Suzi Quatro: Like A Lightning Flash

In the UK, Europe, and Australia, Quatro continued to rack up number ones and scored chart hits well into the ’80s. But like many of the glam era’s finest, Quatro’s best records didn’t make much headway on the American charts (though she managed seven Hot 100 US hits). Hampered somewhat by her stateside label Bell Records’ lack of serious promotion—and by the inexplicable American resistance to glitter rock’s many delights—she never became a rock superstar in her home country. Her only true US smash was the 1979 duet “Stumblin’ In,” recorded with fellow Chinnichap vet Chris Norman, himself a big international star (as the lead singer of Smokie) who never found much US chart magic (well, okay, there was “Living Next Door To Alice”).

Unlike Norman, though, Quatro did manage to become a household name in the American ’70s—on television. From 1977 to 1979, Quatro had a recurring role on the pop-culture juggernaut Happy Days, as “Leather Tuscadero”—a hard-rocking, bass-thumping, sexy as hell tomboy rock star in a black leather jumpsuit. Despite the show’s cheesy machinations (including sticking her in the tragic “Richie Almost Dies” episode), for the most part, Leather was just Quatro being Quatro, beaming that electric androgynous sexuality into unsuspecting middle American homes (and connecting with a lot of LGBTQ kids in the process). Audience reaction was so great that Garry Marshall offered her a spinoff built around the character; Quatro turned it down (and given Joanie Loves Chachi, the decision seems prescient).

With the glam era gone, Suzi tried on a variety of sounds, reminiscent of her versatile Pleasure Seekers days when the Quatro sisters deftly moved between Motown, Garage, Pop, and girl-group styles. In 1980 she was rightfully featured alongside other punk and new wave bands in the soundtrack to the sadly overlooked cult classic film Times Square.

After her last major UK hit in 1982, she stepped back from music to some extent, spending time raising two children and turning her attention to stage and television roles (including Annie Get Your Gun, Absolutely Fabulous, Midsomer Murders and—I kid you not—Bob The Builder). Her weekly BBC2 radio show, which ran for well over a decade, brought together her encyclopedic knowledge of rock history with an all-star lineup of guests. In addition to her own touring schedule (typically 60-100 dates a year), she’s done numerous reunion shows with her sisters, burnishing the Pleasure Seekers’ (and Cradle’s) pioneering legacy. Thankfully, her classic work is being discovered by a new generation. YouTube is filled with clips of her classic performances; the live version of “Glycerine Queen” does more to show how much Suzi rocks than a thousand essays ever could.

And she’s making records again. 2007’s Back To The Drive was outstanding, co-produced by Andy Scott of The Sweet and with contributions from Mike Chapman. Unlike so many artists’ comeback attempts, much of the material on Drive rocks just as hard as her early recordings. For the past year, Quatro’s been in the studio with Chapman recording a new album, which will be released later this year.

Though one cannot imagine the Runaways or Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (and their heirs) without her, Quatro still doesn’t get her due from the critics. Allmusic has the breathtaking gall to call her “innocuous”—a less accurate word has never been spoken—and dismisses her again as the puppet of some secret bubblegum songwriting cabal (they grudgingly mumble that she’s a “mild influence” on later women rockers). But then again, they can’t even be bothered to consistently spell her name right.

Seems like some things never change. But some things do, and in a world where hard-rocking girl bands and female rock stars are everywhere, here’s hoping Suzi Quatro keeps on rocking ’til she gets her due. And then some.

For more on Suzi Quatro, please check out her official site.

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