The SULLY BAND Debuts at #3 on Billboard's Blues Chart

On March 11th, San Diego's "Best Live Band," The Sully Band, released their debut LP Let's Straighten It Out! via Belly Up Records/Blue Élan Records to much critical acclaim and an entry at #3 on Billboard's Blues chart this week.

The album was curated and produced by multiple GRAMMY-Award winner Chris Goldsmith. With it, Robert "Sully" Sullivan and his bluesy, nine-piece beast of a band take us on a journey through the ups, downs, and all-arounds of love by way of 10 classic '60s and '70s soul, blues, and R&B tunes.

The band celebrated the lauded debut with a triumphant album release show at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California on March 17th, packing the legendary 600-person venue to near capacity. Special guests included Sydney Sierota of Echosmith singing a reprised version of "Cool Kids," Rebecca Jade joining the stage for "When The Battle Is Over" and "RESPECT," and Anthony Cullins joining for "If You Love Me Like You Say."

While the show was already made magical by the enthusiastic crowd and guest performances, it was also an extremely personal experience for Sully himself, as the show paid tribute his close friend and work-wife of 25 years, Russ T Nailz, a San Diego personality, who died suddenly on March 9th while filming the show he co-hosted with Sully called "On the Air with Sully, Little Tommy & Russ T Nailz."

The album's "When The Battle Is Over (ft. Rebecca Jade)" written by Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John) and Jessie Hill, was nominated for a 2022 San Diego Music Award for Best R&B, Funk or Soul Song.

Let's Straighten It Out! also features Billy Preston's "Nothing From Nothing" and Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher," treasures which share the tracklist with lesser-known nuggets like "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" by Ray Charles.

The title track, first recorded by Latimore in 1974, appears alongside Shuggie Otis' "Ice Cold Daydream," and "I Wish It Would Rain," first made a hit by The Temptations. On "If You Love Me Like You Say," the late Albert "Iceman" Collins is evoked by Anthony Cullins, the 20-year-old guitar sensation from Fallbrook, California.

Anchored by GRAMMY Award-winning slayer of the bass, James East (Eric Clapton, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and many others), The Sully Band is composed of seasoned, accomplished players who hail from all over the globe. The horn section features sax-flute-harp-man Tripp Sprague (Kenny Loggins, The Little River Band, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops) and trumpet and flugelhorn player Steve Dillard (The Righteous Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd). According to Rock & Blues Muse, "This band sounds like they've been together for years."

Listen to the album here:

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