Sue Foley (Matinee)

Sue Foley is a multi-award winning blues guitar player and singer/songwriter. Her latest album, ONE GUITAR WOMAN: A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar, is nominated for the 2025 GRAMMY® for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Growing up in Canada, Foley was captivated by her father’s guitar and began performing professionally at 16. By 21, she was in Austin, TX, recording with Antone’s, the iconic blues label and nightclub that launched the careers of legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Foley has toured extensively, sharing stages with icons like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Billy F Gibbons. Her high-energy, guitar-driven performances reflect the Texas blues tradition that shaped her sound. She’s also a four-time recipient of the Blues Music Award for Traditional Female Artist (2020–2024).

In addition to her music, Foley is a dedicated scholar of women in guitar. Her interviews with female guitarists have appeared in Guitar Player Magazine and will be featured in her forthcoming book, Guitar Women: Conversations and Life Lessons from the Heroines of Guitar (Sutherland Press, 2025). Foley holds a PhD in Musicology from York University in Toronto.

“Foley has a killer voice, an impossibly alluring blend of sex and innocence to go with those blazing guitar chops.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

“Canada’s greatest blues guitarist.” (Toronto Globe and Mail)

“Hot licks and tasty riffs, all inspired by classic Texas blues.” (Vintage Guitar Magazine)