Sue Foley

With her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster and shock of red hair, Canadian blueswoman Sue Foley commands attention before even playing a note. Once the music starts, though, your focus will be solely on her wicked guitar playing, a signature style that has made her one of modern blues’ brightest talents. Foley, who was first discovered by Clifford Antone while playing at the Handy Awards here in Memphis, soon moved to Austin to join Antone’s blues label. Her acclaimed debut album Young Girl Blues was released in 1992 and she has been one of the leading women in blues ever since. A winner of Juno, Maple Blues, and Blues Music Awards, Foley is also a respected music academic, founding the music history project Guitar Woman based on dozens of interviews she conducted with the world’s leading female guitarists. Her most recent album, 2021’s Pinky’s Blues, is named after her trademark guitar and is a masterclass in the Texas blues, perfectly capturing an energy and passion reminiscent of other Lone Star greats like Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top.