James "Jimmy" Owen Sullivan (February , â€" December , ), also known
by his stage name The Rev (shortened version of The Reverend Tholomew
Plague), was an American musician. He is best known as the drummer,
songwriter, backing vocalist, and founding member of American heavy
metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The Rev was widely regarded and
critically acclaimed for his work on the band's albums, and
contributed entire songs composed by himself, such as "Afterlife", "A
Little Piece of Heaven", and "Almost Easy".He was also the lead
vocalist/pianist in Pinkly Smooth, a side project where he was known
by the name Rathead, with fellow Avenged Sevenfold member Synyster
Gates, and was the drummer for Suburban Legends from to .Sullivan was
born in Tustin, California, on February , , of Irish descent. He
received his first pair of drumsticks at the age of five and his own
drum set at the age of twelve. In high school, he started playing in
bands. Before leaving to join Avenged Sevenfold as one of the band's
founding members, Sullivan was the drummer for the third wave ska band
Suburban Legends. At the age of , he recorded his first album with
Avenged Sevenfold titled Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. His early
influences included Frank Zappa and King Crimson. The Rev stated in an
interview with Modern Drummer that he "was raised on that stuff as
much as rock and metal."Later in life, he was influenced by drummers
Vinnie Paul, Mike Portnoy (who would later be his fill-in with Avenged
Sevenfold), Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, and Terry Bozzio, stating
"It's funny [...], of all my influences, Tommy Lee is a visual
influence. I never thought I'd have one of those." Sullivan had a
signature ability called "the double-ride thing" or "The Double
Octopus", as The Rev called it, "just for lack of a better
definition." "The double-ride thing" is a technique that can be heard
on tracks such as "Almost Easy", "Critical Acclaim", "Crossroads", and
"Dancing Dead", in which Sullivan doubles up at a fast tempo between
the double bass and ride cymbals. While playing, Sullivan often
twirled his stick and tossed it between hands to show off for the
crowd.[citation needed]
by his stage name The Rev (shortened version of The Reverend Tholomew
Plague), was an American musician. He is best known as the drummer,
songwriter, backing vocalist, and founding member of American heavy
metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The Rev was widely regarded and
critically acclaimed for his work on the band's albums, and
contributed entire songs composed by himself, such as "Afterlife", "A
Little Piece of Heaven", and "Almost Easy".He was also the lead
vocalist/pianist in Pinkly Smooth, a side project where he was known
by the name Rathead, with fellow Avenged Sevenfold member Synyster
Gates, and was the drummer for Suburban Legends from to .Sullivan was
born in Tustin, California, on February , , of Irish descent. He
received his first pair of drumsticks at the age of five and his own
drum set at the age of twelve. In high school, he started playing in
bands. Before leaving to join Avenged Sevenfold as one of the band's
founding members, Sullivan was the drummer for the third wave ska band
Suburban Legends. At the age of , he recorded his first album with
Avenged Sevenfold titled Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. His early
influences included Frank Zappa and King Crimson. The Rev stated in an
interview with Modern Drummer that he "was raised on that stuff as
much as rock and metal."Later in life, he was influenced by drummers
Vinnie Paul, Mike Portnoy (who would later be his fill-in with Avenged
Sevenfold), Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, and Terry Bozzio, stating
"It's funny [...], of all my influences, Tommy Lee is a visual
influence. I never thought I'd have one of those." Sullivan had a
signature ability called "the double-ride thing" or "The Double
Octopus", as The Rev called it, "just for lack of a better
definition." "The double-ride thing" is a technique that can be heard
on tracks such as "Almost Easy", "Critical Acclaim", "Crossroads", and
"Dancing Dead", in which Sullivan doubles up at a fast tempo between
the double bass and ride cymbals. While playing, Sullivan often
twirled his stick and tossed it between hands to show off for the
crowd.[citation needed]
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