Jim Sullivan. One of the last photos of him during a concert dedicated to UFOs, which later disappeared.
UFOs fascinated rock musicians and one of the most mysterious events of this combination was what happened to the singer. Jim Sullivan, in particular, in various aspects of his sudden disappearance when he was 34.
The story of this musician is resumed on social networks for all the mysteries he has and because he never really knew what happened.
Jim Sullivan He has a biography that is not at all clear or linear. In 1969 she recorded her first album UFO (acronym for Unidentified Flying Object, UFO in English) accompanied by an exceptional group of musicians from Los Angeles. The material lasted just 29 minutes and it was enough to make it a cult album over the years.
However, six years later, disillusioned with the failure of his musical endeavors, Sullivan left California and wanted to try his luck in Nashville, but never reached his destination. He was lost in the desert without a trace and no one, until today, knew what had happened to him.
Jim Sullivan. Playing in a bar in Malibu, California.
Jim Sullivan: A UFO obsessed songwriter
In 1969 Sullivan had become a celebrity at Raft, a bar in Malibu, California, among his fans was the actor Harry Dean Stanton and other Hollywood movie characters.
Sullivan got along very well with the cinematic environment, even appearing in a cameo in the film I am looking for my destiny (Easy Rider)by Dennis Hopper. The film had a soundtrack that included, among others, Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf and The Byrds.
From his sessions at the Raft, a group of sponsors recognized his talent and put the money to record his first album, UFO where Sullivan radiated all the extraterrestrial presence in his lyrics which, according to the musician, were essential during the composition.
the musicians who On his first album he was accompanied by members of the Wrecking Crew, who had accompanied the Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel, among other groups..
On the disk UFO performed by keyboardist Don Randi, drummer Earl Palmer and bassist Jimmy Bond, who also produced and arranged Sullivan’s album.
Jim Sullivan’s life before he got into music
The singer-songwriter wrote in 1970 about his rocky beginnings. He said he was “the seventh son of a Nebraska farmer who arrived in the big city during World War II. “
Sullivan also said he decided to indulge himself “to music when I sat and listened to rehearsals of blues bands in various houses. I observed guitarists closely and then went home to practice”Okie Dokie Stomp‘by Clarence’ Gatemouth ‘Brown until corns have grown on the fingertips and brain. “
He also assured that he went “to work with several rock bands, the music was getting louder. A few years have passed, I decided to move to Los Angeles and focus on writing and here I am. “
Although Sullivan’s style has been compared to folk-rock like Gene Clark of the Byrds and Joe South, the album UFO it had little success. For the next six years, Sullivan continued to perform at the Raft and other clubs.But his life was beginning to crumble.
Jim Sullivan. He made a cameo in the legendary movie “Easy Rider”.
Sullivan believed that some of his music was stolen, he became depressed a strong addiction to alcohol and in that context hit rock bottom.
This prompted Sullivan to pack his bags in 1975 and set off alone, in his Volkswagen Beetle, to find work in Nashville. He promised his wife, Carol, and their son, Chris, that they would join him when he made some money. That would be the last time his family would see him alive.
In the footsteps of Jim Sullivan in the desert
In 1998 a group of directors consisting of Jennifer Maas, Mel Eslyn and Matt Sullivan (who was unrelated to the musician) tried to find out what had happened and toured the United States to follow in the singer’s footsteps. They talked to their friends, colleagues and family.
The filmmakers interviewed musicians Don Randi and Jimmy Bond, but they remembered little of Jim Sullivan. The executive producer of the original album, Al Dobbs, had a collection of old contracts, the cover photo of the original album UFO and an image of the singer-songwriter walking in the California desert.
The investigation into one of rock’s strangest stories led the filmmaking team to shoot in the New Mexico desert. On the Aquarium Drunkard blog they say they arrived “in a small town two hours east of Albuquerque on Route 66. It was more like Texas Hill Country than the vast desert we had imagined.“.
The news investigation team reconstructed the musician’s last days as follows: “Jim Sullivan left Los Angeles in his Volkswagen at noon on March 4, 1975“.
“In the early morning of March 5 he was arrested on the outskirts of Santa Rosa for deviating from the route and driving in a zigzag. He was taken to the local police station for a breathalyzer test, which he passed without any problems as he apparently just fell asleep at the wheel, “the investigators added.
A motel on Route 66. Where Jim Sullivan was last seen before he was lost forever in the desert.
Leaving the police station, Jim checked in at the La Mesa Motel, ma Police reports later indicated that he had not slept on the bed in his room which was locked from the inside.
On the other hand, Jim Sullivan’s car was found outside a ranch 25 miles from the motel. From this point on, reports differ as to whether Sullivan spoke to the ranch owners or their workers.
“When the police found Jim’s car, it was locked and the engine was off.Matt Sullivan wrote in his investigation: “Several items were found in the car, including Jim’s wallet, guitar, clothes, tapes and some cassettes.”
“Jim’s family traveled to join the search teams, but all tracking was sterile. They never found the singer’s body.
UFO. Sullivan was obsessed with his presence in America. photo / file
Sullivan’s manager, Robert “Buster” Ginter, later stated this in the early hours of a long night. They were talking about what they would do if they disappeared. “Jim said he would go to the desert and never come backGinter confessed.
These words from the manager along with the lyrics of the album UFO, that it was full of references to UFOs and the desert; led many followers to crystallize a hypothesis as the only possible explanation of the mystery: alien abduction.
The legacy of Jim Sullivan, the songwriter who was allegedly kidnapped by beings from other planets
For researcher Jennifer Maas there is a more important legacy than the strange coincidence of Jim Sullivan’s disappearance: his great album “UFO” released in 1969.
“His voice has an altered sound that ranges from country music to rock. The musical arrangements of UFOs they are excellent, but also dark and disturbing because in the end their songs are full of despairwrote Matt Sullivan.
And Maas slipped a hypothesis about his disappearance. “There is something in their lyrics that is incredibly mysterious. One of Jim’s friends pointed out that he had left his guitar in the car. If Jim had disappeared, that would have been the only thing he would have takenbecause wherever he was in the world, he could always stand in a corner and earn some money playing his music “.
Indeed in one of his few published interviews, Jim Sullivan stated; “My whole life is dedicated to the guitar. I hope that the listener of my songs will get as much pleasure in listening to my music as I feel when I produce it.“.
Source: Clarin
