Quinn Sullivan Interview: The Future of Blues Guitar

By: Matt Warnock

Featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, written up in Guitar World Magazine, been a featured guest with Buddy Guy multiple times at his Legends Blues club in Chicago, and just celebrated his 12th birthday. Yep you read that last part right. Most guitarists would be happy with having the chance to have one of those accomplishments on their resumes by the middle of their careers, yet East Coast Blues sensation Quinn Sullivan has been there and done that, and he still has four years to wait to get his driver’s license.

Not only is Sullivan an accomplished live performer, in both clubs and on TV shows, but his latest album Cyclone is a testament to the amount of talent, determination and musical skill that this young Blues monster possesses. Mixing Blues and Rock influences in his writing and guitar work, the album is as good as any Blues record released in recent years by players who are three and four times Sullivan’s age, a testament to the fact that when a player has it, they have it, regardless of their age or background.

Guitar International recently caught up with Blues Wunderkind Quinn Sullivan to talk about his early influences, his relationship to Buddy Guy and why he plays Fender guitars and Amps.

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Matt Warnock: You’ve been playing guitar for a long time now, and you’re only 12 years old. Can you tell us how you were first introduced to the guitar?

Quinn Sullivan: I had a lot of music in my house when I was growing up, my parents listened to a lot of bands like The Grateful Dead, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. My parents got me a guitar for Christmas when I was three years old, and I got really interested in it and started taking guitar lessons. It just seemed to come natural to me at the time, so that’s how it all started.

Matt: When did you get your first full-sized guitar and what kind of guitar was it?

Quinn: I got my first full-sized guitar when I was six, and it was a Fender Squire Strat. I still play Fender’s today. Fender just sent me a white Strat, which was very nice of them. I’ve tried Gibson’s and PRS’s, and I used to have a Gibson, but I think that Fender just gives me the tone that I want and it feels like the right guitar for me. I also have a Fender Deluxe amp that I use, so I’m really into the Fender sound.

Matt: Do you like to use a lot of effects pedals when you play?

Quinn: Buddy Guy gave me his signature Wah-Wah pedal, so I like to use that to get that Jimi Hendrix sound when I’m playing. I also have a Tube Screamer that I use to get the overdrive sound out of my amp.

Matt: Who would you say your three or four biggest influences are on the guitar?

Quinn: Probably Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton, Santana, Warren Haynes, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Frank Zappa and of course Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix.

Matt: You recently played at Buddy Guy’s club in Chicago, what was that like?

Quinn: Buddy’s asked me to play there during his January residency every year for a while now, and it’s just a great experience getting to go play with him at Legends in Chicago. It’s a really cool experience, being with Buddy, and Legends is just awesome, especially the new one. They knocked down the old one and built a new one, and I really like the new club.

Click to Get Cyclone from Amazon.com

Matt: You wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on your new album Cyclone. Do you write the music first or the lyrics first when you sit down to write a new song?

Quinn: It basically just happens. It doesn’t really have an order. I just start by jamming on a couple of notes and then go to the next notes and it takes off from there. Then finally we have a song, it seems to just work like that.

Matt: What do the kids at school think about you being on the road playing guitar with all these musical legends?

Quinn: I go to a Public school, and it’s pretty quiet. I don’t brag about myself. I just try to be cool and be good and not draw a lot of attention to myself and what I’m doing. I go out on the road mostly on the weekends during the school year. Then I leave to tour more in the summer. I just go to school every week like a normal person would.

Matt: Do you have any hobbies besides playing guitar, do you have time to do anything else right now?

Quinn: Yeah, I love playing basketball with my friends in the summer. It’s not always about the guitar. I make time to do other things when I can.

Matt: I’ve found that some of the best guitarists are some of the worst Guitar Hero players. Have you played the game and how did you do with it?

Quinn: I’ve played it a couple of time. It was fun, but it’s no comparison to playing the real thing. It’s a fun game. It’s cool to feel like a rock star when you’re playing the game. It’s pretty cool, just not the same as the real thing.

Matt: As you go forward do you see yourself expanding your musical output to Rock and other genres, or are you a Blues player through and through?

Quinn: You don’t really know your future so I can’t really say where music will take me, but I hope I have a very successful music career and stick with it for a long time. I also like Rock n Roll, Rock music is awesome, so my playing is a mixture of the two styles. When I play with Buddy, of course it’s all about the Blues with him, but I also like Rock n Roll as well.

Matt: Do you have any advice for other young players out there who are trying to get more into guitar and get out and play as much as you are?

Quinn: I would just say keep going and continue what you’re doing. If you try hard and follow your dream, hopefully things will click and it’ll all come together.