Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With
Debbi Peterson and
Vicki Peterson
Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their founding in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...
, she founded
the Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...
in 1981. Their debut album, ''
All Over the Place'' (1984), was acclaimed by critics but sold poorly. Their second album, ''
Different Light'' (1986), was also warmly received by critics and was certified
double-platinum in 1987 and triple-platinum in 1994. It contained the US number two single "
Manic Monday" written by
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
and the number one single "
Walk Like an Egyptian
"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song by the American pop rock band the Bangles. It was released in September 1986 as the third single from the band's second studio album, '' Different Light'' (1986). It was the band's first number one single, being ...
". The group's third album, ''
Everything
Everything, every-thing, or every thing, is all that exists; it is an antithesis of ''nothing'', or its complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some subject matter. Without expressed or implied limits, it may refer to . The uni ...
'' (1988), included the US top ten charting "
In Your Room" and number one "
Eternal Flame
An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...
", both written by Hoffs with
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield Steinberg (born February 26, 1950) is an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly (musician), Tom Kelly; together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits "Like a Virgin ...
and
Tom Kelly. Hoffs was lead vocalist on five of the seven singles released by the Bangles, resulting in her being seen as the face of the group, even though all four members shared lead vocal duties. Following tensions including resentment at Hoffs' perceived leadership and the stress of touring, the band split in 1989. It reformed in 1999 and released the albums ''
Doll Revolution'' (2003) and ''
Sweetheart of the Sun'' (2011).
Hoffs' first solo album, ''
When You're a Boy'' (1991), was followed by ''
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson, she founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, ''All Over the Place (The Bangles album), All Over ...
'' (1996). Neither of the releases proved to be as popular as the Bangles' albums, although they yielded two charting singles in the US, the top 40 hit "
My Side of the Bed", and "All I Want". She recorded several songs for films and formed the faux-British 1960s band
Ming Tea with
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
and
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...
. Hoffs teamed with Sweet to produce ''Under the Covers'', a series of cover song albums. Her 2012 album ''
Someday'' was followed by two more cover albums ''
Bright Lights'' (2021) and ''
The Deep End'' (2023).
Hoffs' first novel, ''This Bird Has Flown'', a romantic comedy about a struggling musician, was published by
Little Brown
Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
in 2023. It received favorable reviews, and
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.
Early life
Susanna Lee Hoffs was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1959.
She is the daughter of film director/writer/producer
Tamar Ruth (née Simon) and Joshua Allen Hoffs, a psychoanalyst. Her family is Jewish. She has two brothers, John and Jesse.
She has said that her home environment "wasn't really traditional" and that it was an "atheist, intellectual, creative world". She said that while her mother was religious and kept
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
, her father was secular.
Her maternal grandfather, Ralph Simon, was a rabbi in Chicago and her maternal uncle, Matthew Simon, was rabbi emeritus for the
B'nai Israel Congregation of Maryland and marched with
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
during the
Civil Rights movement. Hoffs visited Israel for the first time at the age of 12 to see her grandparents, and she celebrated her
bat mitzvah
A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...
at the
King David Hotel
The King David Hotel (; ) is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. Opened in 1931, it was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish banker. It ...
in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
.
Hoffs took ballet classes as a child, and started playing guitar in elementary school, learning chords from her uncle.
She attended
Palisades High School,
and received a bachelor's degree in art in 1980 from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, where she switched majors between dance, theater, film, and art.
While in college, she worked as a production assistant and made her acting debut as part of a cast that included
Richie Davis,
Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film ''Stony Island (film), Stony Island'', and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film ''Quest for Fire (film), ...
, and
Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz Schlachta (; born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''NYPD Blue' ...
, in the 1978 film ''
Stony Island'' directed by
Andrew Davis and co-written by her mother.
With college friends, she attended the final
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
show at
Winterland Ballroom, and a
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...
concert that inspired her to pursue a career in music.
In the late 1970s, while a student at UC Berkeley, Hoffs and her then-boyfriend
David Roback
David Edward Roback (April 4, 1958 – February 24, 2020) was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star.
