Quinn Sullivan (born March 26, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
, United States.
He is known for his accomplishments at an early age, marked by appearances on media such as ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' from the age of six, performing with artists
Buddy Guy and
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
, and the release of his first album at the age of twelve.
Career
Sullivan began taking guitar lessons at age three. He has studied with Brian Cass of The Overclock Orchestra and the
Toe Jam Puppet Band as well as Stan Belmarce. The first original song he wrote with Chris Waters was titled "Sing, Dance, Clap Your Hands". Sullivan first gained national media attention at age six when he appeared on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show''. He garnered more attention when
Buddy Guy asked him to come on stage and play during a performance at the Zeiterion Theater in
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
in 2007.
Sullivan has since performed on stage with Guy as well as with
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
and has played in venues such as the Beacon Theatre in New York City, the
Orpheum Theatre in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and
Buddy Guy's Legends
Buddy Guy's Legends is a blues club in Chicago, Illinois. It was opened in 1989 by blues musician Buddy Guy who still owns the club and who still makes regular appearances, performing a month of shows each January.
Legends is one of the few bl ...
in Chicago. In 2008, Sullivan appeared on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' and was featured on
NBC's ''
The Today Show'' in July 2009. In 2009, Sullivan opened for Buddy Guy on his East Coast tour during the summer, played his own set at the summer music festival
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
, as well as the
Austin City Limits Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based ...
in October. In 2011, he appeared on the ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' show.
Sullivan made a guest appearance on Buddy Guy's
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated album ''
Skin Deep'', released in 2008. His solo can be heard on the track "Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes." His single, "Summer of Love," was released in 2009. Quinn released his debut album, ''Cyclone'', in February 2011. He went on tour in the summer of 2011 with Buddy Guy to promote his album. In the fall of 2011, Quinn played such venues as Austin City Limits Music Festival and
BB King's Blues Club in New York City.
In April 2013, Quinn Sullivan played at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
with his mentor Buddy Guy during the first night of the 2013
Crossroads Guitar Festival. That same year, he sat in with
The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon.[ About pag ...](_blank)
'', and was the musical guest on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''.
On January 16, 2014, Sullivan returned to ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' to perform "She Gets Me" from his album ''Getting There''. He was given the first 60th Anniversary Stratocaster, signed by DeGeneres.
In 2015, Sullivan traveled to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to perform with
Buddy Guy at The Mahindra Blues Festival,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. In 2017, he again performed at the festival as one of the headliners.
''Midnight Highway'', Sullivan's 2017 release, peaked at number 3 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top Blues Albums Chart.
On June 4, 2021, Sullivan released his fourth studio album, ''Wide Awake'', preceded by the singles "All Around The World", "How Many Tears", and "In A World Without You".
Discography
Albums
*2011: ''Cyclone''
*2013: ''Getting There''
*2017: ''Midnight Highway''
*2021: ''Wide Awake''
References
External links
Official websiteSpecial message"Blues for the Blue" concert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Quinn
1999 births
Living people
People from New Bedford, Massachusetts
American rock guitarists
Place of birth missing (living people)
American male guitarists
Guitarists from Massachusetts
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male musicians
Provogue Records artists