Suzi Quatro, a Detroit native born in 1950, found herself on a trajectory that would see her become one of the most iconic bassists of her time. At the age of 20, while performing on Detroit’s vibrant club scene, she caught the eye of pop producer Mickie Most, who was in town working with Jeff Beck at Motown. This encounter led her to the UK, where she kicked off a stellar career with the hit single ‘Can The Can’, courtesy of songwriters Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, known for their work with glam rock outfits like The Sweet.
Quatro’s rise in the UK music scene was meteoric, amassing 10 hit singles before the end of the 1970s. Yet, it was her role as Leather Tuscadero on the TV show Happy Days that cemented her status in American pop culture. Her character, a tough yet vulnerable ex-juvenile delinquent leading the girl group Leather & The Suedes, resonated with audiences. “They needed somebody who could act and sing, and was vulnerable but tough: all the different elements together,” Quatro recalls about the casting process that led to her selection, spurred by a photo of her on a Rolling Stone cover.
Reflecting on her time on Happy Days, Quatro shares, “Doing the show was fantastic – absolutely great. I did 15 episodes and figured that was enough, because I didn’t want to be forever typecast as Leather Tuscadero.” The role brought her an immense fan following, rivaling even that of Henry Winkler’s Fonz.
Quatro holds the ’70s dear, a period she considers golden for its celebration of band individuality. “That decade was one of the last great eras for individual bands. It was the last era when you knew everybody’s name in the band,” she observed, noting the era’s distinct band identities and the imperative of live performance. This authenticity, she argues, is what has cemented the ’70s as a beloved musical epoch.
Her personal philosophy on music creation is steeped in spontaneity and interaction. “I liked the days when you used to stand in the studio and the drummer would look at you and give you a little figure on the snare, and you would answer on the bass,” Quatro shared, lamenting the loss of such organic moments in modern, studio-produced tracks. It’s this raw, unfiltered energy that she believes imbues records like ‘Can The Can’ with their enduring appeal. “Listen to ‘Can The Can’. I screamed. I sang. You hear it. It’s exciting – you can’t create that in a studio!”