Early life and education
Roback was born on April 4, 1958, an ...
formed the Psychiatrists, later changing their name to the Unconscious.
In one account, Hoffs said that the short-lived group would perform for 50 minutes, to reflect the duration of "psychiatrists' hours", but in a 2012 interview she said that this early group never performed in public.
The Bangles
The Bangs: first releases and name change
There are different accounts of how Hoffs met the other members of the Bangles. She either posted an ad in a local newspaper and left flyers at the
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...
at a
Go-Go's concert in search of potential bandmates, or answered an ad asking for musicians to join a group. In the second scenario, the woman who advertised had previously been in a group with sisters
Vicki and
Debbi Peterson and shared a house with them. Hoffs elected to form a group with the Petersons rather than with the original advertiser, and they started the band in Hoffs' parents' garage in
Brentwood, which had been refurbished as an apartment for Hoffs.
The band was originally called the Colours,
but changed it to the Supersonic Bangs after Hoffs saw an article about 1960s hairstyles in an old copy of ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', and subsequently to the Bangs.
Hoffs said that the group "liked the double-entendre of the name" and that "you can read a lot into it. There was something kind of gutsy about it."
Annette Zilinskas joined as the bass player alongside Hoffs on rhythm guitar, Vicki Peterson on lead guitar, and Debbie Peterson on drums.
The group's influences included
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
, and
the Hollies
The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...
. Hoffs and the Petersons shared lead vocals.
She said that the band's first "real performance" was at
Laird International Studios, where Vicki worked as a secretary.
[ They played other venues in Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley, and recorded "Getting Out of Hand" released on their own label Downkiddie in 1981, pressing 1,000 copies. In a 1987 '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' article, the critic Susan Orlean described the band's early audience as "mostly boys, who appreciated their tough-enough music and playfully flirtatious stage presence". Author James Dickerson later characterized the group's loyal audience as "made up of horny high-school and college-age males who relished their in-your-face sexuality", and commented that the musicians had gained their success through their own efforts, without intervention from any man.
Miles Copeland of I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...
saw the Bangs at a show and signed them to his Faulty Products label. He had previously signed the Go-Go's, likewise an all-female band, whose albums had been commercially successful. In 1982, following a legal claim by another group called the Bangs, Hoffs and her bandmates changed their name again to the Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...
. Meanwhile, Faulty Products folded, and the band's self-titled EP was eventually released on I.R.S. Records in 1982. In 1983, the group was signed to , and Zilinskas left and was replaced by Michael Steele
Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) f ...
. Hoffs played a role in the short comedy film, '' The Haircut'' (1982), starring John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...
.
Critical and commercial success
The Bangles released their first full album, '' All Over the Place'', in 1984 on Columbia Records; it was acclaimed by critics but sold poorly. Their breakthrough was the 1986 single " Manic Monday", written by Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
, which reached number two on the charts in the US, the UK, West Germany and Austria, as well as reaching number one in South Africa and the top five in Sweden, Switzerland and Norway. This single was included on the album '' Different Light'' (1986), which was warmly received by critics and was certified double-platinum in 1987, then triple-platinum in 1994. "Walk Like an Egyptian
"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song by the American pop rock band the Bangles. It was released in September 1986 as the third single from the band's second studio album, '' Different Light'' (1986). It was the band's first number one single, being ...
" from the same album reached number one in the US in December 1986, and was their first American gold record single. It also became number one in the charts for Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and West Germany. Dickerson wrote that "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian" were more appealing to women and girls than the band's previous records had been. Hoffs first met Prince in 1984 and the pair spoke regularly. He attended some of the group's concerts and occasionally appeared on stage with them. Paul Evans and Ernesto Lechner of ''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' (2004) wrote that Hoffs had "mastered a singing style that combined pep, coy sweetness, and an occasional plaintive resonance".
