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 this episode, Patti reflects upon “Detroit is Burning,” and the impact the Detroit Rebellions/Uprisings/Riots of 1967 had on her psyche. So much so that it not only changed her perspective on life, it also became front and center in her approach to writing music. Patti and I then discuss another road trip back to New York City at the invitation of Trude Heller. Meanwhile, personal tensions were rising as band members struggled with Eileen Biddlingmeier (a.k.a. “Lady Godiva”) and her experimenting with drinking and hanging out with her boyfriend – both broke the rules put forth by their manager, Leo Fenn. Leo was not only in charge, he was also responsible for handling five young women – three of which were still teenagers. Patti and I discuss the ultimate decision to fire Eileen, bring in Pam Benford (a.k.a. “Pami and The Bird”), and how this new line up would become the longest the band had, as well as the most successful.

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