Season Three is here with Dr. Kristen Hillaire and Patti Quatro! We talk in depth about the groundbreaking all-female Detroit rock ‘n’ roll band, the Pleasure Seekers, formed in 1964.

At the ages of sixteen and seventeen, Patti and her two best friends, Nan Ball and Diane Baker, were hanging out together and noodling on their instruments in a basement in the suburbs of Detroit. Like so many other teens, the British invasion was having a huge influence on the cultural shifts occurring in music, and after seeing the Beatles live at Olympia Stadium, Patti was hooked on rock ‘n’ roll. She recruited younger sister, Suzi, and Nan’s younger sister, Mary Lou, at the age of fourteen, and the Pleasure Seekers were ready to go!

Also in 1964, Dave Leone’s and Ed “Punch” Andrews’ “Hideout” opened as a teen club in the suburbs of the city. It was an explosive time in Detroit – the music, the Motor City, the mayhem, and the magic! The Pleasure Seekers and the Quatro sisters were not only there to bear witness to it all, they helped to create the distinct and dynamic sounds of early rock ‘n’ roll in Detroit.

When the Pleasure Seekers (and Cradle) were inducted into the Detroit Music Awards at the Fillmore Theater in 2012, Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson of the MC5 wrote, “The Quatro girls were the first all-female band that played instruments well, and forerunners for many bands to follow. One kick-ass band!”

On Ep. 32, we discuss the time and investment Mercury Records put into the Pleasure Seekers. This included recording three singles in order to have the option of hearing the different vocal styles of the band members. Mercury wanted a turntable hit, and utilized the label’s staff writers to craft the tunes. All of this was happening in April 1968, and the buzz about the Pleasure Seekers was starting to gain quite a reputation. Their stints at Arthur’s and other venues were always held over, because the fans and music industry alike were taking serious notice of these talented all-female rock ‘n’ rollers. We conclude the episode by hearing the first hit single by the Pleasure Seekers on Mercury Records, including why and how it was selected. It’s a true insider look at the machinations of the music biz in the late ’60s.

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