Sue Foley
Bio
Sue Foley is a multi-award-winning blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose latest album, One Guitar Woman: A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar, was nominated for the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Known for her fiery playing and soulful voice, Foley blends Texas blues grit with refined fingerstyle technique, whether on her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster or a hand-built flamenco guitar.
Born in Ottawa, Canada, Foley began performing professionally at 16 and made her mark in Austin, Texas, with the legendary Antone’s label. Since her 1992 debut Young Girl Blues, she’s toured internationally, sharing stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Billy F Gibbons. Foley is a five-time consecutive Blues Music Award winner for Traditional Blues Female Artist (2020–2025) and a recipient of multiple other honors, including a JUNO Award and the 2024 Maple Blues Lifetime Achievement Award.
A passionate scholar as well as a performer, Foley holds a PhD in Musicology and will release her first book, Guitar Women, in 2026. As the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Foley has a killer voice, an impossibly alluring blend of sex and innocence to go with those blazing guitar chops.” With One Guitar Woman, she reclaims history and redefines what a guitar hero can be.