Greetings from Austin Texas-
I get a lot of push back, groans and even anger whenever I exclaim, “Sue Foley is the best Traditional Electric Blues guitarist on the planet”. That she is absolutely at the top of her game and there really is no one Ive heard that rivals her in that genre/arena.
In this article, I will set out to plead my case and attach logic and not some misspent emotion about this guitarist is better than the next because of a limbic system response.
Putting in the time-(getting the props)
Sue has paid her dues (which has paid dividends)and unfortunately, continues to do so, (but I’ll address that later). Paying your dues can be said for thousands of hard working talented musicians. But remember, this is a multifaceted theory and appreciation, not just relegated to one point of view.
From the age of 13 she realized what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Growing up in Canada (some might say an unlikely place for the Blues. Not so, not so) she began to hone her craft, but realized a Mecca needed to be made, the force was strong with this one. At twenty-one, Foley moved here to Austin TX and began recording for Antone’ the label also known for the historic nightclub. Her first release was Young Girl Blues.
Foley toured steadily with her band, and her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster (the inspiration for the title of her latest release). In 2001, she won a Juno for her Love Coming Down record. Foley has won seventeen Maple Blues Awards and three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also been nominated at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.
In 2018 The Ice Queen, was released, which featured guest appearances by Chris Layton, Billy Gibbons and Jimmie Vaughan.
2021- Pinky’s Blues, the follow up to the Ice Queen is an even more stripped down and real (if that was even possible). It’s more like a Foley live show in the studio. I often wonder how artists are able to up their game after the stellar record before and not paint themselves into a corner. Foley has not!
Approach, Style and Sound-
Simplicity, Vocabulary and Honest Tone.
For the most part we are looking at I-IV-V progressions in a given key which may seem simple enough, but its the basket weaving, the embellishments attached to that albeit “Simple” progression that separate the real players from the “meh” players. When you watch Foley play (I have closely, you should too), the chord voicing’s being employed are anything but simple. Its her own level of orchestration with the instrument as if each string is its own instrument. Once again top of the game, with those “10,000 Hours” invested.
Beyond the chord dictionary under her fingers, lives a veritable vocabulary that would make authors of other genres swoon if they understood what is being delivered. Fluid, smooth lines, containing an immense level of tenacity fire, class and honest intention. In Chinese Medicine there is a word for intention (Li) and the belief is that the stronger the “Li” the better the outcome. The “”Li” with this player is strong. But you need to listen, and listen without preconceived ideas and toss away your already decided heroes and ideals. Then it all becomes clear what’s really happening here.
Live and in person-
Ok, let me get a little more microscopic (If I haven’t already). Listening to records, streaming or however you digest your music, there is always a disconnect on some level as to how this is actually being executed and the level of preparation that has gone into the performance. Seeing Foley live is where everything becomes evident how those “10,000 Hours” was used and used properly. Foley’s level of confidence and relationship to her Pink Paisley Telecaster is at a point where you cant tell where she ends and the guitar begins. But, as I was saying before, here’s where you have to watch, and watch closely. Here’s where you begin to understand, learn and see this is someone who doesn’t just “Play Blues Music” this is someone who embodies it as a much as as it does her.
Here’s a simple example- “Okey Doke Stomp”- the Pluma Davis penned, Gatemouth Brown popularized track. Foley owns this song. Ultimately, as a musician (especially a Blues musician) when you cover someone else’s song is to make it your own. Deliver it with the respect of the past, but placing your own original stamp? Thats it. Now I could talk about the hundred songs in her repertoire and it may seem silly to pick this little diddi from 1954, but it’s the microcosm of the macro that is what I think gets lost on folks when I say that Foley is the best at what she does. Its the versatility within a song like Okey Doke Stomp that sets her apart from the contemporaries that call themselves blues players and use way too much gain and play way too loud to be called or to have anyone consider themselves a “Traditional Blues Electric Guitarist”
But, maybe thats really the word we need to hone in on. “Traditional” That might be the real reason people don’t get it when I make that statement. They may not know what traditional is. Well, immerse yourself in Foley’s playing and hopefully you will.
But, why do musical treasures like a Sue Foley, Scott Mckeon, or Jim Oblon get unnoticed by the general record buying/streaming public, yet are held in such high regard by their peers? I don’t know. Maybe its when art is the true focus and you would do anything for your art, you have little or no time for “The Game”. The one that music business wants every artist to play? Maybe..
If I were to meet someone from a place where they had never heard American music before and they asked what’s the best right now and where should I start listening? I’d say, Sue Foley.
Sue Foley’s new record is simply excellent and if you want more of it, dont just stream it… Buy it.
