Quinn Sullivan

Singer, songwriter, and blues-rock guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan cut his first two albums, shared stages with a handful of legendary guitarists, appeared on national television, and was mentored by Buddy Guy -- all before he was old enough to get a driver's license. Performing in public by the time he was six years old, Sullivan's music blends the earthy sound of contemporary blues with the melodic sensibility of classic rock, and his soloing takes blues figures and works them into new shapes with powerful melodic frameworks. 2013's Getting There showed off Sullivan's surprisingly accomplished skills as a soloist, while 2017's Midnight Highway found him developing a more individual sound, and 2021's Wide Awake revealed a new maturity as a songwriter and instrumentalist. Quinn Sullivan was born March 26, 1999 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He received his first guitar at the age of three and never looked back. A natural musician, he first gained some national attention when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at the age of six. Sullivan was only eight when he asked Buddy Guy to sign a guitar backstage at a show Guy was doing at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford. After signing it, Guy asked Sullivan if he could play a little, and he couldn't believe what he heard when Sullivan took the guitar and started playing. "Be ready when I call your name," Guy told him, and Sullivan was formally introduced to the blues community. Guy became his mentor, and the youngster developed an exciting, varied, and energetic electric guitar style capable of channeling everyone from Hendrix to Clapton, a flair for writing pop songs, and a fundamental grounding in the blues. In 2008, Sullivan played a guest solo in Guy's album Skin Deep, and he issued his first single, "Summer of Love," the following year. He became the youngest performer ever to appear at the Montreux Jazz Festival (he was 13), and his résumé also included appearances at the Austin City Limits Festival, Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, and gigs all across Europe, India, and the Middle East. He released a debut album, Cyclone, in 2011, following it with Getting There in 2013. After the release of Getting There, Sullivan appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, backed by the Roots, as well as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2017, Sullivan returned with his third full-length album, Midnight Highway, featuring the singles "She Gets Me," "Something for Me," and "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming." Sullivan took time to focus on his songwriting during his downtime from the road, and his fourth full-length release, 2021's Wide Awake, found the young man (now 22 years old) showing a greater maturity and sophistication as a tunesmith, along with the expected flashy guitar moves.
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