Quinn Sullivan

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Quinn Sullivan fuses the grounded textures of modern blues with the tuneful approach of vintage rock. By age six he was already performing live, and before reaching driving age he had recorded his opening pair of albums, joined bills with several iconic guitarists, made network TV appearances, and earned guidance from Buddy Guy. The 2013 release Getting There highlighted his remarkably developed soloing ability, whereas Midnight Highway three years later marked the emergence of a more personal voice, and Wide Awake in 2021 demonstrated fresh depth as both composer and player, a direction extended by the vigorous 2024 EP Rise Up Children.

Born March 26, 1999, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Sullivan received his first guitar at three and never turned aside. Displaying innate talent, he drew early national notice with an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at six. At eight he approached Buddy Guy for an autograph after a concert at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford; once Guy had signed the instrument he invited the boy to play, and was astonished by the result. “Be ready when I call your name,” Guy instructed, marking Sullivan’s formal entry into the blues world. The veteran became his mentor, and the youngster cultivated a dynamic, wide-ranging electric style that could evoke Hendrix or Clapton, a gift for crafting pop material, and a core foundation in the blues.

Sullivan contributed a guest solo to Guy’s 2008 album Skin Deep and issued his debut single, “Summer of Love,” the next year. He became the youngest artist to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival at thirteen, while his résumé also encompassed sets at the Austin City Limits Festival, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, and concerts across Europe, India, and the Middle East. Cyclone appeared in 2011, followed by Getting There in 2013. After the latter, he performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon backed by the Roots and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Midnight Highway, his third studio album, arrived in 2017 and included the singles “She Gets Me,” “Something for Me,” and “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming.” During a touring hiatus Sullivan concentrated on songwriting, and the resulting 2021 full-length Wide Awake, recorded when he was twenty-two, reflected greater maturity and refinement as a tunesmith while retaining his signature guitar fireworks. Soon afterward he released an EP drawn from the Jam in the Van live-concert series.

Following the November 2023 single “Salvation (Make Me Wanna Pray),” he issued “Half My Heart” and “Dark Love” in early 2024; all three tracks featured on the Rise Up Children EP that May.