Behind the Hits

Behind the Hits Rare photos. Untold stories. Legendary artists. to Rare Images / Music History & Rock Legends
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The yellow background isn't just a backdrop. It's a spotlight that says "look at me," but the truth is she's been demand...
09/09/2026

The yellow background isn't just a backdrop. It's a spotlight that says "look at me," but the truth is she's been demanding that attention since she was a teenager picking up a bass in Detroit.

Suzi Quatro knew exactly what she was doing when she put on that black leather jumpsuit. It wasn't about being sexy. It was about being seen. A woman with a bass, in leather, on stage there was no way you weren't going to look. And once you looked, you couldn't look away.

She designed that entire look herself, back when no one knew what a female rocker should even wear. She needed something that wouldn't bunch up, wouldn't rip, wouldn't make her look like she was trying too hard. The jumpsuit became her uniform. Her armor. Her way of saying "I'm not here to be pretty. I'm here to play."

Those patterned boots? She's been wearing some version of them for decades. Platform soles that let her see over the bass, that give her height on stage, that make her stomp feel heavier. She's talked about how she couldn't find boots that fit her style, so she just started having them custom made.

Now she's 75, and she still zips up that leather jumpsuit like she's about to walk on stage and show everyone how it's done. She's played stadiums, arenas, and small clubs. She's toured with everyone from Slade to the Rolling Stones.

Where did you first see her the 70s TV appearances, the Happy Days episodes, or a recent documentary?

You know those moments when you realize someone has been a rock star so long that it's just second nature to them?This i...
09/09/2026

You know those moments when you realize someone has been a rock star so long that it's just second nature to them?

This is Suzi Quatro in her element: leopard print jacket, a bass guitar that's seen more stages than most musicians will ever walk on, and an eagle statue looking over her shoulder like even the architecture knows she's royalty.

She's 75 now. Let that sink in. And she's still out here holding a bass that's almost as big as she is, wearing animal print like it's a uniform, and standing in front of brick archways that look like they could tell stories of every show she's ever played.

People talk about her as one of the first female bass players to become a rock star which is true but what gets me is how natural she makes it look. She didn't set out to break barriers. She just wanted to play bass and sing. And in doing that, she accidentally built a bridge for everyone who came after her.

And that bass? Distinctive fretboard markers that look like they've been worn down by decades of her fingers finding the right notes. She's got her father to thank for that he taught her how to play by ear because that's how jazz musicians learned.

What's your favorite Suzi deep cut that never got the radio play it deserved?

Most people picture her in a leather jumpsuit, not a simple black tee and sunglasses. But this right here? This is Suzi ...
09/09/2026

Most people picture her in a leather jumpsuit, not a simple black tee and sunglasses. But this right here? This is Suzi Quatro in her element. Just her, the harbor, and a country that's been her second home for over fifty years.

Australia was the first place that really got her. When she landed for her first tour in 1974, the Hells Angels showed up at the airport to es**rt her to the hotel like she was royalty . That's not the welcome you get if you're just another musician. That's the welcome you get when a country decides you belong to them.

She was 24 on that first trip, playing the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney to a crowd that went absolutely wild . She's since done nearly forty tours here . She calls it her second home, and from the sound of it, she means it .

That black outfit against the bridge isn't a statement piece. It's quiet confidence. The woman who paved the way for every female rocker knows she doesn't need to prove anything to anyone anymore.

The first time she came here, she played "Can the Can" and the place exploded . Wildest part? It just keeps getting better.

First song that hooked you "Can the Can," "Devil Gate Drive," or did you discover her through Happy Days?

Wait she's behind a drum kit now?That's the thing about Suzi Quatro that doesn't get said enough. She wasn't just a bass...
09/09/2026

Wait she's behind a drum kit now?

That's the thing about Suzi Quatro that doesn't get said enough. She wasn't just a bass player who sang. She was a musician, period. Drums, guitar, piano she could pick up almost anything and make it sound like she'd been playing it her whole life.

Most people know her as the leather-jumpsuit bassist who kicked down doors for women in rock. And she did. She absolutely did. But she also played drums on some of her early recordings because the session drummers couldn't lock in with her bass playing the way she wanted. So she just did it herself.

Born in Detroit in 1950, she grew up in a musical family her father was a jazz musician, her brothers played, and she was the youngest of five, fighting for space in a house full of instruments. She learned to play everything just to keep up. And she did more than keep up. She led the charge.

When she toured the UK in the early 70s, she was the first female bassist to be taken seriously in the rock world. Not a novelty. A real player. A real frontwoman. She opened for Slade, played alongside Led Zeppelin's sound crew, and charmed audiences with a stage presence that was equal parts swagger and warmth.

