Sue Foley(I)

Blues singer and guitarist Sue Foley was born on March 29, 1968 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Foley grew up in a working class family listening not only to her father who sang and played Irish folk songs, but also listened to blues, rock, and blues rock groups like The Rolling Stones as well. Sue made the lifelong decision to start playing blues guitar at age fifteen after seeing blues singer James Cotton live in concert. Foley first began performing professionally with local Ottawa blues bands at age sixteen. She formed her first group after moving to Vancouver in the mid-1980's. Sue moved to Austin, Texas in the early 1990's and recorded her debut album "Young Girl Blues" for the well-regarded label Antone's Records in 1992. Among the notable artists Foley has shared the stage with are B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Tom Petty, and Lucinda Williams. In 1997 Foley moved back to Canada to raise her son. She won the Juno Award for Best Blues Album for her album "Love Comin' Down." Moreover, Sue has won seventeen Maple Blues Awards altogether and was the recipient of three Trophee de Blues de France Awards in the years 2000, 2001, and 2003, respectively. In addition, Foley was nominated for the prestigious W.C. Handy Award for Best Contemporary Female Artist in 2002.