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On this day, 3 December 1972, American rocker Suzi Quatro played Cardiff’s Top Rank alongside Slade and Thin Lizzy.
Quatro had moved to England in 1971, after being spotted by the record producer Mickie Most, who had by that time founded his own label, Rak Records. Most had been persuaded to see Quatro’s band Cradle by her brother Michael, who was managing the band.
Like other music producers at the time, Most was looking for a female rock singer who could fill the void created by the death of Janis Joplin. According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, his attention to Quatro was drawn by "her comeliness and skills as bass guitarist, singer and chief show-off in Cradle."
Quatro's first single, "Rolling Stone", was successful only in Portugal, where it reached No. 1 on the charts. This was a solo effort, although aided by people such as Duncan Browne, Peter Frampton and Alan White. Subsequently, with the approval of Most, she auditioned for a band to accompany her. It was also after this record that Most introduced her to the songwriting and production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who wrote songs specifically to accord with her image.
In 1972, Quatro embarked as a support act on a UK tour with Thin Lizzy and headliners Slade. Rak Records arranged for her to use Thin Lizzy's newly acquired PA system during this, incurring a charge of £300 per week that enabled the Irish band to effectively purchase it at no cost to themselves.
In May 1973, her second single "Can the Can" (1973) was a No. 1 hit in parts of Europe and in Australia.
