In the first album in 1969, Jim Sullivan sang about aliens. 6 years later, he disappeared, the disc lying in the car seat.

Born in Nebraska in 1939, Sullivan is the seventh son in the working-class family. In high school, he was a member of the school's Survivors band and was always passionate about the guitar.

Sullivan's wife, Barbara, is the breadwinner. She worked as a secretary at Capitol Records after the family moved to Los Angeles. Sullivan performs rock and country concerts in the evenings and spends his days writing and listening to music.

Barbara's boss, John Rankin, tried to persuade executives to pay attention to Sullivan's music, but to no avail. "At that time, they were not interested and my voice did not have much weight," Rankin said. "But I believe in Jim".

Actor Al Dobbs watched Sullivan perform at a nightclub and was determined to help him produce a disc by raising money from friends to found a small record label. The debut album UFO (unidentified flying object) was released in 1969 but did not resonate. Dobbs' Ekip has no money to promote. "We used to joke about the number of discs sold," he said.

The lyrics of the album are quite strange, talking about long highways, a ghost town in Arizona, a man ready to die or be abducted by aliens in the desert.

In 1972, porn magazine tycoon Hugh Hefner founded Playboy Records and invited Sullivan to join. He released an album named after him but was again unsuccessful, as the music stores felt awkward selling albums associated with the Playboy brand. Hefner's marketing team is also not good at music.

The Sullivan family then decided to separate. On March 4, 1975, Jim planned to go to Nashville to find a writing job and then take his wife and children to Tennessee. But he could not do it.

"The day Dad left, I went to him and said 'I'll see you later. I'll drive safely' and hold his hand," said Chris, Sullivan's son. "The last thing I told him was just so ordinary."

What happens next is a mystery. On March 5, 1975, Barbara received a call from Sullivan, telling her he was okay. However, Sullivan seemed to be hiding something. When Barbara persisted, he answered, "I won't believe it if you tell me".

"I asked 'Jim, what's the matter' and he answered 'stop forgetting what I just said. I'll call you when I go to Nashville," Barbara said.

A few days passed without hearing from Sullivan, his family called hospitals and police. A police officer told Barbara that Sullivan was not in custody but "that is where he should be." The family later found out that when Sullivan was about 15 hours away, police were stopped by police to check for suspected driving while using drugs.

He passed the alcohol test, then drove to the La Mesa Motel Hotel in Santa Rosa, California. However, he did not sleep in the room. On March 8, 1975, Sullivan's car was discovered in a rural area about 40 km south of Santa Rosa. On the front seat was an ID card, a box containing two music albums and his 12-string guitar.

"When I heard the details, I knew he was not coming back," Dobbs said. "The guitar was originally his disgrace."

Pete Sena worked on a ranch near Sullivan's car detection site. He may have been the last person to have spoken to Sullivan when he spotted him walking on the street, asking if he needed a lift but Sullivan refused.

Sullivan's friends didn't think he killed himself, but no one could explain why he left the car in a remote area and refused Sena's request for a ride. Many conspiracy theories emerge about the disappearance. Some people think this is related to the mafia, police or aliens, especially considering the content of Sullivan's songs.

"Whether he disappears or not, there is something in the lyrics that is very mysterious and strange," said Matt Sullivan (not related to Jim Sullivan), the record label owner re-released the UFO album. in 2010, said. "Jim's friend pointed out that the guitar was left in the car. If Jim intentionally disappeared, he must have taken it with him. Because anywhere in the world, he could stand on it. street corner performing for a few dollars ".

Barbara believes that her husband was abducted by aliens, probably because that theory was less painful than other conspiracy theories. "My parents believed in rebirth and astrology," Chris said. "My mother believes he is somewhere on the stars to wait for her."

In Santa Rosa, locals still remember the search and rumors surrounding the mysterious disappearance. Many guests at La Mesa have asked to enter a room that Sullivan never officially checked out. Mike Gallegos, who bought the hotel in 1999, said the room is now used as a warehouse.

Local correspondent Davy Delgado said officials had thoroughly investigated. "There are no more nooks and crannies they have not searched, but no trace of him has been found." But Donald Sena, son of Pete Sena, who eventually met Sullivan, disagreed. "I always thought something was strange, why didn't they investigate it further?"

"I think he accidentally encountered something or someone aggressive," Dobbs said. "It is interesting to think that he may still be somewhere in the world. But I think something bad has happened."