Susie Hatton

Los Angeles-based rocker Susie Hatton is best remembered for her association with Poison singer Bret Michaels, who produced her 1991 release Body and Soul. Like Poison, Hatton favored a slick, commercial, glossy approach to pop-metal, hard rock and arena rock--and Vixen (which was often described as the "Female Bon Jovi") was a frequent comparison. That is, Vixen was a frequent comparison among those who had a chance to hear the obscure singer, who wasn't nearly as well known as either Poison or Vixen. Hatton became active on the L.A./ Hollywood club scene in the late ‘80s, and it was in Tinseltown that she met Michaels (who became her paramour). Back in that pre-Pearl Jam, pre-Nevermind era, hair bands were still huge--and Poison was among the top-selling bands in the hair metal/pop-metal field. As Michaels' girlfriend, Hatton was exposed to a lot of industry people; in 1990, she signed a one-album deal with industry veteran Irving Azoff's Giant Records (which was distributed by Warner Bros.) The following year, Giant released Hatton's debut album, Body and Soul. In addition to producing the 1991 release, Michaels played acoustic guitar on some of the material and helped with the writing and arranging. "Blue Monday" and the title song were both released as singles, although neither became hits. Despite Michaels' presence, Body and Soul was a commercial disappointment; thus, Giant dropped Hatton and didn't give the singer a chance to record a second album. Not longer after that, Hatton's brand of corporate rock went out of vogue--when grunge favorites Nirvana and Pearl Jam exploded commercially in 1992 and 1993 and alternative rock became rock's primary direction, artists like Hatton weren't what major labels were looking for. After Giant, Hatton didn't sign with another major label, although she continued to sing in the L.A. area.