Suzi Quatro (born Susan Kay Quatro on June 3, 1950 in Detroit, Michigan.) is a singer, bassist, radio personality and actress. Her father, Art Quatro, was of Italian descent and her mother, Helen Rebel, was of Hungarian ancestry.
She began her musical career with the Pleasure Seekers and Cradle, then moved to England in 1971 when she was discovered by record producer Mickie Most.Who had already earned fame for writing hits for Sweet, Quatro's first single "Rolling Stone" was a flop in everywhere but Portugal where it made Number one. Most then teamed her with songwriting/production team Nicky Chinn/Mike Chapman. Her second single, "Can the Can" (1973) was a number 1 hit throughout Europe and in Australia. It was followed up by three further major hits in "48 Crash" (1973), "Daytona Demon" (1974) and "Devil Gate Drive" (also 1974) on RAK Records. Her first two albums were also huge European and Australian successes.
These recordings, though, met with little success in her native USA, despite efforts to remedy this through tours in the mid-1970s supporting Alice Cooper, and except in Australia, the popularity of Quatro's heavy glam rock style declined rapidly from 1975 onwards. Quatro's fortune did not revive until 1978 when "If You Can't Give Me Love" was a Top Ten hit in the UK and Australia. Though this still failed to break Quatro in the US, when she teamed up with Chris Norman of Smokie in 1979 with "Stumblin' In", she garnered a #4 hit there with RSO Records. This revival was very brief and her last hit (and that only in Australia) was "Rock Hard" in early 1981.
Quatro married her longtime guitarist Len Tuckey in 1976. Although they had two children (Laura in 1982 and Richard Leonard in 1984) together, they eventually divorced in 1992.
Quatro has performed as an actress in roles as varied as Annie Oakley in a 1986 London production of Annie Get Your Gun and, most famously in the United States, as Leather Tuscadero in the TV show Happy Days.
She currently lives both in England and Germany and hosts a weekly Rock and Roll program on BBC Radio 2. She also continues to tour the world as a musician.
February 2006 saw the release of a new Suzi Quatro CD entitled "Back To The Drive" which was produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott. The album's title track was written by Mike Chapman.
She is the aunt of actress Sherilyn Fenn.