In the music video for "Walk Like an Egyptian", during a close-up of Hoffs' face, she moves her eyes from side to side. Hoffs recounted that she had been looking at selected members of the crowd to counter stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
, and had not realized it would be a focal point in the video. Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote of the scene: "But it's so . It makes her look like she's up to some mischief." The television director Marty Callner
Martin Henry Callner (August 25, 1946 – March 17, 2025) was an American director who made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials and television shows. He was the creator of HBO's '' Hard Knocks'', and was nominated for numerous Prim ...
later said: "I saw situations where one shot would make a star, like with Susanna Hoffs and 'Walk Like an Egyptian.' That thing she did with her eyes." In 2011, she said: "I guess it's become an iconic moment in that video, and I didn't even realize it was happening."
A 1986 London performance by the Bangles was reviewed by David Sinclair of ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', who felt that the band "proved unconvincing in performance", although Hoffs "was by and large the best at creating a mood of emotional involvement. Her clear, fragile voice and coquettish enunciation were reminiscent of Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
." In the same paper a few months later, Richard Williams also compared Hoffs to Nicks, writing that Hoffs' "dark eyes, dangerous pout and fancifully sexy costumes hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
match her sultry voice" were reminiscent of the Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
singer. He concluded that Hoffs was "an equally obvious candidate for a successful solo career".
The Bangles had another US number two single with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...
's " A Hazy Shade of Winter" released in late 1987 and reaching its peak position in February 1988. Following a successful tour, the group issued their third and final Columbia album ''Everything
Everything, every-thing, or every thing, is all that exists; it is an antithesis of ''nothing'', or its complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some subject matter. Without expressed or implied limits, it may refer to . The uni ...
'' in 1988. The first single, " In Your Room", co-written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg
William Endfield Steinberg (born February 26, 1950) is an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly (musician), Tom Kelly; together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits "Like a Virgin ...
and Tom Kelly, became a US top ten hit. The same album included their second US number one, and second American gold record single, "Eternal Flame
An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...
", which was also co-written by Hoffs, Steinberg and Kelly. The single also topped the chart in eight other countries. Hoffs sang the studio recording of "Eternal Flame" naked due to producer Davitt Sigerson
Davitt Sigerson (born 1957) is an American retired songwriter, record producer, record executive, and journalist.
Early life and education
Davitt Sigerson was born in New York City and attended school at Oxford University in England.
Career
Si ...
pranking her by telling her Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
had done the same thing. He later told Hoffs he had just been pulling her leg. As the studio was dark, and Hoffs was standing behind a sound baffle
A sound baffle is a construction or device which reduces the strength (level) of airborne sound. Sound baffles are a fundamental tool of noise mitigation, the practice of minimizing noise pollution or reverberation. An important type of sound ...
, she could not be seen.
Hoffs was lead vocalist on five of the seven Columbia singles by the Bangles, leading to a public perception that she was the primary singer and face of the group, even though all four members shared lead vocals, and Steele and Peterson did most of the talking between songs in concert. As she was shorter in height than the other band members, photographs tended to feature her at front. She was the lead actress in '' The Allnighter'' (1987) and gained Prince's attention. Orlean wrote that the cumulative effect was to "vault Susanna into beyond-Bangles celebrity status".
Disbandment and aftermath
In 1989, while still popular, the Bangles disbanded to undertake individual projects. There had been tensions and disquiet in the group since ''Different Light''; they saw themselves as musical creators, but their biggest successes had been versions of songs written by others. The public perception of Hoffs as bandleader took a toll on group harmony. In an interview for a 2002 book, Hoffs pinpointed the stress of touring as the breaking point. In her account, she recalled that the band members were tired and reluctant to tour, but agreed to do so at the behest of their management and record company, and in response to demand from their fans. According to the book's authors Lee Miller and Jessica Miller, "The situation deteriorated so badly that they canceled the tour abruptly and the band split up. Susanna always blamed the stress of that final tour for the breakup".
