Sue Foley (born March 29, 1968) is a Canadian blues guitarist and singer. She has released 15 albums since her debut with ''Young Girl Blues'' (1992). In May 2020, Foley won her first

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy ...

, in the 'Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)' category.

Early life

Foley was born in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, 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 Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

where she formed The Sue Foley Band and toured Canada. 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 Award WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * W.C. (film), ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connectio ...

s that year.

Career

By age twenty-one, Foley was living in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, United States, and recording for Antone's, the blues label and historic nightclub. Her first release was ''Young Girl Blues''. Foley has toured steadily with her band, toting her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster. In 2001, she won the Juno Award for her CD, ''Love Coming Down''. Foley has also earned seventeen Maple Blues Awards and three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also garnered several nominations at the

s in Memphis, Tennessee. 2018 marked Foley's return as a solo artist with her album, ''The Ice Queen'', which featured guest appearances by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Jimmie Vaughan. In May 2020, Foley won a Blues Music Award in the 'Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)' category. Sue Foley 2007-1 Ron Baker

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*1992: ''Young Girl Blues'' ( Antone's) *1993: ''Without a Warning'' (Antone's) *1995: ''Big City Blues'' (Antone's) *1996: ''Walk in the Sun'' (Antone's) *1998: ''Ten Days in November'' ( Shanachie) *2000: ''Love Comin' Down'' (Shanachie) *2000: ''Back to the Blues'' lso released as ''Secret Weapon''(Antone's) *2002: ''Where the Action Is...'' (Shanachie) *2004: ''Change'' ( Ruf) *2006: ''New Used Car'' (Ruf) *2007: ''Time Bomb'' (with Deborah Coleman, Roxanne Potvin) (Ruf) *2009: ''Queen Bee: The Antone's Collection'' (Floating World) compilation *2010: ''He Said She Said'' (with Peter Karp) ( Blind Pig) *2012: ''Beyond the Crossroads'' (with Peter Karp) (Blind Pig) *2018: ''The Ice Queen'' ( Stony Plain 1398; Dixiefrog 8803) *2021: ''Pinky's Blues'' (Stony Plain 1430)

As primary artist on other albums

* 1991: Various Artists – ''KLBJ FM's Local Licks Live 1990'' (KLBJ) – track 15, "Walking Home" * 1994: Various Artists – ''Brace Yourself! A Tribute To Otis Blackwell'' (Shanachie) – track 11, "Great Balls Of Fire" with Joe Ely * 1995: Various Artists – ''Bluesiana Hurricane'' ( Shanachie) featuring R&B Legends: Rufus Thomas, Bill Doggett, Jazz Legends:

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in t ...

, Bobby Watson, Rock Legends: Chuck Rainey, Will Calhoun * 2000: Various Artists – ''Public Domain'' ( Purchase) – track 3, "Going Away Blues" * 2000: Various Artists – ''Dealin' With the Devil: Songs of Robert Johnson'' (Cannonball) – track 7, "From Four Until Late" * 2002: ''The Blues: From Yesterday's Masters To Today's Cutting Edge (American Roots Songbook Series)'', (Shanachie, as licensed to

St. Clair Entertainment The St. Clair Entertainment Group is a discount distributor of music and entertainment CDs and DVDs. History St. Clair Entertainment Group was founded in 1985 as a distributor of music special products in Canada.Pouschine Cook Capital Management ...

) * 2002: Various Artists – ''Preachin' the Blues: The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell'' (Telarc) – track 8, "Frisco Line" * 2003: Various Artists – ''Blues On Blonde On Blonde'' ( Telarc) – track 2, "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" * 2006: '' Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years'', ( CBC/

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

)

As guest musician on other albums

* 1989: Mark Hummel – ''Up and Jumpin with the Sue Foley Band and guest: Charles Brown, (Rockinitus Records) * 1994: Mark Hummel – ''Feel Like Rockin ( Flying Fish / Rounder) * 1995:

Wayne Hancock Thomas Wayne Hancock III (born May 1, 1965, in Dallas, Texas) better known as Wayne "The Train" Hancock, is an American singer-songwriter. Hancock is known as "The King of Juke Joint Swing," because his sound is unique, as he incorporates jazz ...

– ''

Thunderstorms and Neon Signs ''Thunderstorms & Neon Signs'' is the debut album by American country musician Wayne Hancock, released in 1995 on Dejadisc. It was reissued by Ark21 in 1998. The album’s title track was covered by Hank Williams III on his debut album ''Risin' O ...

'' (Dejadisc) * 1998: Lazy Lester – ''All Over You'' (Antone's) * 2001: Lazy Lester – ''Blues Stop Knockin (Antone's) * 2003: Big Dave McLean – ''Blues from the Middle'' ( Stony Plain) * 2004: Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – ''Bark'' ( True North) * 2007: Candye Kane – ''Guitar'd and Feathered'' ( Ruf Records) * 2007: Michael Jerome Browne – ''Double'' ( Borealis) * 2007: Southside Steve Marriner – ''Going Up'' (Dog My Cat) * 2013:

Lee Holmes Lee Daniel Holmes (born 2 April 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Mickelover. Holmes began his career with Derby County and became their youngest ever player and goalscorer, as well as the youngest foo ...

– ''Sit Down Blues'' (Itsa Music Co.)

Filmography

*2005: ''Sue Foley - Live in Europe'' ( Ruf) DVD *2010: ''Sue Foley - Guitar Woman'' (Alfred's Artist Series/Instructional) DVD

References

External links

* *
2006 Interview on ''Modern Guitars'' Magazine
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Sue 1968 births Living people Canadian blues singers Canadian blues guitarists Canadian women guitarists Electric blues musicians Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year winners Musicians from Ottawa Contemporary blues musicians Shanachie Records artists New West Records artists Ruf Records artists 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Blind Pig Records artists