Sue Foley
Encyclopedia
Sue Foley is a Canadian
blues
singer and guitarist
.
and playing professionally since 1984. She has recorded
ten album
s, for both Antone's Records and Shanachie Records
. She has spent over fourteen years on the road as a bandleader
, lead vocalist, guitarist and manager
of her own band
. In addition to her own touring, she has also shared the stage with blues musician
s, such as Back Alley John
, B. B. King
, Buddy Guy
and John Lee Hooker
. Her initial career began in Ottawa, Canada, at the age of sixteen where, in addition to solo work, she sang with the Back Alley John Revue.
Foley sent a demo
tape of herself to Clifford Antone
's label (Antone's Records) in 1990. Impressed, the record label
arranged an audition for the guitarist. She moved to Austin
, Texas
and soon signed a recording contract
with Antone's.
Foley appeared on the bill at the 1992 San Francisco Blues Festival
.
In 2000 Foley won a Juno Award
for Best Blues Album for Love Comin' Down.
Her 2007 album, Time Bomb (2007), features two other female blues players, Deborah Coleman
and Roxanne Potvin
. The opening title track, "Time Bomb", an instrumental where all three women take turns laying down leads, on the next nine songs the women trade off taking lead vocals and guitar duties of every third song until they come together again on the final track "In The Basement".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Career
Foley has been writingSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and playing professionally since 1984. She has recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
ten album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, for both Antone's Records and Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
. She has spent over fourteen years on the road as a bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, lead vocalist, guitarist and manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of her own band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
. In addition to her own touring, she has also shared the stage with blues musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, such as Back Alley John
Back Alley John
Back Alley John , was a Canadian blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player.-Beginnings, 1969-1971: Ottawa to Venice, California:...
, B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
and John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
. Her initial career began in Ottawa, Canada, at the age of sixteen where, in addition to solo work, she sang with the Back Alley John Revue.
Foley sent a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape of herself to Clifford Antone
Clifford Antone
Clifford Antone was the founder of a well-known Austin blues club, record label, and a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan and numerous other musicians....
's label (Antone's Records) in 1990. Impressed, the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
arranged an audition for the guitarist. She moved to Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and soon signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Antone's.
Foley appeared on the bill at the 1992 San Francisco Blues Festival
San Francisco Blues Festival
Debuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
.
In 2000 Foley won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Best Blues Album for Love Comin' Down.
Her 2007 album, Time Bomb (2007), features two other female blues players, Deborah Coleman
Deborah Coleman
Deborah Coleman is an American blues guitarist, songwriter and singer. Coleman won the Orville Gibson Award for "Best Blues Guitarist, Female" in 2001, and was nominated for a W.C...
and Roxanne Potvin
Roxanne Potvin
Roxanne Potvin is a Canadian bilingual Gatineau, Quebec-based singer, blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. Born in Regina, where her father was a TV reporter for CBC, Potvin moved to the Ottawa area when she was two...
. The opening title track, "Time Bomb", an instrumental where all three women take turns laying down leads, on the next nine songs the women trade off taking lead vocals and guitar duties of every third song until they come together again on the final track "In The Basement".
Foley albums
- 1992 - Young Girl Blues
- 1993 - Without a Warning
- 1995 - Big City Blues
- 1996 - Walk in the Sun
- 1998 - Ten Days in November
- 2000 - Back to the Blues
- 2000 - Love Comin' Down
- 2002 - Where the Action Is
- 2004 - Change
- 2006 - New Used Car
- 2007 - Time Bomb
- 2010 - He Said She Said (with Peter Karp)
Contributions to other albums
- 2002 The Blues: From Yesterday's Masters to Today's Cutting Edge (SchanachieShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
, American Roots Songbook, as licensed to St. Clair EntertainmentSt. Clair Entertainment GroupThe St. Clair Entertainment Group is a discount distributor of music and entertainment CDs and DVDs, with its corporate head office located in Woodland Hills, California. It was founded in 1985 as a distributor of music special products in Canada...
) - 2006 Saturday Night Blues: 20 YearsSaturday Night Blues: 20 YearsSaturday Night Blues: 20 Years is a 2006 2 CD compilation album, released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and, internationally, by the Universal Music Group, of live performances of Canadian blues artists, as featured on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio program Saturday Night...
(CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
/Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
)
See also
- List of Canadian musicians
- List of blues musicians
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Music of AustinMusic of AustinThe music of Austin, Texas, USA has gone beyond 6th Street and now includes other areas such as Red River, the University of Texas, the Warehouse District and Downtown, South Lamar, South Austin, East Austin and the Market District where bars and clubs of every kind can be found. Every night over...
- Canadian bluesCanadian bluesCanadian blues refers to the blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. In Canada, there are hundreds of local and regionally-based Canadian blues bands and performers. As well, there is a smaller number of bands or performers that have achieved national or...
- List of contemporary blues musicians
- List of electric blues musicians
- Ruf RecordsRuf RecordsThe motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in Lindewerra, Germany. As of 2008 Ruf has produced 120 releases, sold over 1 million albums, received two Grammy nominations and ten Blues Music Award nominations....