Hoffs contacted the other members of the Bangles in the late 1990s with the hope of reuniting. In 2008, she told Andrew Murfett of ''The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'': "I wanted to do new Bangles music. I was driving the other girls crazy calling them. I didn't want to be a 'greatest hits' band. I wanted to write and sing new songs. That was really important to Vicki and Debbie, too. We didn't want to go on a 'Ladies of the 1980s' tour." The reunited Bangles played at a Beatles tribute concert conducted by George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
, and recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second ''Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
'' film in 1999. In 2000 they announced their decision to reunite full-time. Hoffs recounted that following the experiences that led to the group disbanding in 1989, the band members agreed that each would have a veto on the group's proposed activities. Their fourth album, '' Doll Revolution'', was released in 2003; it received positive reviews, and sold moderately well. The group embarked on a tour following its release. Their fifth album, '' Sweetheart of the Sun'', was released in 2011; it received an average score of 69 on review aggregator site Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Evans and Lechner felt that the band "achieved gigantically the dubious triumph of sound over significance", and of the "inevitable reunion" that "even nostalgia has its limits". Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
rated all of the albums from their first incarnation B− or above and gave ''Doll Revolution'' three stars.
Solo career
Hoffs contributed lead vocals to covers of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
's " I'll Keep It with Mine" and Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
's " I'll Be Your Mirror" on Rainy Day's 1984 self-titled album. Led by the musician David Roback
David Edward Roback (April 4, 1958 – February 24, 2020) was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star.
Early life and education
Roback was born on April 4, 1958, an ...
of Unconscious and later Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal (band), Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal ...
, the project also included Vicki Peterson and members of other Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
bands including Dream Syndicate
The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the b ...
, the Three O'Clock, and Rain Parade. "I'll Keep It with Mine" was issued as the A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
of Rainy Day's only single.
In 1987, Hoffs starred in the comedy ''The Allnighter'', directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, which also featured Joan Cusack
Joan Mary Cusack ( ; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In ...
and Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitati ...
. Glenn Kenny
Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''.
Biography
Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.[Patrick Goldstein
Patrick Goldstein is an American former film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'' who wrote about movies in a column titled ''The Big Picture''. Colleague Tom O'Neil described him as the newspaper's "chief Oscarologist" as his colum ...]
of the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' argued that "It's her character we have trouble with", and disparaged the film. ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' critic Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...
panned the work as "outstandingly dim". The film was also dismissed by Richard Harrington in ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', who wrote that she appeared "stiff ndself-conscious". It was commercially unsuccessful. Hoffs said she expected it to fare better as a home video, as the production was more suitable for home than cinema viewing. She later told journalist Chris Hunt
Chris Hunt is a British journalist, magazine editor, and author.
Hunt has worked in journalism for over thirty years, most often writing about football or rock music. He was editor of ''Match'' from 1993 to 2001, a period that saw the weekl ...
: "It was such a low budget quickie thing, a cutesy little teeny-bopper movie. It wasn't a great movie but the whole experience of it was great."
In 1991, Hoffs released her first post-Bangles solo album, '' When You're a Boy''. It begins with the ''Billboard'' Top 40 single " My Side of the Bed", which also charted in the UK at number 44. It includes the track "Unconditional Love" and ends with a cover of " Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
and Brian Eno
Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
. The album was a critical failure; it reached number 83 in the US album charts and number 56 in the UK album charts. In ''The Times'', Sinclair felt that with the exception of the Bowie cover, the album was an "airbrushed exercise in boredom". It was rated as a "dud" by Christgau. In ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...
'' (2006), Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...
gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, and argued that it "failed to maintain the interest of the mainstream fans who had discovered the Bangles in the wake of the smash single 'Eternal Flame', while simultaneously alienating the Paisley Underground loyalists with its AOR [ Adult-oriented rock] clichés". ''The Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
Record Guide'' entry by Ira Robbins panned the album as a "no-holds-barred commercial bore". One upbeat assessment was provided by Alan Neister of ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'', who found the album as good as the Bangles' best work: "Both as a songwriter and a song consumer, Hoffs has an ear fine-tuned to a great hook, and there isn't a song on this album that isn't hummable on the very first listen." Jimmy Nicol of ''Q Magazine
''Q'' was a British popular music magazine. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ''Q'' was published in print in the ...
'' gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that Hoffs was extending into "undreamed of territories", adding "She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist".
Her second solo album, ''Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson, she founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, ''All Over the Place (The Bangles album), All Over ...
'', was issued on London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
in 1996. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised it as an "infectious and engaging set of melodic pop that also happens to be Hoffs' most introspective and personal record to date". Wook Kim of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' remarked that Hoffs "performs a small act of bravery" yet Larkin wrote that only one song, "King Of Tragedy", "had the edgy pop fizz of the Bangles' best work". ''Billboard'' reviewed the single, "Only Love", writing: "Energetic and harmonious ditty recalls heyday of '60s-era girl groups. Lots of fun."
Hoffs covered the Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave music, new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a Surrealism, surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and wri ...
song "We Close Our Eyes" for the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' film soundtrack in 1992, and provided the title song for the 1995 film '' Now and Then''. She also recorded her versions of Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...
songs for the soundtracks of two Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
films – " The Look of Love" appears on the soundtrack of the first film in 1997, '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' and " Alfie" is on the soundtrack of the third, ''Austin Powers in Goldmember
''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldme ...
''. Hoffs also contributed covers of " The Water Is Wide" and Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...
's "Catch the Wind
"Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan.
Pye Records released "Catch the Wind" backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" as Donovan's debut release (Pye 7N.15801) in the United Kingdom on 28 ...
" for the soundtrack of Tamar Simon Hoffs' 2003 film '' Red Roses and Petrol''.
Hoffs self-released her third solo album of new material (and her first full album since 1996), '' Someday'', on her Baroque Folk label on July 17, 2012. It was distributed by Vanguard Records
Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...
. ''American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' gave ''Someday'' a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and described it as "easily and undeniably Hoffs' most definitive musical statement to date". James Reed from the ''Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' wrote: "''Someday'' reminds you that Hoffs is perfectly suited to sunny, winsome material... her performance on ''Someday'' isn't that removed from how she sounded on say, 'Eternal Flame'." The tracks include a newly recorded version of "November Sun", which Hoffs had initially recorded for another unrealized album project in 2000. Produced by Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including David LaFl ...
, the album is influenced by the music of the 1960s and features Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
's band, the Imposters, and keyboards and orchestration by Froom. Larkin wrote: "The Bangles folded in 1989 partly because Susanna Hoffs was being touted as the 'star' in a previously egalitarian band. It is ironic, therefore, that her solo career failed to come close to the success enjoyed by her old band." Hoffs contributed vocals to "One Voice", the end credits song for the film '' A Dog Named Gucci'' (2016), a track also featuring Norah Jones
Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...
, Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...
, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case
Neko Richelle Case ( ; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case's singing voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a pow ...
, Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
and Kathryn Calder. "One Voice" was released on Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
, April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities.
'' Bright Lights'', Hoffs' fourth studio album, was released on Baroque Folk Records in 2021. The record was produced by Paul Bryan and features versions of songs by Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridg ...
, Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their The Monkees (TV series), TV series of the same name (1966–1968) ...
, Richard Thompson, Pete Ham
Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include "No Matter What (Badfinger song), No Matte ...
and Tom Evans of Badfinger
Badfinger were a Welsh rock music, rock band formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (musician), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for th ...
, and other songwriters. The album includes " Name of the Game", featuring Mann. Jonathan Keefe of ''In Review Online'' wrote, "Hoffs is in fantastic voice throughout the album" and praised the versatility of her renditions.
Her fifth solo album, 2023's ''The Deep End'', was produced by Peter Asher
Peter Asher (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and re ...
; The album includes interpretations of songs by the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, Squeeze, and Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...
and received favorable reviews; Lily Moayeri of ''Spin Magazine
''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...
'' wrote, "Hoffs' voice is immediately recognizable, clear and sweet, hitting all the notes she did some 40 years ago. But her singular interpretations are so unique, they sometimes render the songs unrecognizable—in a good way." Gary Graff
Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author.
Biography
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''.
