Sue Foley (born March 29, 1968) is
GRAMMY®-nominated
multi-award-winning blues guitarist and singer/songwriter known for her fiery Texas blues style and refined acoustic touch. A five-tim
Blues Music Award winner
for Traditional Female Artist, and a Juno recipient, she’s toured with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy and recently release
One Guitar Woman– A Tribute to The Female Pioneers of Guitar
Also, a PhD in Musicology, Foley’s upcoming boo
Guitar Women
explores the stories of groundbreaking female players.

Early life

Foley was born in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, 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 The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

, 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 List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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 Clifford Antone (October 27, 1949 – May 22, 2006) was the founder of the eponymous Austin blues club Antone's and independent record label Antone's Records and Tapes, as well as a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson ...

saw Foley sitting in with Duke Robillard while the band was in Memphis for the W.C. Handy Awards that year.

Career

By age of 21, Foley was living in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, United States, and recording for Antone's, the blues label and historic nightclub. Her first release was ''Young Girl Blues''. In 2001, Foley won the

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for her CD, '' Love Comin' Down''. Foley has also earned seventeen Maple Blues Awards and three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also garnered several nominations at the

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, " ...

s in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2018, Foley released the album, ''The Ice Queen'', which featured guest appearances by

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist, primary vocalist, and only constant member of ZZ Top. He began his career in Moving Sidewalks, who recorded '' Flash'' (1969) and op ...

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

and

Jimmie Vaughan Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan Jr. (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was a founding member of The Fabulous Thunder ...

. In May 2020, Foley won a Blues Music Award in the Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) category. In 2023, Foley won the Koko Taylor Award for the third time. In 2024, Foley released the album '' One Guitar Woman'', an acoustic tribute to the female pioneers of guitar. The album was nominated for a 2025

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in the

Best Traditional Blues Album The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album was awarded from 1983 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Traditional Blues Performance and was twice awarded to individual tracks rather than albums. The award ...

category. She won her fifth consecutive Koko Taylor Award at the 2025 Blues Music Awards ceremony. Sue Foley Live Acoustic

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) *2023: "Live in Austin Vol.1" (Guitar Woman Records) *2024: '' One Guitar Woman''

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 Otis Blackwell (February 16, 1931 – May 6, 2002) was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include "Fever" (recorded by Little Willie John), " Great Balls of Fire" and " Breathless" (recorded by Jerry ...

'' (Shanachie) – track 11, "Great Balls Of Fire" with

Joe Ely Joe Ely (; born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was "one of the main movers" of Austin, Texas' progressive country scene in the 1970s and '80s. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce ...

* 1995: Various Artists – ''Bluesiana Hurricane'' ( Shanachie) featuring R&B Legends:

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk ...

, 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 th ...

, Bobby Watson, Rock Legends:

Chuck Rainey Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,00 ...

Will Calhoun William Calhoun (born July 22, 1964) is an American drummer who is a member of the rock band Living Colour. Career Calhoun was born in the Bronx, New York. He moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with a mu ...

* 2000: Various Artists – ''Public Domain'' (

Purchase Purchasing is the procurement process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary g ...

) – track 3, "Going Away Blues" * 2000: Various Artists – ''Dealin' With the Devil: Songs of

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

'' (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) * 2002: Various Artists – ''Preachin' the Blues: The Music of

Mississippi Fred McDowell Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist of hill country blues music. Career McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee. His parents we ...

'' (Telarc) – track 8, "Frisco Line" * 2003: Various Artists – ''Blues On Blonde On Blonde'' (

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long assoc ...

) – track 2, "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" * 2006: '' Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years'', (

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

)

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 The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...

/ Rounder) * 1995: Wayne Hancock – '' Thunderstorms and Neon Signs'' (Dejadisc) * 1998:

Lazy Lester Leslie Johnson (June 20, 1933 – August 22, 2018), known as Lazy Lester, was an American blues musician who sang and played the harmonica and guitar. In a career spanning the 1950s to 2018, he pioneered swamp blues, and also played harmonic ...

– ''All Over You'' (Antone's) * 2001: Lazy Lester – ''Blues Stop Knockin (Antone's) * 2003:

Big Dave McLean Big Dave McLean (born August 23, 1952) is a Canadian blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer and songwriter. A veteran performer, his work has had an influence on many western Canadian blues musicians, including Colin James and Wide Mouth Mason. Not ...

– ''Blues from the Middle'' ( Stony Plain) * 2004:

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a Canadian folk rock–alternative country band with blues and country influences. The band was formed in 1996, in Hamilton, Ontario, by Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden. Career Early Period: 19 ...

– ''Bark'' (

True North True north is the direction along Earth's surface towards the place where the imaginary rotational axis of the Earth intersects the surface of the Earth on its Northern Hemisphere, northern half, the True North Pole. True south is the direction ...

) * 2007: Candye Kane – ''Guitar'd and Feathered'' (

Ruf Records Ruf Records is a German independent record label, which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison’s manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Allison's career. The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in L ...

) * 2007: Michael Jerome Browne – ''Double'' ( Borealis) * 2007: Southside

Steve Marriner Steve Marriner (born 1984 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer based in Toronto, Ontario. He first garnered attention in the Ottawa blues scene in his early teens as a wunderkind, prodigy ...

– ''Going Up'' (Dog My Cat) * 2013: Lee Holmes – ''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 Singers 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