In a time when pop-music performers rely closely on post-recording fix-ups and pre-recorded tracks onstage, it’s refreshing – even admirable – when somebody takes the “sincere highway.” Singer/guitarist Sue Foley is without doubt one of the few.

Whereas the Austin-by-way-of-Ottawa guitarist is thought primarily as a blues artist, she’s additionally a talented classical/flamenco participant, as heard all through the just-released One Guitar Girl, a compilation of tunes written and initially carried out by pioneering females. It intently adopted 2022’s Dwell in Austin Vol. 1.

Having issued albums because the early ’90s, Foley can also be about so as to add “writer” to her credentials, eyeing the discharge of her first e book, Guitar Girl, through which she interviewed Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Wilson, Charo, Joan Armatrading, and plenty of others.

Foley spoke to Classic Guitar about all three tasks, her most popular gear, favourite tunes, and the state of blues music.

What was the inspiration behind One Guitar Girl?
Alot of issues. It’s a end result of years of examine. I’m engaged on a e book, which has been the most important venture; it’s primarily based on interviews with girls guitar gamers. I’ve all the time needed to do a venture primarily based round studying the types of a few of my heroines, reaching again to the ladies who began the entire thing, and their tales. I grew to become fascinated with feminine pioneers of guitar. I began practically 20 years in the past – received into studying concerning the Carter Household and Maybelle’s contributions.

I’ve all the time been a giant Memphis Minnie fan; she’s my favourite artist and an icon for my very own profession as a blues musician. Her story has all the time fascinated me.

Over time, I tracked all these girls, learning their work and studying their types, and it’s been so cool. All of their guitar types are so singular, similar to their tales. They’re actually attention-grabbing individuals who did attention-grabbing issues.

Given the expansive historical past you have been exploring, how did you choose songs?
I’ve been fascinated with the theme, and among the track selections have been extra primarily based on their private narrative. While you carry out different individuals’s work – and being a standard blues artist, I’ve been doing different individuals’s work my entire profession – you examine it. You want one thing inside their story that resonates with your individual. I may have taken a whole lot of completely different approaches.

As an example, with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, I picked “My Journey to the Sky,” which barely has guitar in it – it’s piano-driven with Marie Knight after they have been a duo. I’ve studied Sister Rosetta’s guitar type, with open tunings and the best way she approached that, and she or he’s a really forceful, single-note lead participant. However I picked that track as a result of I like it. So, it was actually songs which have fascinated me and resonate with me, personally.

Which guitars did you employ for One Guitar Girl?
The opposite cool factor about this venture is that it was all carried out on one guitar, which I received in Paracho, Mexico. Paracho was based by Spanish luthiers, and whoever was in cost on the time determined it might be a guitar city – cities in that space of Mexico every have a specialty. One is silversmiths, one is leather-based works… this and that. Paracho was guitar, and it’s thriving.

I went as a result of I needed a guitar made in Paracho. The luthiers there are world class so it’s the identical sort of flamenco or classical guitar you’d get within the south of Spain, and you may get in Paracho for an excellent value. And you’ll meet the builders. On my Youtube channel is a video of me receiving this guitar.

I needed a flamenco as a result of you may beat them up a bit bit greater than classicals – classicals are very resonant and pristine, however a flamenco is a bit more utilitarian. I wanted one thing with a bit extra grit, and I made a decision on a ravishing Flamenca Negra from Salvador Castillo.

You recorded at Blue Rock Studios, in Austin’s Hill Nation.
We needed to be in a pristine room, and Blue Rock is a lovely studio. It was produced by Mike Flanigin and recorded stay in Atmos encompass sound, so it’s prime of the road. It was combined at Abbey Highway.

Which songs current your most-inspired enjoying?
I used to be actually stoked to get “Romance in A Minor” below my belt. It’s by Niccolò Paganini and it’s from the 1700s. It’s not probably the most technically difficult classical piece, however I’m used to enjoying inside a framework the place I can improvise. So it took a specific amount of self-discipline, engaged on a scripted piece. It was a extremely attention-grabbing course of as a result of you must discover a method inside it to precise your self. I discovered it to be very bluesy. It’s an outdated piece of music, however you will discover the framework that resonates to in style music right this moment and the way we assemble “pop” songs.

One other is “La Malagueña,” which all the time fascinates me and is all the time enjoyable to play. Mine isn’t significantly spectacular, however within the context of, “Hey, she’s enjoying Piedmont… she’s enjoying blues… she’s enjoying nation.” Maybelle Carter’s “Carter scratch” was one of many most-challenging issues I realized. I do some Carter scratch in my track, “Maybelle’s Guitar,” and I reference the “Wildwood Flower” melody inside that track, which is without doubt one of the most-famous from the Carter Household.