He recei ...
of ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' wrote that the album was a "delight, a demonstration of good taste and guts with Hoffs sounding as beguiling as she did lighting 'Eternal Flame' or having a 'Manic Monday' more than 30 years ago".
Hoffs co-wrote songs for the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a sol ...
, and Bette Midler
Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...
. She sang on albums by artists such as Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...
, Travis and the '' Lilith Fair: Celebration of Music'' compilation album (with Sarah McLachlin, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home".
Early life
Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
, and others). In 1992, she won Best Female Rock Vocalist at the Pro L.A. Music Awards.
Hoffs' debut novel, ''This Bird Has Flown'', a romantic comedy about a struggling musician, was published by Little Brown
Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
in 2023. It received a favorable review from Beatriz Williams in the ''New York Times'', who called it "the smart, ferocious, rock-chick redemption romance you didn't know you needed". Positive critical commentary also came from Mark Weingarten in the ''Los Angeles Times'', Michael Schaub of NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, and from ''Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
''. Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.
In 2024, Hoffs released, ''The Lost Record'', an album she had recorded in her garage in 1999. The record was produced by Hoffs and Dan Schwartz and includes, "Life on the Inside" (co-written with Jane Wiedlin
Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The Go-Go's. She voices Dusk, the drummer and ba ...
and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's). In 2025, she was a featured performer at "People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith" at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
, which included performances by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
, Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American-British musician. She is a founding member of the rock band the Pretenders and is the band's lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter; she and drummer Martin Chambers are the ...
, and Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.
Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...
. ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote, "Hoffs delivered an excellent rendition of 'Kimberly,'" and ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said "Hoffs’ pop-influenced interpretation of “Kimberly” was joyful."
Other collaborations
Ming Tea
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
, musician Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...
, and Hoffs formed the core of the faux-British 1960s band Ming Tea after Myers left ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in the early 1990s. With Myers developing the Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
character he had created, and with Hoffs pausing her solo career, they first met to play informally and all adopted pseudonyms for the band – Sweet became Sid Belvedere, and Hoffs became Gillian Shagwell. The trio played live at nightclubs in Los Angeles. Myers' then-wife, Robin Ruzan, encouraged him to write a film based on the character. The result was ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', directed by Hoffs' husband Jay Roach
Mathew Jay Roach (born June 14, 1957) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers (film series), ''Austin Powers'' film series, ''Meet the Parents'', ''Dinner for Schmucks'', ''The Campaign (film), The Campaign'', ...
. Ming Tea appeared in all three ''Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
'' films and recorded the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" for two of the soundtrack albums.
With Matthew Sweet
Hoffs teamed with Sweet, as "Sid and Susie", to record several cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of classic rock songs from the 1960s for their album '' Under the Covers, Vol. 1'' (2006). Hoffs and Sweet released a follow-up, '' Under the Covers, Vol. 2'' in 2009, featuring songs from the 1970s by Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...
, and Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
, among others. '' Under the Covers, Vol. 3'' was released in 2013, featuring cover songs from the 1980s, the decade when both of their careers began; the album included covers of songs by the Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
, the Pretenders
The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
, and Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
. In 2013, Hoffs collaborated with Sweet and Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...
on a recording of the traditional song "Marianne" for the sea shanty
A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ...
–themed compilation '' Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys''.
With Travis
Hoffs was featured as a guest singer on Travis's 2020 single "The Only Thing" from their ninth studio album, '' 10 Songs''.
Equipment
Hoffs learned to play electric guitar on a Gibson SG
The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961, following on from the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. SG stands for "solid guitar".
Origins
The S ...
. Influenced by the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
and the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, she changed to a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...
because she liked its "jangly, bright sound" and purchased a 1960s model with black and white checked binding. She used this on the early Bangles recordings, but after some work on the guitar that affected its feel, she bought a Rickenbacker 325
The Rickenbacker 325 is the first of the Capri series of hollow body guitars released in 1958 by Rickenbacker.
Overview
The 325 was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a guitar craftsman from a family of German instrument makers. Production models had ...
