Quinn Sullivan Live At Concerts On The Square, Exton, PA, July 19, 2016

Photo courtesy of Karin Ricci
What were you doing at age six, still learning to tie your shoes?  A very young Quinn Sullivan appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at that age and he later performed in concert with Buddy Guy at age eight.

Now, at seventeen, and old enough to dress himself, Sullivan is a proven guitar prodigy influenced by everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to George Harrison and Stevie Ray Vaughan, just to name a few. He's also played at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits and shared a stage with B. B. King.

Hype found on the Internet is frequently exaggerated and often strategically posted to be self-serving, but in Sullivan's case the publicity is true. This young dude can play with the best of them and his idols are often in awe of him when it should be the other way around.

Sullivan's live show at a small, outdoor venue in Exton, PA, whose Summer series is called Concerts On The Square, has frequently featured great artists who are up and coming, including future stars like Melody Gardot.   Last week the promotors added Sullivan to the list.

Sullivan's axe work was superb and his cover of "Little Wing" was an impressive thing of beauty. He also played his single and the title track from his second album, Getting There (2013).

His fretwork was jaw dropping but the soon-to-be star needs to polish his stage act. He makes little connection outside of his musicianship.  Telling us what songs he played would have been a great help to fully enjoying the evening.   But, let's remember, he is still a teenager and has plenty of time to work on his stage presence.

Sullivan's vocals are fine, nothing spectacular, but they don't need to be.  His guitar playing sings for him.

Sullivan's quartet included a keyboard player, a bassist, and record producer Tom Hambridge on drums. Hambridge has worked with King, Guy, Delbert McClinton, ZZ Top, Hank Williams Jr., Susan Tedeschi, and a whole lot more.

There really isn't a lot more to say and so the best way to introduce you to the Massachusetts native is to sample his videos below.  Be sure to listen to him tackle George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at age seven.  Simply unbelievable!

See more at Sullivan's website.



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