TMS Spotlight: The Most Underrated Woman in Rock Music

(Gered Mankowitz)

If someone were to ask you who the most legendary female rockstar in history is, you might respond Janis Joplin or Grace Slick or Stevie Nicks or Pat Benatar. Or even likelier, you would reply on instinct former Runaway turned queen of Blackhearts, Joan Jett. But following Janis and Grace, and before Stevie, Pat and Joan, was a petite powerhouse by the name of Suzi Quatro. Now, you may or may not know who Suzi is. But one thing’s for sure: your favorite female musician definitely does. When you see photos of Suzi, you’ll probably notice her aesthetic is very similar to Joan’s. This isn’t coincidence, since Joan and the rest of the Runaways were huge fans of the dirty blonde, as were Chrissie Hynde, Tina Weymouth and members of the Go-Gos and Girlschool. How did someone so influential and unique slip by superstardom in her nearly 60 year long career? Well, that’s something Suzi herself has wondered about as well. Coming from a musically trained family, Suzi seemed destined to go into the field; with one of her older sisters, Patti, even becoming a one-time member of the groundbreaking all-girl rock band Fanny in 1974-75. Using her family connections, the future rocker began playing jazz with her sisters as a pre-teen and teenager in Grosse Pointe, MI, in the 1960s.

What makes Suzi such an icon in classic rock was not only her modest success as a singer-songwriter-frontwoman, but also how she presented herself. When she began performing live with the Pleasure Seekers in 1965-67, the Quatro sisters/bandmates dressed like typical girl group starlets, yet played garage rock songs. But by the time the Pleasure Seekers rebranded as Cradle, and Suzi soon ended up going solo, she swapped the piano for bass and her aesthetic transitioned into a more tomboyish style. Amusingly, the rock legend has mentioned in interviews how she naively chose her signature leather bodysuits because she didn’t think she would be sexualized if her whole body was covered. Of course, she instantly realized the complete opposite happened after posing for the first time in the suit and noticed the tight material just highlighted her figure even more. When her image soared through the hard rock circles of the music industry, Suzi had formed her own career with an all-male backing band, including lead guitarist and first husband, Len Tuckey. If there was one thing Suzi was more hesitant to be than a sex kitten, it was “the next Janis Joplin,” which is exactly how Elektra Records pitched a contract to her in 1971. Instead, she turned down the offer and went with hit UK producer Mickie Most’s London label, Rak Records, to become “the first Suzi Quatro.”

While Suzi has never regretted leaving the US for England, she has acknowledged many times how the decision did make it twice as hard for her to be noticed in her home country. On top of that, the reason Suzi was different from Janis, Grace and other female music stars from the 1960s is that she didn’t just sing in front of a group of guys. She wasn’t blues based like Janis, but also not interested in psychedelia like Grace. By the early 1970s, most women in the record industry were either popstars or part of the growing singer-songwriter movement of what we call ‘soft rock.’ But Suzi didn’t see herself as easy listening and wanted to rock just as hard as the Who and Led Zeppelin. Luckily, there was a scene taking over London that would resolve Suzi’s dilemma: glam rock. For Suzi’s first four albums, but especially her 1973 self-titled debut LP, she sounded right at home with glam acts like Sweet, T.Rex, Queen, Slade, Roxy Music and her fellow Americans the New York Dolls. During her prime from 1973 to 1976, nearly all of Suzi’s tracks were written by either her & Len or respected pop-rock songwriting duo Mike Chapman & Nicky Chinn—who also produced all her records until 1978. The melodic catchiness blended in with the harder edge of the band’s playing made Suzi the princess of glam until the scene died down and was gradually replaced by punk and disco. With her niche primarily making an impact in Great Britain, Europe and down under—hence her two biggest singles, ‘Can the Can’ (1973) and ‘The Wild One’ (1974), only making the charts abroad—Suzi still opted to not follow trends and doubled down on her hard rock influences into the 1980s.

(David Redfern)

Despite the bassist not being on many Americans’ radars outside of LA and NYC, a lot of baby boomers and Gen X might actually still know who she is. Throughout the 5th season of ABC’s “Happy Days” (1977-78), Suzi appeared on the popular sitcom as ‘Leather Tuscadero,’ the younger cousin of Fonzie’s ex-girlfriend who had her own rock band. Suzi apparently was cast on the spot by showrunner Garry Marshall because his daughter was a fan. A decade later she experimented with performing in musical theatre, and starred as the title character in a successful 1986 West End revival of Irving Berlin’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’ I imagine ‘Annie,’ “Happy Days,” and her 1978 smash hit pop duet ‘Stumblin’ In’ with English vocalist Chris Norman may have been the original gateways to US fans discovering Suzi’s music. These days it’s pretty easy for young listeners interested in classic rock to learn about Suzi, since most modern biographers consistently reference her as a figure in both hard rock and women in rock music. But for a while the short-haired gal really had to sell herself for the spotlight. What’s most impressive about Suzi might be how totally normal her life has been off stage, including raising two children [Laura b. 1982 and Richard b. 1984] with Len in Essex, England while married from 1976 until 1992. No drugs, no wild parties and no sex scandals have affected Suzi’s reputation.

Since 1980, the rocker has continued to regularly release records and perform live, most recently as of 2023, with a collab between herself and Scottish singer-songwriter K.T. Tunstall called ‘Face to Face;’ which originated following the two meeting and KT revealing Suzi was one of her favorite musicians as a child. In 2019, Suzi received her own documentary through Liam Firmager’s Suzi Q, and she previously participated as a talking head in Vicki Tischler-Blue’s doc Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways (2004). Throughout the 1970s, she consistently won music magazine polls across Europe as Best or Favorite Female Musician by fans and critics. Since 1993, Suzi’s been married to concert promoter Rainer Haas, is on good terms with Len, and they are close with grown Laura and Richard, plus their grandchildren. As for her impact on female rock artists, Suzi is naturally flattered and has connected with some of the famous ladies who admire her, such as KT. And as for Joan, well. Even though the younger star has always openly praised Suzi and seems genuine, it’s hard to deny how near identical her aesthetic was to the other musician when her career started. Suzi herself even comes across a bit frustrated over the comparison based on how Joan comes up in the former’s memoir Unzipped (2007); especially since Joan’s stardom eclipsed hers. But, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. History honors Joan’s ‘Bad Reputation’ (1980) and ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ (1981) as kickass girl power classics, and they now belatedly honor ‘Suzi Quatro’ (1973) and ‘Quatro’ (1974) as the same.

Are you aware of Suzi Quatro? Do you have any favorite songs of hers? Mine are ‘Glycerine Queen,’ ‘Sticks and Stones’ and ‘Kids of Tragedy.’