Who was/is Niki Sullivan ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Niki Sullivan
Niki Sullivan will go down in history as rhythm guitarist with the Crickets, the other guy in spectacles on their first album, and the man whose background vocal helped adorn That'll Be The Day. Sullivan was born in Southgate, California, but his adolescence was not dissimilar to Buddy Holly's. He grew up on the same diet of hillbilly and R&B with a particular leaning towards Hank Williams and Hank Ballard. He toured with the Crickets and cavorted behind Holly on the famous clip from the Ed Sullivan Show. He left the group at the end of 1957. There had been some tension which is now played down by all concerned. Nonetheless, a punch from Sullivan was allegedly responsible for Jerry Allison's slitty eyes on the aforementioned album jacket.
It's All Over, Sullivan's prophetic title on DOT, came out in April 1958. It was recorded at a tiny Lubbock studio and given to Peer-Southern publisher Murray Deutch who arranged the DOT contract. There were no more Niki Sullivan records as such, but he recorded as part of the Hollyhawks on JUBILEE in 1963 and Soul Incorporated on JOLI in 1966. Twenty years on, he was living in Kansas City where he worked as a sales manager.
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