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Sue Foley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sue Foley
Sue Foley at Antone's - Austin, TX (2007)
Sue Foley at Antone's - Austin, TX (2007)
Background information
Born (1968-03-29) March 29, 1968 (age 56)
OriginOttawa, Ontario, Canada
GenresBlues
Occupation(s)Musician, singer
InstrumentGuitar
Labels
  • Warner Music Canada
  • Koch
  • New West
  • Antone's
  • Shanachie
  • Ruf
  • Blind Pig
Websitesuefoley.com

Sue Foley (born March 29, 1968)[1] 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, in the 'Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)' category.

Early life

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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.[2] 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.

Career

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By age of 21, Foley was living in Austin, Texas, United States,[3] and recording for Antone's, the blues label and historic nightclub. Her first release was Young Girl Blues.[4]

In 2001, Foley won the Juno Award for her CD, Love Comin' Down.[5] 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 Awards in Memphis, Tennessee.[6]

In 2018, Foley released the 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.[7] In 2023, Foley won the Koko Taylor Award for the second time.[8]

Sue Foley at Antone's - Austin, TX (2007)
Sue Foley at Antone's - Austin, TX (2008)

Discography

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As leader/co-leader

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  • 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 [also 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)
  • 2024: One Guitar Woman[9]

As primary artist on other albums

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As guest musician on other albums

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Filmography

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

References

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  1. ^ Bill Dahl (1968-03-29). "Sue Foley | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  2. ^ Nygaard King, Betty (8 April 2008). "Foley, Sue". The Canadian Dictionary. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Maple Blues". Toronto Blues Society. May 2012. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Women's Blues Revue". Toronto Blues Society. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Awards". Juno Awards website
  6. ^ "24th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards Nominees". Billboard, January 21, 2003.
  7. ^ McKay, Robin. "BLUES MUSIC AWARDS". Blues.org. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Grein, Paul (May 12, 2023). "Tommy Castro Repeats as Entertainer of the Year at 2023 Blues Music Awards: Full Winners List". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
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