Drivin N Cryin

  It was right after recording that demo for A&M Records that Sullivan was approached by local Atlanta up and coming band 'Drivin N Cryin' who were in the process of signing a multi-album contract with the major label Island Records. Sullivan, being a fan of Kevn Kinney's songwriting and the power of Drivin N Cryin's first album jumped at the opportunity to join the band and was at the time (then 18 years old) the youngest artist to sign with Island Records. According to longtime Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, Sullivan left Mr. Crowe's Garden to join Drivin' N' Cryin' as they were being signed by Island Records, which opened an opportunity for Gorman to fill in for the Robinson brothers.

  So in 1987, Sullivan was recruited just in time to accompany the band for its first major-label release. 

His arrival stabilized the rhythm section alongside bassist Tim Nielsen and front man Kevn Kinney, with R.E.M.'s guitarist Peter Buck being a big fan of the four-piece band based in nearby Atlanta, admiring their ability to meld different styles – blues, folk-rock, roots-rock, hard-rock, punk-rock – into a cohesive whole.