com/past-honorees/ |title=Previous Honorees |website=Sherocksawards.com |access-date=October 11, 2021}}</ref>

In 2011, Quatro was inducted to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mrrl-hall-of-fame/145-suzi-quatro |title=Suzi Quatro |publisher=Michigan Rock and Roll Legends |access-date=January 4, 2017}}</ref>

In October 2016, Quatro received an honorary doctorate in music from [[Anglia Ruskin University]], Cambridge, UK, along with [[Dr. Feelgood (band)|Dr. Feelgood]]'s [[Wilko Johnson]].<ref name="cambridge-news1">{{cite news |url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/rock-legends-wilko-johnson-suzi-12049036 |title=Rock legends Wilko Johnson and Suzi Quatro receive honorary degrees in Cambridge |newspaper=[[Cambridge News]] |date=October 19, 2016 |access-date=January 4, 2017}}</ref>

On August 15, 2019, an Australian-made film on the life of Quatro premiered in Melbourne, Victoria. ''Suzi Q'' is noted as the first official documentary to ever be released about her. It was described by Quatro as a "warts and all" look into her career, focusing on both her successes and challenges faced along the way, particularly as she left her sisters in Detroit to pursue a solo career in London. Quatro stated that she was drawn to having Melbourne-based director Liam Firmager make the film, "Because although he liked my music, he wasn't particularly 'a fan', which meant he was objective, and wouldn't spend all his time telling me how great I am... I like that, he was the right guy for the job".

===Bravo Otto===
''[[Bravo (magazine)|Bravo]]'' is the largest magazine for teenagers in [[List of territorial entities where German is an official language|German-speaking Europe]]. Each year, the readers of this magazine select the [[Bravo Otto]] award winners.

Quatro has won the following Bravo Otto awards:<ref>{{cite web |last=Müller |first=Christian |title=BRAVO OTTO Sieger |work=bravo-archiv.de |location=Rosdorf, Germany |url=http://www.bravo-archiv.de/bravo_otto_sieger.php |access-date=February 17, 2012}}</ref>
* 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 selected Quatro as one of 12 queens of British pop.<ref name="BBC QBP 1">{{cite web |title=BBC Queens of British Pop, Episode 1 2009 |work=BBC News |location=London, UK |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jnjfm |access-date=February 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Legacy and influence==

===Views of journalists and reviewers===
In August 1974, [[Simon Frith]] spotted a problem with the formula that was working outside the US, saying that {{blockquote|Suzi's facing a bit of a [commercial] crisis: Chinn and Chapman, having proved their point, are losing interest in her. She's never had their best material (they don't play many games with her) and each of her singles has been less gripping than the one before. Unless they suddenly imagine a new joke, she's in danger of petering out and she lacks the resources to fight back. None of her own musical talents has been needed and so they've been ignored (except on the throwaway B-sides) and while Sweet and Mud have their histories and themselves to draw on for support, Suzi's present has nothing to do with her past and her group was formed only to play Chinnichap music. Mud may become a top cabaret act and Sweet a respected rock group, but Suzi will only be a memory. Mickie Most's skill in the '60s was to make pop music out of British blues and R&B and folk; Chinn and Chapman's skill in the '70s has been to make pop music out of an audience. As this audience ages and changes, so will its music and Suzi Quatro will have been just an affectionate part of growing up.<ref name="PhonographFrith1974" />}}

In 1983, journalist [[Tom Hibbert]] wrote that Quatro may have overstated her role as a leading light among female rock musicians. He said that {{blockquote|...&nbsp;it was in the wake of the 1977 punk revolution that the traditions of rock were turned upside down and female musicians truly came to the fore. But Suzi Quatro, with her tomboy sneers, her bass guitar and her stompingly persuasive teen-tunes, had at least laid down a challenge to the male-dominated rock orthodoxy. On stage in the Eighties, Quatro was still conveying energy and excitement{{snd}} and she still lacked class."<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Rock: Oh, Suzi Q!! |year=1983 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/oh-suzi-q |first=Tom |last=Hibbert}} {{subscription required}}</ref>}}

