Sue Foley

Last updated
Sue Foley
Sue Foley Live.jpg
Sue Foley Live 2024 Photo by Scott Doubt
Background information
Born (1968-03-29) March 29, 1968 (age 57)
Origin Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres Blues
Occupation(s)Musician, singer
InstrumentGuitar
Labels
  • Warner Music Canada
  • Koch
  • New West
  • Antone's
  • Shanachie
  • Ruf
  • Blind Pig
Website Suefoley.com

Sue Foley (born March 29, 1968) [1] is a Canadian multi-award-winning blues guitarist and singer/songwriter known for her fiery Texas blues style and refined acoustic touch. A five-time Blues Music Award winner for Traditional Blues Female, [2] and a Juno recipient, she has shared the stage with musicians including B.B. King and Buddy Guy. In 2024 she released One Guitar Woman, A Tribute to The Female Pioneers of Guitar which earned a 2025 Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. [3] Foley also holds a PhD in Musicology, and is the author of the forthcoming book Guitar Women, [4] exploring the lives and legacies of trailblazing female guitarists.

Contents

Early life

Foley was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and spent her early childhood in Canada. She learned to play guitar at age 13, became interested in blues music from listening to the Rolling Stones, and played her first gig at age 16. After high school graduation, she relocated to Vancouver where she formed the Sue Foley Band and toured Canada. [5]

Career

In 1988–1989, the Sue Foley Band teamed with Mark Hummel to tour across the United States, Canada, and Europe as well as recording an album. The collaboration lasted a little over a year with 300 dates on the road in 1989. Clifford Antone saw Foley sitting in with Duke Robillard while the band was in Memphis for the W.C. Handy Awards that year. By the age of 21, Foley had relocated to Austin, Texas, where she began recording for Antone's Records. Her first release was Young Girl Blues. [6]

In 2001, Foley won the Juno Award for her CD, Love Comin' Down . [7] Over the course of her career, Foley has earned seventeen Maple Blues Awards and three Trophees de Blues de France, and multiple awards at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis,Tennessee. [8]

In 2018, Foley released the album, The Ice Queen, which featured guest appearances by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Jimmie Vaughan.

In 2024, Foley released the album One Guitar Woman, a solo acoustic tribute to the female pioneers of guitar. The album was nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. [9] The same year she won her fifth consecutive Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female Artist) at the 2025 Blues Music Awards ceremony. [10]

Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Doug Hardesty Sue Foley Live Acoustic.jpg
Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Doug Hardesty
Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Mark Abernathy Sue Foley Studio.tif
Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Mark Abernathy

Discography

As primary artist

As primary artist on other albums and collaborations

As guest musician on other albums

Bibliography / Writing

Filmography / Guitar Instructional Series

References

  1. Bill Dahl. "Sue Foley | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  2. Freeman, Clare (May 14, 2025). "2025 Blues Music Awards Winners". Blues.org. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  3. "Sue Foley | Artist". Grammy.com. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  4. Foley, Sue. Guitar Women: Life Lessons from Forty Six-String Heroines. Sutherland House Incorporated. ISBN   1998365301.
  5. Nygaard King, Betty (April 8, 2008). "Foley, Sue". The Canadian Dictionary. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  6. "Young Girl Blues". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  7. [ dead link ]
  8. "24th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards Nominees". Billboard, January 21, 2003.
  9. "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List". Grammy.com. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  10. Freeman, Clare (May 14, 2025). "2025 Blues Music Awards Winners". Blues.org. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  11. Alper, Eric (February 26, 2024). "Sue Foley covers Elizabeth Cotten for the first single from her new album". Roots Music Canada. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. "Antone's 50th Allstars - The Last Real Texas Blues Album [Vinyl]". Newwestrecords.com. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  13. "Guitar Player - Sue Foley". Guitarplayer.com. August 17, 2025.
  14. "The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar". Cambridge.org. August 17, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2025.