And that smile she gave the camera the one that says "I know exactly what I'm doing" is the same one that made her a star in the first place.

Now she's 75 and still behind the kit, still behind the mic, still proving that she could play anyone in that band under the table.

Most underrated track from her catalog "Glycerine Queen," "Don't Mess With Me," or "I May Be Too Young"?

She's holding a bass guitar that's almost as big as she is, wearing a jumpsuit that became the blueprint for every woman...
09/08/2026

She's holding a bass guitar that's almost as big as she is, wearing a jumpsuit that became the blueprint for every woman who wanted to rock, and standing in front of a drum kit like she owns the whole stage.

Here's the part that still gets me about Suzi Quatro when she started out in the late 60s, no one had seen a woman play bass like that. Not just standing there posing. Actually playing. Fingers flying. Hitting the notes. She studied bass players like James Jamerson and Paul McCartney, then made it her own. And she made it look effortless.

Her father built her first makeshift bass out of wood because they couldn't afford a real one. She was 14. She never stopped playing after that.

By the time she was 16, she was already a natural-born brawler on stage one reviewer even said she was "the most exciting girl musician since Mahalia Jackson" . That comparison still cracks me up. Gospel singer to rock bassist. But honestly? Both had that raw power that stops you cold.

And it's not just a jumpsuit. It's a uniform. She called it her "armor." Leather, satin, rhinestones whatever version she's wearing, it's the same feeling. Like she's ready for anything.

Underrated song off her early albums "The Wild One," "Your Mamma Won't Like Me," or are you a "Stumblin' In" diehard?

She's literally lying on a bed in a wood-paneled room, looking like she just finished a show and couldn't be bothered to...
09/08/2026

She's literally lying on a bed in a wood-paneled room, looking like she just finished a show and couldn't be bothered to take the leather off. And honestly? That's the most Suzi Quatro thing ever.

Here's what blows my mind she wasn't trying to make a statement. She wasn't trying to be the first anything. She just wanted to play bass and rock out, and somewhere along the way, she accidentally became the blueprint for every woman who picked up a guitar or bass after her.

Think about that for a second. Before Joan Jett, before the Runaways, before anyone there was Suzi, in her jumpsuit, stomping on stage like she owned the place. And she did. She just didn't realize it until decades later.

And then she goes and plays Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days like it's no big deal. Like she wasn't already a global rock star at that point. Most musicians would kill for one career. She had two simultaneously and made both look effortless.

She's 76 now. Seventy-six. And that attitude? Still intact.

Favorite era: leather-jumpsuit Suzi or leather-jacket Suzi? Or are you a "Stumblin' In" ballad era fan?

Most people just see the leather and the leopard print and think "tough rock chick." But that's not the full story.This ...
09/08/2026

Most people just see the leather and the leopard print and think "tough rock chick." But that's not the full story.

This is the woman who turned down meeting Elvis Presley because she was too busy touring. He personally called to say her cover of "All Shook Up" was the best he'd ever heard and she said no to Graceland because she didn't want to meet her idol "with a goofy face" before she felt established. That's either insane or the most badass thing ever.

She designed her entire look around practicality. The jumpsuit wasn't about being sexy she just needed something that stayed in place while she jumped around playing bass. She didn't even realize it was a "sexy outfit" until she saw the photos back. She was just trying to keep her zipper from popping on stage.

And here's the part that still gets me: she didn't know she was a pioneer until she was 69 years old. She went to the premiere of her documentary, watched all these legendary musicians Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett say they wouldn't have existed without her, and she broke down crying. Forty years of trailblazing and she had no idea.

Now she's 75 and still zipping up that jumpsuit and feeling like herself.

First song that got you hooked"Can the Can," "Stumblin' In," or did you discover her through Happy Days?

Suzi Quatro ❤️
09/08/2026

Suzi Quatro ❤️

Short blonde hair. Black leather. Bass in her hands.And that microphone is right where it belongs. There’s just somethin...
09/07/2026

Short blonde hair. Black leather. Bass in her hands.

And that microphone is right where it belongs.

There’s just something about Suzi Quatro onstage that makes a photo feel louder than it actually is.

You can almost hear the bass before the music even starts.

She looks completely locked in here, doing what she’s been doing for decades singing, playing, and owning that little piece of stage like it belongs to her.

No over-the-top pose.

No need for anything fancy.

Just Suzi and her bass.

That’s probably why these performance photos never really get old.

The style changes.

The hair changes.

The years definitely pass.

But the attitude?

Still unmistakably Suzi.

If you could hear one song from this exact moment, what would you want it to be?

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