===Views of scholars===
In his 2008 paper ''Suzi Quatro: A prototype in the archsheology of rock'', Frank Oglesbee writes, "The rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion; the women—often, in the 1950s and '60s, girls in their teens—in rock usually sang songs as personæ utterly dependent on their macho boyfriends". He describes Quatro as "a female rock pioneer, in some ways ''the'' female rock pioneer ... a cornerstone in the archaeology of rock." He said she grew up to become "the first female lead singer and bassist, an electric ax-woman, who sang and played as freely as the males, inspiring other females."<ref name="archsheology">{{cite journal |last=Oglesbee |first=Frank W. |date=July 24, 2008 |title=Suzi Quatro: A prototype in the archsheology of rock |journal=Popular Music and Society |volume=23 |issue=2 |page=29 |doi=10.1080/03007769908591731}}</ref>

Philip Auslander says, "Although there were many women in rock by the late 1960s, most performed only as singers, a traditionally feminine position in popular music". Though some women (like Quatro herself) played instruments in American all-female garage rock bands, none of these bands achieved more than regional success. So, they "did not provide viable templates for women's on-going participation in rock".<ref name="I Wanna Be Your Man">{{cite journal |last=Auslander |first=Philip |date=January 28, 2004 |title=I Wanna Be Your Man: Suzi Quatro's musical androgyny |journal=Popular Music |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1017/S0261143004000030 |s2cid=191508078 |access-date=April 25, 2012 |url=http://lmc.gatech.edu/~auslander/publications/quatro.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524032035/http://lmc.gatech.edu/~auslander/publications/quatro.pdf |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{rp|2–3}} When Quatro emerged in 1973, "no other prominent female musician worked in rock simultaneously as a singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader".<ref name="I Wanna Be Your Man" />{{rp|2}} Auslander adds that in 2000 Quatro saw herself as "kicking down the male door in rock and roll and proving that a female ''musician''&nbsp;... and this is a point I am extremely concerned about&nbsp;... could play as well if not better than the boys".<ref name="I Wanna Be Your Man" />{{rp|3}}

===People and bands influenced by Quatro===
Quatro has influenced various female musicians. Musician [[Tina Weymouth]], who played bass guitar in [[Talking Heads]] and [[Tom Tom Club]], among other bands, first learned to play bass by listening to Quatro albums.<ref>{{cite web |last=Isola |first=Gregory |title=Tina Talks Heads, Tom Toms, and How to Succeed at Bass Without Really Trying (via Wayback) |publisher=bassplayer.com |location=San Bruno, CA, USA |url=http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206031839/http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 |archive-date=December 6, 2008 |access-date=December 6, 2008}}</ref>

Quatro had a direct influence on [[the Runaways]]<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |url={{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p20022 |pure_url=yes}} |title=Suzi Quatro |work=AllMusic |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> and [[Joan Jett]],<ref name=Allmusic/> as well as [[Girlschool]] and [[Chrissie Hynde]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.photogroupie.com/#!kim-girlschool-interview/c1wm4 |title=Girlschool interview |access-date=May 24, 2016 |publisher=photogroupie.com}}</ref> Musician [[Kathy Valentine]], best known for her work as bass player for [[The Go-Go's]], cited Quatro as a major influence in her 2020 autobiography ''All I Ever Wanted.''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/things-to-do-read-all-i-ever-wanted-by-kathy-valentine-11459833 |title=Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's Reveals All She Ever Wanted |website=Houstonpress.com |date=March 27, 2020}}</ref>

Mid-1990s American [[indie rock]] band [[Tuscadero]] was named after Quatro's ''Happy Days'' character Leather Tuscadero, and their song "Leather Idol", from their 1994 album ''The Pink Album'', was an ode to both Quatro and her TV character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lyricsmania.com/leather_idol_lyrics_tuscadero.html |title=Tuscadero – Leather Idol Lyrics |website=Lyricsmania.com |access-date=January 4, 2017}}</ref>

