On his 1969 debut album, Jim Sullivan sang about aliens. 6 years later, he disappeared, the disc lying on the car seat.

Born in Nebraska in 1939, Sullivan was the seventh son of a 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, was the breadwinner. She worked as a secretary at Capitol Records after the family moved to Los Angeles. Sullivan performed rock and country music in the evenings and spent his days composing and listening to music.

Barbara’s boss, John Rankin, tried unsuccessfully to persuade record executives to pay attention to Sullivan’s music. “At that time, they weren’t interested and my voice didn’t have much weight,” Rankin said. “But I believe in Jim.”

Actor Al Dobbs saw Sullivan perform at a nightclub and determined to help him release a record by raising money from friends to found a small record label. The debut album titled UFO (unidentified flying object) was released in 1969 but did not make a splash. Dobbs’s team has no money to promote. “We used to joke about the number of records sold,” he said.

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

In 1972, porn magazine tycoon Hugh Hefner founded Playboy Records and invited Sullivan to join him. He released a self-titled album but was again unsuccessful, as record 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 songwriting job and then take his wife and children to Tennessee. But he couldn’t do those things.

“The day Dad left, I went up to him and said ‘you and Mom will see you later. Drive safely’ and held his hand,” said Sullivan’s son, Chris. “The last thing I told you was just that normal.”

What happened next is a mystery. On March 5, 1975, Barbara received a call from Sullivan, telling her that he was fine. However, Sullivan seemed to hint at something. When Barbara pressed him, he replied, “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

“I asked ‘Jim, what’s the problem’ and he said ‘forget what I just said. I’ll call you when I get to Nashville,'” Barbara said.

Several days passed without hearing from Sullivan, and his family called hospitals and the police. A police officer told Barbara that Sullivan was not in custody but “that’s where he should be.” The family later learned that after about 15 hours on the road, Sullivan was stopped by the police for a check because he was suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.

He passed the alcohol test, then drove to the La Mesa Motel 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 were his identification card, a box containing two music albums and his 12-string guitar.

“When I heard that detail, I knew he wasn’t coming back,” Dobbs said. “The guitar is his inseparable possession.”

Pete Sena worked on a farm near where Sullivan’s car was discovered. He may have been the last person to speak to Sullivan when he spotted him walking on the street, asking him if he needed a ride but Sullivan refused.

Sullivan’s friends do not believe he committed suicide, but no one can explain why he abandoned his car in a remote area and refused Sena’s offer of a ride. Many conspiracy theories have emerged about the disappearance. Some people think this has something to do with the mafia, the police or aliens, especially considering the content of Sullivan’s songs.

“Whether he disappeared or not, there was something about the lyrics that was mysterious and strange,” says Matt Sullivan (no relation to Jim Sullivan), whose label re-released the UFO album on 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 be standing on performing on street corners to ask for a few dollars”.

Barbara believes her husband was abducted by aliens, perhaps because that theory is less heartbreaking than other conspiracy theories. “My parents believe in reincarnation and astrology,” Chris said. “My mother believes he is somewhere in the stars waiting for her.”

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

Local reporter Davy Delgado said authorities conducted a thorough investigation. “There was no corner they hadn’t searched, but there was no trace of him.” But Donald Sena, Pete Sena’s son, the last person to meet Sullivan, disagreed. “I always thought there was something strange, why didn’t they investigate further?”

“I think he unfortunately encountered something or someone aggressive,” Dobbs said. “It’s poetic to think that he could still be somewhere in this world. But I think something bad happened.”