After her humble origins performing rock and roll alongside her sisters starting in the late 1960s,
bassist Suzi Quatro rocketed to solo success over the course of the 1970s with such hits as
“Can the Can” and “Stumblin’ In”. Suzi has come to be known as one of the very first
female rock stars, and is still at it today at the age of 71! One of Suzi’s big moments
during the height of her career was when she guest-starred on the sitcom Happy Days,
performing a couple of songs from her rock and roll idol, Elvis Presley. Join Facts Verse as
we take a look at what happened to Suzi Quatro after Happy Days. See her today at the age of 71!
Suzi Quatro broke out into the music scene as a solo artist in the early 1970s. The year was 1973,
and Suzi was preparing to release her first big solo single, titled “Can the Can”. The record
label wanted Suzi’s image to be more modern, but Suzi’s passion was old-fashioned rock and roll.
At Suzi’s insistence, she wore a leather get-up while promoting her lead single,
such as the kind that was often worn by her rock and roll idol,
Elvis Presley. Suzi also took inspiration from Jane Fonda’s appearance in the film Barbarella.
With her insistence on her rock star image, Suzi Quatro has come to be known as one of the very
first female rock stars. Her debut single was a massive success, reaching the top of the charts.
She has released numerous other successful singles early on, such as “Devil Gate Drive”,
“48 Crash” and “Stumblin’ In”. Her early success paved the way for her to make numerous appearances
on Top of the Pops, where she reached an even wider audience via television.
As one of the first female rock stars, Suzi Quatro helped pave the way
for such subsequent luminaries as Joan Jett. In fact, Joan Jett has credited seeing Suzi in
concert with inspiring her to become a rock star herself. According to Suzi, she never
intended to become a groundbreaking figure in the music industry, it just kind of happened!
Suzi Quatro was only 14 years old when she first began performing rock and roll music. According to
Suzi, she first became inspired to perform rock and roll music after she and her sisters caught
the Beatles playing on television. The girls’ father had been a professional musician, with
him having played in several jazz bands around the Detroit area. This meant that there were plenty of
instruments around the house for the girls to fool around with. When it came time for them to start
performing, Suzi was tasked with playing bass, a position that she was given by her older sister.
Suzi and her sisters formed a rock band that they dubbed “the Pleasure Seekers”. With their
unique rock-star appeal, the teenage girls soon began finding themselves in high demand.
Suzi and her sisters had a much harder edge than the majority of girl groups at the time,
and this attracted a lot of attention from the audience. After the Pleasure Seekers started
becoming successful, Suzi dropped out of school and never returned. Playing rock and roll music
became her and her sisters’ full-time job. Growing up in the rock and roll music scene
required Suzi to become a bit tougher than the average young woman. According to Suzi,
she would always carry a knife around wherever she went while performing during the early days of her
career. Their brother accompanied the girls during the majority of their gigs, for protection. When
Suzi’s older sister got married, her husband also stuck around at concerts to keep an eye on them.
However, Suzi claims she still had some negative experiences with fans early on when performing.
Suzi learned to hold her own early on while performing with her sisters. According to her,
if anyone near the stage made rude gestures at her while she was on it,
she’d bash them in the face with the bottom of her bass. Her father, who exhibited similar behavior
when he saw men mistreating his daughters, instilled much of this attitude in Suzi.
Suzi has recalled a time when she and her sisters were opening up for rock and roll
legend Chuck Berry at a gig and Suzi’s father caught the musician getting a little bit too
hands-on with her older sister. Suzi’s father proceeded to punch Chuck Berry in the face,
much to Suzi and her sisters’ chagrin. If you’re enjoying this video so far,
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It was in 1971 that the man that would go on to make her a big star first spotted Suzi Quatro.
