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Susanna Hoffs
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Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.
s was born on the Westside of Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. Her mother Tamar Simon Hoffs played records of The Beatles for Hoffs when she was a child and she began playing the guitar in her teens. She eventually joined with Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson, which would later become The Bangles.
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Encyclopedia
Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.
Biography
Early life
Hoffs was born on the Westside of Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. Her mother Tamar Simon Hoffs played records of The Beatles for Hoffs when she was a child and she began playing the guitar in her teens. She eventually joined with Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson, which would later become The Bangles. Hoffs attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In 1980, she graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art.
Career with The Bangles
The Bangles first recorded release was a self-titled EP in 1982 on the Faulty Products Label.
The Bangles released their first full album All Over the Place in 1984 on Columbia Records and saw a moderate hit with the single "Hero Takes A Fall", but their commercial breakthrough came with the album Different Light in 1986, which produced the hit singles "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian". Hoffs starred in the film The Allnighter in 1987. It was directed by her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs, and also featured Joan Cusack and Pam Grier.
In 1986 Susanna Hoffs co-wrote the song "I Need a Disguise" for the first Belinda Carlisle Album "Belinda".
With her increasing fame, she also appeared on the covers of numerous magazines, and the Rickenbacker guitar company issued a Susanna Hoffs model of the 350 (which she customized herself), which she still plays during live shows. Although the Bangles did not have a set lead singer — each member sang lead on various songs - Hoffs was perceived by many casual fans to be the main vocalist and, thus, received the most media attention, which led to tensions within the band.
The Bangles released their third album, Everything, in 1988, with their biggest selling single, "Eternal Flame", which was co-written and sung by Hoffs. The Bangles disbanded a year later in 1989. In the late 1990s, Hoffs contacted the other members of The Bangles with the hope of reuniting. They recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second Austin Powers movie in 1999. Subsequently, they announced their decision to reunite full-time in 2000. Their fourth album, Doll Revolution, was released in 2003.
Solo career
Hoffs released a solo album, When You're a Boy, in 1991, which was not a commercial success, although it did spawn a U.S. Top 40 hit with "My Side of the Bed". In 1996, Hoffs released her second solo album, Susanna Hoffs. Although it received some praise in the media and yielded a minor U.S. hit with the single "All I Want", it also was not a commercial success.
Hoffs also recorded another album during 1993/1994, prior to leaving Columbia Records, but it went unreleased.
Hoffs is the subject of Freddy Blohm's "The Corner of Her Eye".
Hoffs appeared in the first Austin Powers movie as a member of the fictitious 1960s rock group Ming Tea, fronted by the title character. In real-life, Ming Tea consisted of actor Mike Myers, Hoffs, Canadian musician/producer Christopher Ward, and singer Matthew Sweet. This group made a number of television performances (with Myers in character as Powers) and had a minor hit with the song "BBC". Hoffs returned with the group in the second and third Austin Powers films.
Hoffs recorded a cover of the Oingo Boingo song "We Close Our Eyes" for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack.
Hoffs also contributed a song to the film Red Roses and Petrol (written and direcetd by Tamar Simon Hoffs) titled "The Water is Wide." The song can be heard in the closing credits and is available on the film's soundtrack.
In February 2009 she appeared on stage at the Key Club in Los Angeles, singing with thenewno2, the "post-Bristol" psychedelic blues band lead by Dhani Harrison. This show can be seen on stickam.com
Sid n Susie
In 2006, Hoffs teamed up with fellow Ming Tea rocker, Matthew Sweet, under the name "Sid n Susie" to record fifteen cover versions of classic rock songs for an album titled Under the Covers, Vol. 1. The album was released in April 2006. On July 18, they appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote the album and tour. The duo has another album, Under the Covers, Vol. 2, set for release in Spring 2009 that is set to include songs by Yes, Blue Oyster Cult, Warren Zevon and more.
Personal life
In 1993, she married Jay Roach, the director of the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents and producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. She and her husband have two sons, Jackson Wiley (born February 9 1995) and Sam (born November 10 1998).
Discography
Albums
Singles
| Date | Title | Chart | Comments |
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| Solo releases | | 1991 | "My Side of the Bed" | 30 (US) / 44 (UK) | | | 1991 | "Unconditional Love" | 65 (UK) | Did not chart in the U.S. | | 1991 | "Only Love" | - | | | 1996 | "All I Want" | 32 (UK) / 77 (US) | | With The Bangles
Only charting singles are listed | | 1985 | "Hero Takes A Fall" | 96 (UK) | | | 1985 | "Going Down To Liverpool" | 79 (UK) | | | 1986 | "Manic Monday" | 2 (US) / 2 (UK) | | | 1986 | "If She Knew What She Wants" | 29 (US) / 31 (UK) | | | 1986 | "Going Down To Liverpool" | 56 (UK) | UK only re-release | | 1986 | "Walk Like an Egyptian" | 1 (US) / 3 (UK) | | | 1987 | "Walking Down Your Street" | 11 (US) / 16 (UK) | | | 1987 | "Following" | 55 (UK) | | | 1987 | "Hazy Shade Of Winter" | 2 (US) / 11 (UK) | From the Less Than Zero Motion Picture Soundtrack | | 1988 | "In Your Room" | 5 (US) / 35 (UK) | | | 1988 | "Eternal Flame" | 1 (US) / 1 (UK) | | | 1989 | "Be With You" | 30 (US) / 23 (UK) | | | 1989 | "I'll Set You Free" | 74 (UK) | | | 1990 | "Walk Like an Egyptian (Remix)" | 73 (UK) | | | 2003 | "Something That You Said" | 38 (UK) | | | 2003 | "I Will Take Care Of You" | 84 (UK) | | | With Ming Tea | | 1997 | "BBC" | N/A | From Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Soundtrack | | 2002 | "Daddy Wasn't There" | N/A | From Austin Powers in Goldmember Soundtrack | | All chart data refers to the Billboard Hot 100 unless noted otherwise |
DVDs and films
External links
- official website
- British site
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