Suzi Quatro has enjoyed a long and successful career as a musician and was one of the pioneers of all-female rock bands. But for Happy Days fans, she will always be Leather Tuscadero, the sister of Fonzie’s ex, Pinky Tuscadero, and the bass player in Joanie Cunningham’s band. While Quatro took on a few acting roles after Happy Days, she is best known as a real-life singer and bassist.
Quatro began performing in bands with her sisters and friends, including the Pleasure Seekers and Cradle, before leading her own group. She achieved significant success internationally, though in the U.S., she is best remembered for her hit duet “Stumblin’ In” with Chris Norman. Now based in England, the Detroit-born musician remains active in the music world, performing live, releasing albums, and DJ-ing.
She’s still making music.
Quatro has released 17 albums, with her latest, The Devil in Me, arriving in 2021. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she performed nearly 90 shows a year. Speaking to The Guardian, she said of her iconic leather outfit, “I still wear the jumpsuit. At 70, I zip it up and feel like me.” She also hosted radio shows, including a stint as a DJ for BBC Radio 2, and has no plans to retire.
Acting and stage work.
Leather Tuscadero wasn’t her only role. Quatro appeared in TV shows like Minder, Absolutely Fabulous, and Midsomer Murders, and starred in the West End production of Annie Get Your Gun. She has expressed interest in appearing in a film, the only medium she hasn’t yet tackled.
Her life story.
Quatro’s memoir, Unzipped, came out in 2007, followed by the 2019 documentary Suzi Q. She revealed a biopic is in the works and suggested Scarlett Johansson could play her, noting, “We both have a non-trying sex appeal.”
Family life.
Quatro married guitarist Len Tuckey in 1976; they had two children, Laura and Richard, before divorcing in 1992. She has been married to her second husband, Rainer Haas, since 1993. Richard has collaborated with his mother on her most recent albums, and Quatro said of her marriages, “I’ve had two good marriages.”