That man was English record producer Mickie Most, who spotted Suzi while she was playing at a gig
with her sisters. Mickie felt that Suzi had potential as a solo artist, and approached her
with an offer to become a star. Suzi was initially hesitant to break away from her sisters, fearing
that it would cause a rift amongst the family. However, she was eventually talked into it.
Suzi Quatro’s breakout success as a solo artist came in 1973, with the aforementioned release of
“Can the Can”. Suzi’s success as a solo artist and her decision to break away from her sisters did
end up causing some mild family turmoil, though it seems that most of this bad blood was later put
aside. According to Suzi, sticking to her guns and maintaining her rock-star image was a challenge
after becoming a major success, though she feels that she has managed to do it. Sadly,
Suzi would continue having to deal with sexual harassment over the course of her career.
Suzi never liked to draw much attention to her womanhood, with her preferring people to focus
on her music. However, she certainly drew plenty of attention on account of being a rare woman in
the rock and roll scene. There was one notorious incident where Suzi was groped during a live
taping of a 1970s talk show by host Russell Harty. According to Suzi, she would’ve traditionally
kicked someone for doing such a thing to her, but the fact that she was on live television forced
her to have to keep her cool. Still, that doesn’t stop Suzi from holding a grudge against the host!
As a female pioneer in the rock and roll scene that has been forced to deal with her share of
harassment and discrimination, Suzi has been a supporter of the #metoo scene in recent years.
Suzi feels that it’s been a long time coming and that the types of behaviors that the movement
was formed in reaction to have been around for too long in the entertainment industry
and were never okay. As a young woman in the industry, Suzi claims that she wasn’t above
kneeing someone in the balls if they tried to put their hands on her. Apparently, the only celebrity
figure that she has ever let get away with groping her was AC/DC’s Malcolm Young, who seemed
instantly apologetic enough that she forgave him. Otherwise, he would’ve gotten a slap in the face!
After a few years of being a successful solo performer in the rock and roll scene, Suzi Quatro
made a notable guest appearance on the series Happy Days. Her guest appearance came in 1977,
and Suzi played a fictional rock star by the name of Leather Tuscadero. Of course,
Leather Tuscadero was merely a fictionalized version of herself. In the two-part episode,
Suzi could be seen performing songs made famous by her rock and roll idol, Elvis Presley.
While Suzi Quatro can no longer be found on the rock and roll charts, she is still at it today
at the age of 71! Suzi has also kept healthy and looks just as stunning today in her 70s as she did
back when she first broke out onto the scene as a solo artist during the early 1970s. In late 2020,
Suzi had a scare when she was diagnosed with COVID-19. According to the rock and roll legend,
she caught the illness from a family member. However, perhaps as a result
of Suzi’s healthy lifestyle and a lifetime of exercising her lungs,
she was able to recover from the virus within only a few days.
Where many of the female rock stars that came in Suzi Quatro’s pioneering wake
chose to dabble in drugs and alcohol over the course of their careers, Suzi has always taken
care of herself. Her latest solo album is due out in the spring of 2021, and she is
set to start performing live again starting in 2022. Suzi has been a consistent performer
since the start of her career, and her latest album will be her 18th.
Nowadays, Suzi Quatro isn’t as often credited for her groundbreaking accomplishments in the music
scene as subsequent female rock stars such as Joan Jett. Joan Jett herself has claimed
that she took most of her rock-star image from Suzi Quatro after seeing the latter performing
on stage at a young age. It was around the time of Suzi’s appearance on Happy
Days that Joan Jett was first making waves with her band the Runaways. While Suzi had
certainly started out with an edge, there are many who believe that her image became
slightly watered down the more popular she got. After all, Happy Days wasn’t very rebellious!
Although Suzi Quatro doesn’t often get the credit that she deserves for it,
she was one of the very first female rock and roll stars ever! Now it’s time to hear from you:
did you know that Happy Days’ Suzi Quatro was only 14 years old when she first started
performing rock and roll, and that she’s still performing it to this day? As always,
like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if
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