Biography
The Sullivan Family came together toward the close of the 1940s and soon played a leading role in popularizing both gospel and bluegrass styles. Its founding members were brothers Enoch (born Enoch Hugh Sullivan, 18 September 1933, St. Stephens, Alabama, USA; vocals, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Emmett (born Emmett Austin Sullivan, 23 July 1936, St. Stephens, Alabama, USA, d. 10 April 1993, Alabama, USA; guitar, banjo, bass) together with Enoch’s wife Margie (born Margie Louise Brewster, 22 January 1933, Winnsboro, Louisiana, USA; guitar). Their father, Arthur Sullivan, served as a church minister, so the brothers absorbed gospel music from an early age while also encountering traditional country through radio broadcasts; Margie likewise grew up with both sacred and secular sounds. All three musicians cited Bill Monroe and the Bailes Brothers as especially formative influences. Enoch and Margie met at an Alabama revival and married in 1949. The group launched its radio career in Mississippi and Alabama, continuing those broadcasts into the mid-1950s, by which time they had already cut their first sides and would later record for Loyal Records near the decade’s end. They sustained their radio work while making occasional television appearances.
Having become acquainted with their early idols—Walter Bailes, owner of Loyal Records, among them—the Sullivans received an invitation from Monroe to perform at bluegrass festivals beginning in the late 1960s. They maintained an active festival schedule through subsequent decades and also toured Europe. Although Enoch, Emmett, and Margie formed the group’s nucleus, the lineup frequently expanded to include other relatives such as the brothers’ father Arthur, their uncle Jerry Sullivan, Enoch and Margie’s daughter Lisa, and cousin Aubrey Sullivan. Numerous additional singers and players joined them over the years, among them Joe Stuart, Marty Stuart, Carl Jackson, Joy DeVille, James Phillips, Joe Cook, and Earn Sneed, many of whom later gained prominence in country music. Beyond concerts and recordings, the family disseminated news of their activities through the newspaper Bluegrass Gospel News, which they established in 1989. Despite achieving national recognition, they remained near Arthur Sullivan’s Alabama home well into the new millennium.
Having become acquainted with their early idols—Walter Bailes, owner of Loyal Records, among them—the Sullivans received an invitation from Monroe to perform at bluegrass festivals beginning in the late 1960s. They maintained an active festival schedule through subsequent decades and also toured Europe. Although Enoch, Emmett, and Margie formed the group’s nucleus, the lineup frequently expanded to include other relatives such as the brothers’ father Arthur, their uncle Jerry Sullivan, Enoch and Margie’s daughter Lisa, and cousin Aubrey Sullivan. Numerous additional singers and players joined them over the years, among them Joe Stuart, Marty Stuart, Carl Jackson, Joy DeVille, James Phillips, Joe Cook, and Earn Sneed, many of whom later gained prominence in country music. Beyond concerts and recordings, the family disseminated news of their activities through the newspaper Bluegrass Gospel News, which they established in 1989. Despite achieving national recognition, they remained near Arthur Sullivan’s Alabama home well into the new millennium.