. She is depicted on the cover of ''All Over the Place'' holding her Rickenbacker 325V63. Musicologist Peter Mercer-Taylor observed that it was "a black and white 6-string with three pick-ups and a hole for a vibrato bar, though the bar is not in place. Shortly after its 1963 appearance, this had become John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
's signature instrument."
Hoffs used the 325 on some of the band's recordings, but found it hard to tune, and said that it "ended up being more of a video guitar". For some time, her main instrument was a borrowed Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...
, and she also used a Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
(including for live shows in 1984 and 1985); two Rickenbacker 350s and two Rickenbacker 620/12s (obtained during the ''Different Light'' sessions); and a Fritz Brothers Roy Buchanan Bluesmaster.
She contributed to the design of a Susanna Hoffs model of the Rickenbacker 350
__NOTOC__
Year 350 ( CCCL) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Nigrinianus (or, less frequently, year 1103 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 3 ...
released in 1988 and 1989.
After the dissolution of the Bangles, Hoffs played a Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
** List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
...
K22; she later worked with Taylor on the Susanna Hoffs Signature Series of guitars. She also has a 1966 12-string Guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
Starfire which she says provides an "incredible bright-but-warm sound", as used for tracks on ''Doll Revolution''.
Personal life
In the 1980s, Hoffs had a brief but intense relationship with Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. She also dated the actor Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American actor and activist. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ...
for a short period in 1986, although neither have any memory of it. In 1988 she met the actor Donovan Leitch, and the pair were in a relationship that lasted for about two years until 1991. She married filmmaker Jay Roach
Mathew Jay Roach (born June 14, 1957) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers (film series), ''Austin Powers'' film series, ''Meet the Parents'', ''Dinner for Schmucks'', ''The Campaign (film), The Campaign'', ...
in 1993, and they have two sons, born in 1995 and 1998. Roach converted to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
when they married. In a 2023 interview with Debbie Millman for '' Print'' magazine, Hoffs said, "In my life, it took many relationships to realize that Jay was the right partner for me."
Legacy
Hoffs inspired the Los Angeles–based rock band the Three O'Clock to write the song "The Girl with the Guitar (Says Oh Yeah)" for their 1985 album '' Arrive Without Travelling''. In 2002, the alternative country
Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
artist Robbie Fulks wrote the paean
A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice ( monody). It comes from the Greek (also or ), "song ...
"That Bangle Girl".
The Bangles are one of the most successful all-female rock bands. Like their contemporaries the Go-Go's, and Joan Jett
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#J, Godmother of Punk", she is regarded as a Pop icon, rock icon and ...
and Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" ...
earlier, the Bangles composed songs and played instruments. This made them unlike most popular women musical artists of the 1980s, who were principally vocalists. The music historian Sean MacLeod posited that the success of the Go-Go's and the Bangles as women in what were usually male roles in rock music opened a path for groups like Hole
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...
, Elastica
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave musi ...
and Dum Dum Girls. The Bangles were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc. was an American-based hall of fame that honored vocal groups throughout the United States. James E. Winner Jr. was the financial and managing partner of the For-profit corporation. Winner and ...
in 2000, and to the '' Goldmine'' Hall of Fame in 2013. They were presented with the Icon Award at the 2015 She Rocks Awards, thirty years after the release of ''All Over the Place''.
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Other appearances
Filmography
Notes
References
Citations
Books and journal articles
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
The Bangles
official website
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffs, Susanna
1959 births
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American singer-songwriters
20th-century American women guitarists
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American women singers
Actresses from Los Angeles
American acoustic guitarists
American film actresses
American rhythm guitarists
American rock guitarists
American rock songwriters
American television actresses
American women pop singers
American women rock singers
American women singer-songwriters
The Bangles members
Film producers from Los Angeles
Guitarists from Los Angeles
Jewish American actresses
Jewish American rock musicians
Jewish women singers
Living people
Ming Tea members
Rainy Day (band) members
Singer-songwriters from California
Singers from Los Angeles
University of California, Berkeley alumni