On the cover of Scottish singer-songwriter [[KT Tunstall]]'s 2007 album ''[[Drastic Fantastic]]'', Tunstall is dressed like Quatro, as a deliberate homage.<ref>{{cite web |title=andPOP Interviews KT Tunstall |publisher=andPOP |location=Thornhill, Ontario, Canada |url=http://www.andpop.com/2008/12/30/andpop-interviews-kt-tunstall/ |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527000301/http://www.andpop.com/2008/12/30/andpop-interviews-kt-tunstall/ |archive-date=May 27, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|In March 2011, Quatro suggested that KT Tunstall would be an ideal person to play the lead role in any theater show based on Quatro's own life.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Tim |last=Walker |title=Suzi Quatro: 'What a show my life could make' |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=March 2, 2011 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8355130/Suzi-Quatro-What-a-show-my-life-could-make.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8355130/Suzi-Quatro-What-a-show-my-life-could-make.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}

On October 24, 2013, Quatro received the Woman of Valor Award from the organization [[Carla DeSantis Black|Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women (MEOW)]] for her role inspiring and influencing generations of female musicians.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moser |first=Margaret |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/music/2013-04-10/suzi-quatro-coming-to-austin/ |title=Suzi Quatro Coming to Austin: As keynote speaker for October's female-focused MEOW Con – Music |newspaper=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |date=April 10, 2013 |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref> The award was bestowed by [[Kathy Valentine]] (formerly of [[The Go-Go's]]) at a dinner in her honor in [[Austin, Texas]], at the Austin [[Renaissance Hotels|Renaissance Hotel]]. Quatro performed five songs with a local band that included her sister Patti and [[Tony Scalzo]] of the band [[Fastball (band)|Fastball]] on "Stumblin In".

==Musical style==
[[File:2017 Lieder am See - Suzi Quatro - by 2eight - 8SC8651.jpg|thumb|Quatro in 2017]]
<!-- Only genres with citations should be included in this section. Contentious items without citations will be deleted. -->
Quatro's music covers several genres. Her primary genres are [[hard rock]]<ref name=Quatro.Genres.AllMusicReview>{{cite web |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |title=Suzi Quatro: Music Biography, Credits and Discography: AllMusic |work=[[AllMusic]] |location=San Francisco, California, USA |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/suzi-quatro-mn0000033560 |access-date=January 6, 2014}} Unterberger describes Quatro as: "An iconic, leather-clad hard rocker who gained fame for her glam-inspired songs and her stint on TV's Happy Days as Pinky Tuscadero."</ref> and [[glam rock]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10191291/Suzi-Quatro-interview-When-I-zip-up-it-just-feels-like-me..html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10191291/Suzi-Quatro-interview-When-I-zip-up-it-just-feels-like-me..html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Suzi Quatro interview: 'When I zip up, it just feels like me.' |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=July 27, 2013 |access-date=April 11, 2014 |location=London |first=Neil |last=McCormick}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="auslander">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BV6SnnkAU9IC&q=suzi+quatro+glam+rock&pg=PA195 |title=Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music |publisher=University of Michigan Press |author=Auslander, Philip |year=2006 |page=195 |isbn=978-0-472-06868-5}}</ref> Academic Philip Auslander wrote that "she has appeared on occasion just as a bass player, not a singer, and [also] demonstrates her instrumental prowess with an extended bass guitar solo during her own concerts."<ref name="I Wanna Be Your Man" />{{rp|1–2}}

