Big Jim Sullivan

United Kingdom, 1958–2012

English session guitarist (1941-2012) who played on a reported thousand-plus charting singles without a name on any of them. He taught the teenage Ritchie Blackmore, and told him any guitarist can copy a recorded solo but a great one writes his own.

MusicRoots documents 0 artists who influenced Big Jim Sullivan and 1 artist Big Jim Sullivan influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Which artists did Big Jim Sullivan influence?

• Ritchie Blackmore — Blackmore found out his favourite guitarist lived a bus ride away, knocked on the door, and got lessons — including the rule he built a career on: anyone can parrot a recorded solo, a great player writes his own.