I chatted with musician Sue Foley about her career and her latest album “One Guitar Woman”
Talk about your background, where you’re from, etc
I’m originally from Canada. I’ve been based out of Austin, Texas since 1990. I’ve always been a Blues fan since I was thirteen. At the time, Texas was the place to be for Blues.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
I basically came out of the womb knowing. I was always musical.
What was your first real paying gig?
I was sixteen years old. It was in Ottawa; I was playing Country Blues.
What do the Blues mean to you, if it can even be described?
It’s a deep kind of music. It’s very honest and pure. It’s a music you can grow into. As you get older, you can put more of your soul into it. You look at icons like Buddy Guy who is 90 or so, and he’s still out touring.
You’ve traveled quite a bit. Is there one place that sticks out to you?
I love to travel generally. But I love going to Europe. It’s special because of it’s history and love being around all of that cool Art. I love going home to Canada as well. A piece of my heart always stays there.
If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
Probably to be invisible ::laughs:: When you’re invisible you can really observe and I love observing.
Talk about how Charo inspired you.
Charo inspired me because I realized I was going to be a guitar player. Guitars were a big thing in my house, but they were always played by my brothers. Charo was the first woman I saw playing guitar on TV. She was expressing the depth of the instrument and not just strumming a chord. She made me a huge fan of Spanish guitar and classical guitar.
Why did you want to make this album, “One Guitar Woman?”
I wanted to pay tribute to my heroes..the women that paved the way for me. There’s a lot of females in guitar today, but when I was coming up it was RARE. I was really curious about the women who were playing guitar at the cusp of recorded music. They didn’t have any role models like we did, so they were very impactful.
You received your first Grammy nomination for the album, Congratulations. How did you find out?
Well, we knew they were coming out that specific day. We were on tour in the Yukon and the internet was horrible. ::laughs:: We were anxious that we would miss something.
What was it like going to the ceremony?
It was great! It was like being in the room with a lot ofwild, creative people. Creative types are usually left of center people in general. Obviously really amazing people to be in one room with, and I’m not even talking about the big stars. I’m talking about the best Jazz and Classical musicians in the world. What you see on Tv is just a small part of it.
I saw on your Instagram that you received some sort of pendant from the Recording Academy?
Yes, they gave all of the nominees a special pendant. We wore it the night before the actual ceremony. They had a special function where all of the nominees came together..and it was more fun than the actual awards ceremony to be honest.
I read that you had to learn techniques like Flamenco. How long did it take you to master it
Ohhhh a long time. ::laughs:: I wouldn’t say I mastered anything but I’ve been learning right hand techniques for a few decades.
WOW.
Yeah, it didn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of detailed techniques involved in this project. It took me a long time. It’s quite a grind. Daily practice which can seem very boring. It may seem like you’re stuck but then a decade later you have a breakthrough. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.”
Are you excited about your show in Annapolis?
I really am! I’ve never played this Rams Head before. We’re excited to come; it’s a nice early show. Folks can come have some food, enjoy a show and relax.
Sue headlines Rams Head Annapolis Sunday June 15th! Buy tix