SullivanBurton: Bio
SullivanBurton - ...a cheeky Irish Trio...
SullivanBurton's latest CD, "Monkey Bars [self-released 2005] is an energetic acoustic/electric mix of largely Irish material that goes well beyond the usual pub standards, with crisp playing and strong singing and a good mix of the sensitive and the silly. "Winnie's Morning Tune Set" begins as a quiet acoustic guitar piece that morphs into a hot fiddle reel with resonating bass lines as Winnie presumably wakes up. Among the songs, there are fun versions of the Oysterband's cheerfully cynical "Blood Wedding" and Tommy Makem's bawdy "Town of Ballybay"."-Tom Nelligan, Dirty Linen Magazine
Bruce Burton - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Bouzouki, Fiddle and Bodhran
Bruce is basically a fan of music in general. He began as a drummer, but then switched to the five string banjo in the late 60s. Later he picked up the guitar and piano (and a few other instruments through the years). His earliest influences spanned a combination of styles and musics with artists ranging from Earl Scruggs to Jimi Hendrix. This may have created a bit of an identity crisis, but if only for people who attempted to pigeon hole him. As a result, Bruce enjoyed influences from many genres and he brings it all to the table in SullivanBurton.
Bruce has played Bluegrass, Folk, Country Rock, Rock and Roll, Power Pop and New Wave throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. However, for the last 15 years he has been "hooked" on Celtic music for
its power and its history. The affiliation has yielded more travels as well as numerous well received recordings including the recent SullivanBurton "Monkey Bars" recordings which received accolades from Dirty Linen magazine.
Tom Jones - Bodhran, Djembe, Whistles, Percussion, Vocals
Tom can brighten up a stage as soon as he walks on. He is the rhythmic backbone to SullivanBurton with his driving rhythms and infectious beats and is no stranger to Celtic music. There are few bodhran players that can match up to TJ. As a long time member of a popular Irish band, Tom left to co-found, with Shannan, the Roundstone Buskers in 2001-2002. Tom is in demand and can be found playing in other groups including The Clones and Celtricity.
Shannan Sullivan - Fiddle/Violin, Keyboard, Vocals
Shannan is a classically trained violinist who studied violin in college (in the most serious sense) and played in the usual symphony, chamber orchestras and quartets. While she appreciated the music she felt no real passion for it. Several years later and many frequent flyer miles logged she picked her violin back up and caught up with her roots and has been playing Celtic music ever since.
Celtic music has a way of keeping it all in the family. Shannan has performed with Bruce and Tom (virtual band of brothers) on and off for the last ten years and can sometimes be seen accompanying the Flynn's Irish Dancers under the direction of her cousin Peggy Flynn Dwyer.