One other is “Lonesome Homesick Blues,” which can also be a Maybelle track. Maybelle was cool as a result of she had that Carter scratch – her personal type. However, Maybelle was a really curious musician who performed a lot of types – slide, open tunings, a bit Mexican. It took me some time to determine that “Lonesome Homesick Blues” was in open tuning, and I believe she performed it with a flat decide, which I didn’t know she typically did. In each video I’ve seen, she’s received steel fingerpicks and a thumb decide. A video by her daughter, Helen, talks about Maybelle’s guitar types, and watching it, I had an “A-ha!” second the place I used to be like, “Okay, now I’ve received this track.”

Your stay album from final 12 months, Dwell in Austin Vol. 1. was recorded over two nights on the Continental Membership.
The place was packed – a whole lot of vitality. Austin’s a super-fun city and it’s the band I’ve been touring with for the final couple of years, so we’re fairly tight. It was actually vigorous and enjoyable.

 It was recorded completely stay?
Utterly. My final two albums [The Ice Queen and Pinky’s Blues] have been recorded virtually the identical method – stay within the studio. There are not any fixes. We couldn’t repair something even when we needed to (laughs).

Do you could have a desire for enjoying stay or recording? 
It’s just about the identical. I like enjoying with musicians in actual time. I’m not enormous on monitoring. With blues particularly, or jazz, we’re responding to one another in actual time and getting concepts as they arrive about. All people’s feeding into it. So, I believe it’s actually necessary to maintain that spontaneity, that vitality.

From a guitar standpoint, do you could have any favourite songs from the album?
I actually just like the opening monitor, “New Used Automotive,” as a result of it’s actually recent and I like the riffs. For a rock-blues track, it’s enjoyable, conceptually. At that time of the night time, we have been giving it. It was that second the place you’re like, “I’m simply going for one thing, and if I get there, nice. If I miss it, nice.” However we really received there (laughs) – hit all of the spots.

I actually love “Howlin’ for My Darlin’” as a result of there’s some nice interaction between me and Derek O’Brien – he was our particular visitor. Derek is an Austin establishment: Antone’s, Austin, blues. He’s so understated, and it’s a basic Austin/Texas vibe. Texas guitar gamers… it’s not like they’re excessive; I imply, clearly, Stevie Ray was method excessive and did all the things. However once you take a look at Stevie Ray in comparison with Jimmie Vaughan, Jimmie is all pulled again and restrained – actually intentional about how he places his notes. Derek comes from that faculty.

Judging from the album’s title, there can be different stay recordings?
Positively. We performed greater than three hours every night time, to a packed home. So yeah, we have now a whole lot of stuff. However I needed to place out extra of my catalog and never simply repeat my final two albums, Pinky’s Blues and The Ice Queen.

What was your guitar setup?
My pink paisley Telecaster. I’ve received three of them now, all made in Japan.

Which amp will we hear?
My ’59 Bassman reissue 4×10, which is my favourite amp. On the highway, I typically use a ’65 Twin reissue, and the one results I exploit are a [Strymon] Reverb Tremolo and an Xotic RC Booster. I wish to drive the amp fairly laborious. I play loud, however primarily type of clear, with the dirtiness that comes from the amp.

How did you begin enjoying a Tele?
I received into the Tele after seeing Albert Collins – grasp of the Telecaster. There are particular gamers that modified the best way I take into consideration guitar and soloing, and Albert Collins was one among them as a result of he would simply play one notice. You’d see all these guys come out and play 100 notes. Albert would play one and blow them away. I used to be like, “I wish to discover ways to do this – as a result of that’s received energy.”

Muddy Waters additionally performed a Tele, Keith Richards. All people was shopping for Strats due to the Vaughan brothers, and I didn’t wish to sound like everyone else, so I picked a Tele. It’s a pure guitar – so easy.

 Is blues music alive and properly right this moment?
Yeah. Blues is having an attention-grabbing transformative rebirth. I believe Kingfish [Christone Ingram, VG, January ’24] is incredible – I like that he’s getting all the eye. There’s lots of people infusing issues into blues, however there are some fantastic younger artists who’re reaching into the custom and re-expressing it. It’s nice. I like Jontavious Willis, who’s a standard acoustic participant. He can play his butt off and is into pre-war blues.

 Do you could have a desire for enjoying acoustic or electrical?
I don’t. I like my Telecaster, however I really feel actually at dwelling on each. I will say I like nylon-string – Spanish guitars. At dwelling, I’m solely enjoying my flamenco. I don’t apply on electrical, however I love turning up an electrical guitar.

How do you quantify the distinction in enjoying every sort?
Properly, they’re utterly completely different. The intricate right-hand strategies you employ on a classical or a flamenco may be utilized to the electrical. They’re very simpatico that method. And for those who can be taught to play with an open hand quite than a flat decide, there’s a lot you are able to do. I used to look at a whole lot of electrical gamers like Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Albert Collins, and so they by no means used a decide. I used to be all the time fascinated with the best hand. The persona of a participant actually comes out in the best hand – you may play with tones, you may play with colours, you need to use method. It actually makes a distinction.

So, I like each. And I like how I can apply issues from classical and flamenco strategies on electrical. It’s like, “Chef’s kiss, child!” I like it!

This text initially appeared in VG’s March 2024 concern. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.