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  • Writer's pictureThe Sound Cafe

A Conversation With Sue Foley


Photo Credit: Danny Clinch.



Douglas McLean chats with Canadian Blues guitarist, singer-songwriter, Sue Foley, about her latest album 'Pinky's Blues' released on Stony Plain Records for his latest Sound Cafe Podcast, 'Backstage'.



You can listen to the entire interview and music HERE



Stony Plain Records announced an October 22 release date for Pinky’s Blues, the new album from award-winning blues guitarist-singer Sue Foley. Featuring several of Sue Foley originals, as well as songs from some of her favourite blues and roots artists, Pinky’s Blues was recorded at Fire Station Studios in San Marcos, Texas. Joining Sue Foley (guitar, vocals) for the recording sessions were Jon Penner (bass), Chris “Whipper” Layton (drums) and Mike Flanigin (Hammond B3 organ), who also produced the album. The legendary Jimmie Vaughan joins in as a special guest on rhythm guitar for the track, “Hurricane Girl.”

Pinky’s Blues is the follow up to Sue Foley’s award-winning breakout album, The Ice Queen, released in 2018. Foley’s new album is a raw, electric guitar driven romp through the backroads of Texas blues, with Foley’s signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster, “Pinky,” at the wheel. She won “Best Traditional Female (Koko Taylor Award)” at the 2020 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, was nominated for a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy), and she took home the award for “Best Guitar Player” at the Toronto Maple Blues Awards. For the last few years Foley and her band have kept a rigorous touring schedule across the USA, Canada and Europe. Some highlights were appearances at The Beacon Theater (NYC), guesting with Jimmie Vaughan (opening for Eric Clapton) at Royal Albert Hall in London, Montreal Jazz Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest (w/ Buddy Guy), Moulin Blues (Holland), NPR’s Mountain Stage (with Bela Fleck), Doheny Blues Festival, and the Jungle Show in Austin, Texas.

Foley and producer Mike Flanigin decided to make the album in the middle of the COVID lockdown in 2020.

"Mike, drummer Chris Layton and I had just finished making Mike's album, West Texas Blues, and we needed another challenge to keep us busy," Foley says. "And because we'd been hanging out together we were comfortable in each other's presence, and this would be a very low-key closed session. I brought in Jon Penner to play bass, who was my first bass player and had been on all my early records. So just the four of us along with engineer Chris Bell went into the studio and recorded the entire album in three days. What you're hearing is live, off the floor, in the moment the music was played totally spontaneously and, mainly, improvised. And, we wanted to make something representative of the Texas blues that we had been schooled on in Austin. So, we picked great songs and I wrote a few of my own to round things out. Everything on it is a labour of love.”

FEATURED SONGS:

Dallas Man

Hurricane Girl

Southern Men

Pinky's Blues

Stop These Teardrops

The Lucky Ones * Sue Foley with Jimmie Vaughan

You can listen to the entire interview and music HERE




Website: suefoley.com




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