It’s quite rare for any conversation regarding rock n roll superstars to end without the mention of American singer, actress, and songwriter, Suzi Quatro. Born in June of 1950 as Susan Kay Quatrocchio, she’s a bonafide pioneer in the world of rock n roll, being inducted into the Michigan Rock n Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2011. Besides the fact that she was more popular in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world than in America, there are a lot of interesting things that every Suzi Quatro fan should know by heart.
For starters, just like many American teenagers, her musical journey began when the sisters decided to form a band together and called themselves The Pleasure Seekers. Their decision came into actualization after they watched The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Besides that, her prowess as a bass guitarist influenced the musical lives of big names in the rock n roll music industry, including top bands such as The Runaways along with revered individual artists such as Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde.
With that in mind, if you’re a Suzi Quatro music superfan, read on to discover more about her musical experiences as well as guitar and equipment preferences. You may even learn how to play bass guitar just like she did.
Suzi Quatro Music
After watching Elvis Presley perform, 14-yr-old Suzi began her journey to musical stardom within their aforementioned band, The Pleasure Seekers. They changed the band’s name to Cradle after sister Arlene left the band to tend to her newborn.
The band continued to thrive, eventually earning an invitation to perform in the Detroit Dance Hall, where Suzi’s exemplary skills on the bass guitar caught the eye of British music producer, Mickie Most. Mickie Most was so pleased with Suzi’s work that he immediately signed her into his record label, prompting her to move to the UK where her rise to fame officially began.
While in England, she released her first single dubbed Rolling Stone, which was a massive hit in Portugal alone, securing the top spot in the country’s music charts. From there, she continued creating great hits that she eventually featured on her album labeled The Greatest Hits of Suzi Quatro, which she released into the market in 2000. On this album, you can find some of her greatest songs, including Can the Can, 48 Crash, and Daytona Demon as well as Fever, Too Big, Your Mama Won’t Like Me, and I’ve Never Been in Love.
Suzi Quatro Guitars and Equipment
As it is with any other music group or rock band, each member has to pick the instrument they’d like to be playing. The Quatro sisters’ band, The Pleasure Seekers, was no exception. When the time came to do so, Suzi remained quiet as the other sisters were choosing their preferred instruments. Eventually, Suzi Quatro was left with the bass guitar, a role she quickly embraced. Soon, she acquired her first bass guitar at the age of 14 as a gift from her father. It was a 1957 Fender Precision Bass.
As she continued to work on her skill, she worked with a wide range of bass guitars, including the Gibson Ripper Bass and Fender Telecaster Bass. Besides the Gibson Grabber Bass, she also used the Gibson EB-2 Bass Guitar, Gibson Les Paul Standard Bass, Gibson EB-0, BC Rich Custom Suzi Quatro, Gibson Thunderbird IV Bass, Fender Jazz Bass, and Status Graphite Belt. Additionally, she’s created great music using the Yamaha BB 2000 and Fender American Vintage ’75 Jazz Bass Reissue.
How to Play Like Suzi Quatro
Since you now know the type of equipment Suzi Quatro has used before, it only right that you know a few things about how she plays. For starters, she prefers a natural sound, whereby the bass doesn’t have a pick. Although BC Rich had made a special guitar for her that had pre-installed equalizers and graphs, she only adjusted the volume and tone. Besides that, Suzi Quatro advises women who wish to dominate the rock n roll industry to be passionate and professional at all times. She also warns them that music is a full-time job and that they shouldn’t expect their lives to remain the same.