TransElectric

Overview

From the depths of the '70s rock 'n' roll excesses through unimaginable personal losses to an inspiring late-life transformation, Cidny Bullens’s story is an utterly compelling journey about living and singing with your authentic voice.

An androgynous gender-bending musician from the get-go, Bullens toured extensively with Sir Elton John and performed with Bob Dylan, undergoing a complete immersion in the drug-fueled excesses of 1970s rock 'n' roll. Despite getting sober, climbing the charts with the Grammy-nominated Survivor, as well as a Grammy nomination for his lead vocals in the soundtrack for the movie Grease, Bullens was unable to break out as a solo star in a world that allowed its artists to cross the gender line, but had much more narrow expectations about how women could behave and perform.

Retreating into the conventional lifestyle of a suburban mom, Bullens felt like she was living in an alternate universe. Then whatever world she had was shattered by the tragic death of her younger daughter from cancer. Out of the ashes of despair, Bullens brought forth an award-winning album, Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth, that relaunched the musician’s career. 

Finally, nine years ago, Cidny claimed his own healing and transitioned from female to male—finding unexpected love, becoming a new stepfather and a grandfather.

What he found, too, was his true voice and true power as a performer.
 

Reviews

“It’s an extraordinary story of an exceptional human being. What a story! What a life!” —Sir Elton John 

“Cidny Bullens’s journey to his authentic self is deeply personal and highly inspirational. He shines a light on a subject that for far too long many pushed down, few discussed, and yet he found a way to his truth.” —Billie Jean King 

“Cidny’s lived one of the most extraordinary lives of any one I know. Multiple lives really—encompassing some the most compelling cultural and personal crossroads of our time. A firecracker of talent, personality, and courage, his story can’t help but make for riveting and heartwarming reading. So glad to have been part of the ride.” —Bonnie Raitt

“Cidny Bullens, who has been a great friend and a high order musician/singer/writer since we first met scuffling around Laurel Canyon in the early 1970s, has found home. I was moved by the union of honesty, compassion, and forgiveness in this fearless, transelectric book.” —T Bone Burnett, Grammy Award–Winning record producer and songwriter 

“Cidny grew up before he grew old. This is a memoir of profound and wise transformations that share a single commonality—swaggering musical genius. Love this man and love this book!” —Alice Randall, author of The Wind Done Gone 

“A highly entertaining ride into the world of rock ’n’ roll—with some very poignant twists.” —Danny Goldberg, music manager for Nirvana and author of Serving the Servant and Bumping into Geniuses 

 

“Cidny Bullens has been tested as few of us ever have. He draws so deeply and intensely and relentlessly from his experience. It’s exhilarating and triumphant—the essence of rock ’n’ roll.” —Dave Marsh, music critic and author of Before I Get Old  

“Cid’s life, career, and contributions—pulled off with both courage and panache—have been nothing short of extraordinary. What a story!” —Michael Musto, Out magazine 

 

“Cid’s story is BIG, complicated, and deeply moving.” —Ray Kennedy, record producer for Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 

 

“Raw talent, sharpened by passion; real artistry, tempered by tragedy; a spirit lifted by his own quest for truth with a soundtrack that takes him deep into your heart and transports you into his world. That’s Cid Bullens. His story is the real thing.” —Jamison Green, author of Becoming a Visible Man  

“TransElectric belongs on the small shelf of great rock ’n’ roll memoirs. But it transcends the genre. Cidny Bullens’s story, bravely and beautifully told, is at once about the music, personal truth, and the history of our time. Rave on.” —Carl Bernstein one time rock critic, Washington Post 
 
“Runaway, rock star, wife, mother, man. Cidny is all these things, and now reveals himself as a wonderful author as well. Honest and emotional, Cidny’s story is full of incredible highs and unimaginable lows that left me feeling uplifted and inspired. Cidny writes as boldly as he lives.” —Rob Roth, author of WarholCapote and director of Broadway’s Beauty and The Beast 
 

Author Biography

Cidny Bullens, formerly known as Cindy Bullens, is an American singer-songwriter who is well known for serving as backup vocalist on tours and albums with Elton John and Rod Stewart, providing vocals on the soundtrack of the 1978 feature film Grease, and releasing nine critically acclaimed solo albums. In 2012, Bullens publicly came out as a transgender man. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Sir Elton John is the globally renowned composer and musician.