"Pioneer Of British Rock Guitar" BIG JIM SULLIVAN Passes
October 2, 2012, 11 years ago
According to the blog Darker Than Blue, the "unsung pioneer of British rock guitar" Big Jim Sullivan passed away earlier today (October 2nd). Sullivan impacted on the Deep Purple story when at the age of 16 he began giving guitar lessons from the front room of his London home. Blackmore was an early visitor. “Richie was a precocious talent even then," said Sullivan. And "he learned to be an individual very quickly. To be truthful I think that telling him to be an individual and making him use his little finger is all I needed to tell him. The rest was natural to him.”
Sullivan later teamed up with Deep Purple producer Derek Lawrence to begin their own record label, Retreat, and wrote and produced a load of records, including US glam metal outfit ANGEL and the 1971 studio project GREEN BULLFROG, where the musicians - including Blackmore and Ian Paice - were billed under pseudonyms.
Sullivan also had connections with LED ZEPPELIN, reportedly lending Jimmy Page the acoustic used on their third album. He recalled leaving one eventful meeting with the band. “As I walked out, on the carpet there was foam about this deep and a naked girl goes sliding past. And then another one. Followed by John Paul Jones and John Bonham.”
Read more at Darker Than Blue.
