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 Quatro and I talk about the fast-paced ascent the Pleasure Seekers were having in rock ‘n’ roll. In 1968, the band continued to gain notoriety in the press, with fans, and the music industry moguls. We talk about the band’s manager, Leo Fenn, putting together press kits to shop a record deal for them, and Mercury Records bites fast! All of this momentum is building as the Pleasure Seekers continue to play gig after gig up and down the east coast. Their popularity and good looks also started to gain the not-so-wanted attention of some male groupies – from audience members to a hotel owner, and these pursuits persisted throughout the remainder of the band’s duration. We close out this episode with a personal reflection from Patti, and what it was like for her epiphany of wanting to start an all-girl rock ‘n’ roll band. This epiphany had only happened in late 1964, and by the beginning of 1968, the Pleasure Seekers were signed to Mercury Records and were gearing up to record their first singles with Dick Corby. It was a heady time for the band and for Patti! As Patti notes, she was very happy with her new line-up because of the stellar musicianship and chemistry – this line-up was Patti, Suzi, and Arlene Quatro with Pam Benford, and Darline Arnone. The Pleasure Seekers were ready to fly to the moon so they could play amongst the stars!

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