Stars of the 70s – Suzi Quatro

Suzi Quatro: How the Queen of Rock shook up the men's world of the seventies in a leather suit

Rock music was and is a male domain, but in the seventies, numerous talented 'Queens of Noise' entered the male world and shook up the seemingly progressive rock world.

Suzanna 'Suzi' Kay Quatrocchi , born on June 3, 1950, grew up in the USA, in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe with four siblings and joined her father's band at the age of eight. Let's let Suzi tell the story herself (BRAVO issue 29 from 1973): "My father played jazz in the 'Art Quatro Trio' and placed a lot of importance on a good musical education. When I was eight, I joined the group and played bongos. For me, it was natural back then - just like it was for my brother Mike and my three sisters Patti, Nancy and Arlene. But at 15, I'd had enough of jazz and wanted to play rock 'n' roll. Together with my sisters, I founded 'Suzi Soul & The Pleasure Seekers'.

We mostly played in nightclubs and got good fees. That's where we were discovered by the English producer Mickie Most. He offered me a contract, I immediately accepted, and Mickie even paid for my flight to London because I didn't have enough money.

If it weren't for Mickie Most, I would have given up immediately. I couldn't find an apartment in London, couldn't get a work permit, and didn't know a soul.

I was initially disappointed by the musicians in London. Few played rock 'n' roll as hard and hot as I imagined, and almost half of them wore makeup like girls. And I don't like that in boys at all!

When I finally found three lively guys who were a good fit for me, we went on tour with Slade. After that, I recorded my first record. It was released on May 5th and was already at number one in the charts after just two weeks.

At this point, Suzi omits to mention that she had already released the single "Rolling Stone" the previous year, which, however, remained under the radar of pop fans – except in Portugal.

BRAVO describes Suzi as follows: "Suzi is 1.65 meters tall, but she's a sensation on stage. She sings, plays bass, puts on a show like no other, and basically wears only black leather suits with nearly a dozen chains around her neck." She's usually stark naked under her leather suits. A documentary about the life and career of Suzi Quatro , which premiered on December 25, 2005, is titled "Naked Under Leather." In it, Suzi Quatro plays herself.

The first record Suzi mentions is called "Can The Can," which tops the UK charts for one week and BRAVO magazine for six weeks, before its follow-up, "48 Crash," takes over the top spot. "Devil Gate Drive" is another top hit in 1974 in her adopted home of Great Britain and also in the BRAVO charts . In her native USA, Suzi doesn't enter the Billboard charts until 1979, and then only as a duet with Smokie singer Chris Norman with "Stumblin' In." She lands 13 hits in the BRAVO readers' chart , with three songs staying at the top for a total of eight weeks!

Just six issues after her interview, BRAVO launched her 18-part Star Cutout ; by 1980, she had received six BRAVO OTTO awards. After her musical career, Suzi devoted herself to acting on TV and in musicals, but also continued to make music. In 2009, she released the single "Singing With Angels" with Elvis Presley's former backing band, The Jordanaires .