Cid's Story
CINDY/CIDNY BULLENS
Cidny Bullens is a two-time Grammy nominee whose 50-year career in the music business began auspiciously- working with Elton John, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, and Pop record producer/songwriter Bob Crewe. She also sang three lead vocals on the movie soundtrack of Grease. In 1978 she recorded her own critically acclaimed album Desire Wire, which earned her a Grammy nomination and catapulted Cindy into the international spotlight.
Cindy has had success in Nashville writing with some of Country’s hottest songwriters-including the 1994 Country hit Hammer and Nails written with and recorded by Radney Foster.
In March of 1996, Cindy lost her 11 year-old daughter Jessie to cancer. That tragedy inspired Cindy to write and record her widely acclaimed 1999 CD Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth, featuring appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Bryan Adams, Beth Neilson Chapman, Rodney Crowell, and a haunting duet with her elder daughter, Reid Crewe.
With that release, Cindy received worldwide attention from press, radio, and television, including NBC's Today Show, CBS This Morning, Conan O'Brien Late Night, The New York Times, People Magazine, Rolling Stone and many more. The CD also received the Best Rock Album award in 2000 by the AFIM Independent Music Association.
Cindy’s album Neverland (2001), features Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and John Hiatt. Her 2005 album, dream #29, includes the rollicking piano playing of pal Sir Elton John on the title track, a duet with Delbert McClinton, and a vocal appearance by Boston Red Sox great Tim Wakefield. Her 2010 CD, Howling Trains and Barking Dogs is a tribute to her Nashville co-writing days in the 1990's, compiling her best songs from that period.
In 2007, Cindy formed the upstart and uprising super-trio The Refugees with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland. Their first CD Unbound was released in 2009 and their second CD THREE in 2012. The Refugees released an EP of new songs How Far It Goes in September of 2019 and released their acclaimed tribute album California in May of 2023. They have a new “best of The Refugees” album coming commemorating their 20th anniversary in January of 2027.
In 2011, Cindy became Cidny, making the difficult and daunting decision to transition from female to male. He stepped back from the public eye to go through the process until this year, re-emerging as Cidny Bullens.
2020' s Walkin' Through This World is Cid's first album as Cidny Bullens. Co-produced with Ray Kennedy in Nashville, the songs on this album reflect Cid's journey through his transition. Guests include Rodney Crowell, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Mary Gauthier, The album was re-released in late 2023 as Little Pieces by Kill Rock Stars Nashville label. Here's the link to Cid's Official videos of the singles "The Gender Line" youtube.com/watch?v=lpTKHH-HEoc , "Walkin' Through This World" youtube.com/watch?v=xM88T5n29Qc and “Little Pieces” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL4VWbGy2r4
In 2019, a documentary short about Cid's life called "The Gender Line" directed by T.J. Parsell, screened at over 25 film festivals all across the Globe, garnering numerous "Best of" and Audience Awards.
During the pandemic in 2020-21, Cid wrote a memoir of his exceptional life TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star (with foreword by Sir Elton John) which was published and released to stellar reviews by Chicago Review Press in June of 2023. Cid's memoir endorsements include Sir Elton, Bonnie Raitt, Billie Jean King, T Bone Burnett, Rodney Crowell, Mary Gauthier, John Mankiewicz, and other notables in music, literature, theater, and film.
"TransElectric belongs on the small shelf of great rock n’ roll memoirs. But it transcends the genre. Cidny Bullens’ story, bravely and beautifully told, is at once about the music, personal truth, and the history of our time. Rave on.”
--CARL BERNSTEIN, Pulizter-proze winning journalist (and onetime rock critic), The Washington Post
Cid is returning to perform his newest version of his one person show Somewhere Between: Not An Ordinary Life starting in the fall of 2026.