Each instalment of Behind The Curtain begins with an introduction for the first-time reader. For those who are looking to discover something more about the artists at the core of the Canadian Blues Collective, this column goes deeper than the regular press release or artist bio. The enterprising content found in Behind The Curtain features artists who are already established in their careers, which provides name recognition and the ability for readers to source their own information, while having this article as a resource for something exclusive. In order to gain new insight, based on what information already exists, the method here usually follows the same process; having a direct conversation with the featured artist, to investigate – and put on record – the curiosities that remain. It is encouraged in each edition for readers to seek more information via other sources; the biographical content of each featured artist cannot be covered within the confines of this column, so the information included in Behind The Curtain simply justifies the content that the artist puts ‘on the record’. With the purpose explained, this edition features an artist who has been acquainted with the Blues for her entire adult life: guitarist and singer, Sue Foley.
Although currently calling Austin, Texas, USA home base, Foley is Canadian (hailing from Ottawa, Ontario), and began her career as a Blues musician who played her first professional gig at the age of 16. Since that very first performance, Foley has been relentless in pursuing a career as a Blues artists – and she’s been successful in that pursuit. The evidence can be found in numerous awards and recognitions; Foley has been recognized with multiple Blues Music Awards in the U.S., multiple Maple Blues Awards in Canada (17 at last count), a JUNO Award, and three Trophees de Blues de France. Further evidence can be found by looking at Foley’s discography, which is robust with original studio recordings, multiple recordings she has co-led, and the near dozen albums from other notable artists that her guitar stylings have been featured on (Of note, Big Dave McLean, Steve Marriner, and Colin Linden of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are all BTC alumni who have featured Foley as a guest musician on their albums). Although the aforementioned gives readers a sense of Foley’s professional success, perhaps the best evidence is in knowing that she’s kept a busy live performance schedule for the past couple of decades. Knowing that her career has been steadily ascending for almost a generation (typically defined as 20-30 years), it made sense to start the conversation asking Sue Foley how the music landscape has changed since her professional record began:
“The main difference is that a lot of the old legends have died off; that’s changed the landscape completely. There is good music being made today, but in the same breath, it kinda kept the bar in place to have the legends leading the Blues by example. Legends led by example with respect to the sound of the Blues, and the way it’s delivered. Another thing that has changed is the amount of time that an artist spends on stage; music is accessible in so many ways that just weren’t available when I was learning – it’s much easier to find and listen to music, and there are YouTube videos and other tools where people have access to learn how to play. Those resources are great, but, there’s nothing that is comparable to getting out there and playing music live. Today, the opportunities just aren’t there to play five or six nights a week, so artists don’t have the same opportunity to learn how to apply their skills, or develop their sound, or perform live the same way. That is a major change that’s happened in the Blues landscape. The Blues music itself is getting redefined in many ways – which I don’t necessarily see as a bad thing – and I think these differences are major contributing factors.”
In learning Foley’s thoughts about the changing landscape, and knowing that her career has remained intact throughout, she was asked what advice she would offer to aspiring artists who are looking to follow the same path of becoming a professional Blues musician:
“Play well, and do the best you can. If you are a woman, don’t expect any free passes because you are a female – you are going to take a ribbing – you’ve got to hold your own. For anybody who is looking to become an artist full time, believe in yourself. The only person you need to convince is yourself. I think the best piece of advice that was given to me was from Ronnie Earl, who said to me “You have to believe in yourself” (For reference, Ronnie Earl is an American guitarist who is best known for playing Blues with other notable artists such as Gregg Allman, Darryl Nulisch, and Jimmy Witherspoon, as well as his work in the bands Roomful of Blues and Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters).
Although a trove of information about Foley’s professional record can be found via many sources, there is one curiosity that was left unanswered in the process of research for this investigation. Arguably one of the most pointed questions to ask an artist who is featured in this forum is: “why?”. Discovering why an artist ‘does what they do’ often offers the most insight, and gives readers a better general understanding of an underlying truth threaded in all of their professional contributions. When asked why she plays the Blues, Sue Foley’s answer is put ‘on the record’, documenting it for publication – debatably for the first time:
“When I first heard the Blues, something happened to me; it was something very powerful. The Blues is a very powerful music, and right from the moment I heard it, it affected me in a deeply powerful way. I think I’m driven by trying to capture something - trying to capture a sound. It’s been the whole overriding theme of my life, trying to capture that sound, and that’s why I play the Blues.”
As the conversation came to completion, Foley was asked if there was anything she wanted readers to know about her that might not be available elsewhere; her closing words serve to punctuate her previous ones:
“If people want to know something about me – I don’t write fiction. What’s in my music is my truth.”
As this edition of “Behind the Curtain” draws to a close, I trust that readers of all varieties have gained something more about the artist of mention, and it inspires further investigation. Every artist featured in this column has a biographical foundation that cannot be covered here, so it is always encouraged to discover more about the music and career that substantiates these conversations. In Sue Foley’s case, readers and fans gain insight about the underlying reason for her professional contributions to the Blues Collective. This article is a regular monthly contribution, published exclusively in the Sound Café magazine with the intention of providing a deeper insight into the Canadian Blues artists who are at the core of the Blues music Collective.
Photo Credit: Nick Harding
Touring blues musician, Erin McCallum's formal post-secondary education was in media studies (news, radio), graduating from Humber College in Ontario, she went on to be mentored by Canadian News Hall of Fame inductee, Robert Holiday, and she is a regularly published writer in music and investigative journalism, having focused on music for the last six years. Erin has an exclusive monthly column in The Sound Cafe featuring musicians and industry professionals from across Canada who work predominantly in the Blues & Roots genres.
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