Sue Foley

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 Female Artist, and a Juno recipient, she has toured with B.B. King and Buddy Guy and released One Guitar Woman in 2024. Also, a PhD in Musicology, Foley's upcoming book Guitar Women,^[2] explores the stories of groundbreaking female guitar players.

Sue Foley
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
Instrument	Guitar
Labels	Warner Music Canada Koch New West Antone's Shanachie Ruf Blind Pig
Website	Suefoley.com

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.^[3] 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

By age of 21, Foley was living in Austin, Texas, United States,^[4] and recording for Antone's, the blues label and historic nightclub. Her first release was Young Girl Blues.^[5]

In 2001, Foley won the Juno Award for her CD, Love Comin' Down.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8] In 2023, Foley won the Koko Taylor Award for the third time.^[9]

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 in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.^[10] She won her fifth consecutive Koko Taylor Award at the 2025 Blues Music Awards ceremony.^[11]

Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Doug Hardesty

Sue Foley 2023 Photo by Mark Abernathy

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 [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)
• 2023: "Live in Austin Vol.1" (Guitar Woman Records)
• 2024: One Guitar Woman^[12]

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, 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)
• 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)

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 – Thunderstorms and Neon Signs (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 – 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