About Sue
40 Inspiring Years of Music
Sue is a hugely experienced singer, songwriter, recording artist, performer, live and studio session singer and vocal coach with a professional career that covers 4 decades. She is a university lecturer and coach, teaching subject areas that include performance, composition, lyric writing, and recording.
She is a frequently requested music industry guest speaker and has conducted vocal workshops and master classes in schools and colleges around the country working with fellow musicians such as as BJ Cole (slide guitar Sting), Tony Briscoe producer (Beverly Knight) and Yolanda Charles bass player (Robbie Williams).
Sue was also invited to be part of a educational music industry panel from the USA ‘The Sessions’ and went to Turin with a team of music professionals that included Billy Joel’s drummer Liberty Devitto and was asked to join them again in 2015 for a UK tour.
Sue is currently the Principal lecturer for vocals at a Popular Music University and continues to sing, coach, write, record, perform, do sessions and make guest appearances with name bands whenever the occasion arises. Next year she is back singing with Patti Austin at the Northern Soul Festival in Blackpool with Snake Davis and the Suspicians. She has recently written and illustrated a childrens book “The Song of the Girl’s Lullaby” which is published by New York publisher Imagine and Wonder.
Professional Background
Studio Sessions
As a studio session singer she became one of the most heard but unknown voices in the U.K. featured on literally thousands of TV commercials, TV theme tunes and radio jingles and packages. Her work as a back up singer on countless other albums and singles released in the U.K. and worldwide has made her one of England’s most constantly working and premier session singers.
She has sung on No.1 hits in Australia and Japan and top ten hits in Europe and South America. Sue’s voice is featured on the theme song of the Star Trek television series, singing back up to Russell Watson, who she also provuded back up vocals for on three platinum selling albums, including the massive hit song You Raise Me Up.
Michael Vail Blum talks about working with Sue Quin during the making of ‘4Ever Jia’ The John Blackwell Project.
Her voice has also featured on the closing theme of “Bowfinger” with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy (Kung Fu Fighting) which gave her a silver, gold and platinum disc and, also on the cult movie “The Big Tease” singing “California Dreaming”. She also had solo top ten hits with the massive club hits “Hungry Eyes” and “Open Your Eyes” under the pseudonym EyeOpener and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” as the “Girls from FHM”. She also suung lead vocals for the dance hit “I Believe in Miracles” under the pseudonym if Hi Rise.
She has provided the backing vocals for many other hit dance tracks including” Shooting Star” and “Tell It To My Heart”. She has received a double silver disc for her work on Flip and Fills “Floorfillers” album. Sue is particularly proud of her work singing the voice of Aretha Franklyn and Tina Turner for the Biography Channel which had rave reviews.
Among the many childrens TV and film she has worked on as a session singer, are The BFG, Wind in the Willows, Andy Pandy, Foxbusters and considerable others. She worked on the TV series, albums and also a feature film of Bob the Builder with Suzi Quatro. She sang with Gary Barlow on a childrens Christmas special of Daisy and Ollie.
Songwriting
As a songwriter, Sue has had publishing deals with Pluto Music, C and D Music, Warner Chappell and EMI, and has had her songs covered by artists including Sheena Easton and Sad Café. She co-wrote a song ‘Jada’ with John Blackwell, Prince’s drummer, and then recorded the lead vocal for the album “4ever Jia”. The song was nominated for a nomination for this year’s Grammy Awards and made it through to the last round.
The “4ever Jia” project is a funk, fusion, jazz endeavour featuring some of the US’s most recorded session artists and the band also includes world renowned bass player Will Lee (David Letterman, Carly Simon, Donald Fagen) and guitarist Paul Pescoe whose list of credits include Alicia Keys, Madonna and Hall and Oates. Off the back of the album she was asked by the musical giant and keys player David Garfield, earlier in 2011 to guest on a live performance with George Benson’s band – which she was delighted to do.
Gigs
Sue has worked consistently as singer/performer since 1979 when she signed a major record deal, in a solo situation and with many different bands and set ups, including her own band ‘Quin’. She is highly experienced in a variety of genres including pop, rock, jazz funk, R n B, country, folk, blues and soul and worked in every type of venue, from bars and clubs, festival stages, theatre and stadiums.
Memorable gigs include joining Sad Café on stage for Paul Young’s memorial concert at the Apollo in Manchester, the packed concert held in December 2000 also included Mike Rutherford, Paul Carrick, members of Queen, Roy Wood and many others.
She then joined Sad Café in 2013 and toured with them for the following 9 years. In 2005 Sue completed an Arena tour with Russell Watson, as a back up singer working in the UK and Ireland in major venues including Manchester MEN, The Point in Dublin, and Glasgow, Birmingham and Wembley Arenas.
She sang backing vocals for Gloria Estefan on two special dates, one at the Alberts Hall London and the other in Switzerland at the prestigious La Baloise She has also sung back up vocals for Soul legends Patti Austin, William Bell, Mitch Ryder and Kiki Dee among many others.