With the Pleasure Seekers, their musical styles and genres included [[power pop]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Shake Some Action – The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop |year=2007 |publisher=Shake Some Action – PowerPop |isbn=978-0-9797714-0-8 |page=26}}</ref> [[garage rock]]<ref name="Smith2014">{{cite book |author=Angela Smith |title=Women Drummers: A History from Rock and Jazz to Blues and Country |date=April 10, 2014 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8835-7 |page=75}}</ref> and [[Motown]].<ref name="O'Brien2003">{{cite book |author=Lucy O'Brien |title=She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul |date=October 16, 2003 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-3529-3 |page=120}}</ref> Quatro also performs musicals.<ref name="D'Agostino2001">{{cite book |author=Giulio D'Agostino |title=Glam Musik: British Glam Music '70 History |date=January 1, 2001 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-16563-6 |page=129}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Suzi Quatro discography}}
{{div col}}
*''[[Suzi Quatro (album)|Suzi Quatro]]'' (1973)
*''[[Quatro (album)|Quatro]]'' (1974)
*''[[Your Mamma Won't Like Me]]'' (1975)
*''[[Aggro-Phobia]]'' (1976) 
*''[[If You Knew Suzi...]]'' (1978)
*''[[Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words]]'' (1979)
*''[[Rock Hard (album)|Rock Hard]]'' (1980)
*''[[Main Attraction (album)|Main Attraction]]'' (1982)
*''[[Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast]]'' (1986)
*''[[Oh, Suzi Q.]]'' (1990)
*''[[What Goes Around – Greatest & Latest]]'' (1995)
*''Unreleased Emotion'' (1998)
*''[[Free the Butterfly]]'' (1999)
*''[[Back to the Drive]]'' (2006)
*''[[In the Spotlight]]'' (2011)
*''[[Quatro, Scott & Powell]]'' (2017)
*''[[No Control (Suzi Quatro album)|No Control]]'' (2019)
*''[[The Devil in Me (Suzi Quatro album)|The Devil in Me]]'' (2021)
*''[[Face to Face (Suzi Quatro and KT Tunstall album)|Face to Face]]'' (with [[KT Tunstall]], 2023)
{{div col end}}

===List of songs===
see: [[List of songs recorded by Suzi Quatro|List of songs by Suzi Quatro]]

==Filmography==

===Television===
;Acting:
* ''[[Happy Days]]'' (seven episodes, 1977–1979)
* ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'' (one episode "[[List of Minder episodes#Dead Men Do Tell Tales|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 (game show)|Countdown]]'' (six episodes, 1997)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countdownwiki.com/Suzi_Quatro |title=Suzi Quatro |publisher=Countdownwiki.com |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>
* ''[[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)<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Suzi Quatro (interviewee) |year=2011 |title=Suzi Quatro Interview on 4BC Brisbane's News Talks 1116AM |url=http://vimeo.com/29362762 |format=wmv |medium=Radio broadcast |publisher=Fairfax Radio |location=Brisbane, Australia |access-date=January 23, 2012 |time=4:09}}</ref>
* ''[[Australian Idol]]'' (one episode as guest judge, 2009)
* ''[[RocKwiz]]'' (one episode as performer and quiz contestant, 2011)<ref>{{cite web |title=RocKwiz Episode 123 Chris Cheney and Suzi Quatro |work=sbs.com.au |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service Corporation |location=Australia |date=October 1, 2011 |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/14790579/Rockwiz-Ep-123-Chris-Cheney-%26-Suzi-Quatro |access-date=October 2, 2011 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924141551/http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/14790579/Rockwiz-Ep-123-Chris-Cheney-%26-Suzi-Quatro |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*''[[Spicks and Specks (2014 TV series)|Spicks and Specks]]'' (one episode as quiz contestant, 2014)<ref>{{cite web |title=Spicks and Specks Series 8 Episode 2 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |location=Australia |date=February 12, 2014 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/spicks-and-specks/}}</ref>
* ''[[Disco (TV series)|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)<ref>{{cite web |title=Suzi Q |work=suziqmovie.com |publisher=Palstar Entertainment |location=Australia |date=August 15, 2019 |url=https://www.suziqmovie.com/}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of female rock singers]]
*[[Honorific nicknames in popular music]]
*[[Women in music]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Suzi Quatro}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{allMusic|artist/suzi-quatro-mn0000033560}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|703001}}
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/suzi-quatro Suzi Quatro Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2020)
{{Suzi Quatro|state=expanded}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quatro, Suzi}}
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