{"id":147355,"date":"2025-03-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=147355"},"modified":"2025-03-31T20:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T03:23:00","slug":"with-one-guitar-woman-sue-foley-honors-the-women-who-helped-shape-guitar-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/with-one-guitar-woman-sue-foley-honors-the-women-who-helped-shape-guitar-history\/","title":{"rendered":"With \u2018One Guitar Woman,\u2019 Sue Foley Honors the Women Who Helped Shape Guitar History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sue
Sue Foley, Photo: Todd V. Wolfson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sue Foley steps onto the stage in a bright pink suit, a well-worn guitar slung over her shoulder, and digs into a deep, driving groove. Whether she\u2019s tearing through a Texas blues shuffle on her Telecaster or coaxing out the hushed warmth of a nylon-string guitar, her playing is rooted, rhythmic, and unmistakably hers. Over the decades, she\u2019s built a career that\u2019s equal parts fire and scholarship\u2014an artist with both a deep love for the blues and a historian\u2019s instinct for uncovering its stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from Canada, Foley started playing guitar at 13 and toured with Mark Hummel and other blues artists before relocating to Austin, Texas, and releasing her debut album, Young Girl Blues<\/a>,<\/em> in 1992. Her latest album, the Grammy-nominated One Guitar Woman<\/a><\/em> [see full review at AcousticGuitar.com<\/a>\u2014ed<\/em>.], is a tribute to the women who shaped guitar history\u2014and a personal reckoning with their influence. With just her voice and a Salvador Castillo flamenco negra guitar, she delivers songs by Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Maybelle Carter, and others with a mix of reverence and raw energy. Rather than simply looking back, the album sparks a conversation across generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I caught up with Foley via Zoom to talk about the album, her journey, and the unshakable rhythm that holds it all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell me about the flamenco guitar you played on this album. Did you just come across it, or did you know the luthier?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I actually went on a pilgrimage to Paracho, Mexico\u2014a fantastic town in the mountains of Michoac\u00e1n. It\u2019s a dream for guitar players! You drive in, and there are guitar shops everywhere, builders on every street, and people walking around with guitars. You can visit workshops and talk to the luthiers, which I did. It was a really special experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were you familiar with this luthier before you got there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, not at all. We had an interpreter with us, because there wasn\u2019t much English spoken, and we just wandered into different shops. I got a great vibe from Salvador Castillo [guitarrascastillo.com]. You could see how much he loved his instruments\u2014the way he played them, the pride he took in them, and how beautiful they were. I was really excited to meet him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Album<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did it take time to adjust from your trusty Telecaster to this nylon-string guitar?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been playing Spanish-style nylon-strings for a couple of decades, so I\u2019m pretty comfortable switching. The neck is wider, but a lot of right-hand principles transfer between the Tele and nylon-string. I do a lot of open right-hand playing and use a thumbpick, so the transition feels natural. There\u2019s a lot of nuance and tone variation\u2014whether you play with your fingertips, the edge of your nail, or a pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flamenco guitar, what kind of strings and picks do you use?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use Savarez. They\u2019re the industry standard for flamenco and many classical musicians. I prefer normal tension over high tension. I always use thumbpicks. Golden Gate is my go-to\u2014they\u2019re strong, last forever, and just work for me. And on one song, \u201cLonesome Homesick Blues\u201d by Maybelle Carter, I use a pick because that\u2019s how she played it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I noticed your nails are beautiful. Do you get them done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes! I have acrylics\u2014they\u2019re super hard. They help with right-hand technique in Spanish guitar, but for the Carter scratch, I use a thumbpick. I don\u2019t use metal fingerpicks since I already have my nails, and metal on nylon strings feels too aggressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were many of the songs on One Guitar Woman<\/em> already in your repertoire?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took time to develop them. I\u2019d been working on this project in different forms for years\u2014it actually started as a book I\u2019m still trying to finish. Everything took on a life of its own, and when the album happened, I was ready. But getting to that point took a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow. What\u2019s the book project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a collection of my interviews with women guitarists, which I started in 2001. It\u2019s had several offshoot projects, but for some reason, the book has taken the longest to finish. This record isn\u2019t based on those interviews\u2014when thinking about how to represent that study as a musician, I turned to the historical pioneers because I\u2019m a traditional artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand that getting a Memphis Minnie record when you were 16 was a pivotal experience. Was that what first exposed you to the pioneers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really was. I think we take for granted now that there are thousands of great women players, but that\u2019s been an evolution. There was a time when there were none. Then there was one. Then Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Where did Memphis Minnie get the idea that she could go play guitar like a man and run around? Nobody did that in the \u201930s. You could count them on one hand. I find it fascinating\u2014what their lives were like, but also their mindset. What kind of person thinks that far outside the box? To me, it\u2019s not just about gender\u2014it\u2019s about people who were different in a really cool way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your whole family played guitar, but it was all boys, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, my dad and my brothers. When I was a kid, there weren\u2019t many women playing. I\u2019d always notice, <\/em>\u201cHey\u2014there\u2019s one,\u201d and it made me think, OK, I can do this, too. Having my family play made it natural, but seeing another woman doing it really stuck with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sue
Sue Foley – Photo: Doug Hardesty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. Representation matters. Do you mentor any younger women players?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not directly, but I guess this is my way of doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your rhythmic sense is rock solid. The original recordings of these songs really move, but your versions feel very grounded. Did you practice with a metronome?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Maybelle Carter stuff\u2014especially the Carter scratch\u2014I practiced with a metronome. When working on my solo show, I find all my tempos and practice with them to lock them in. When you\u2019re solo, there\u2019s no safety net\u2014you\u2019re on a tightrope. Strong rhythm is key. Thanks for noticing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You play \u201cLonesome Homesick Blues\u201d in an open tuning. Did you figure that out just by listening over and over?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pretty much. Knowing Maybelle\u2019s style, I assumed she was using the Carter scratch with metal fingerpicks and a thumbpick. Then I thought it might be in dropped D. It wasn\u2019t until the last stage that I realized it was an open tuning [see \u201cLearning from the Legends\u201d]. Watching a video of her daughter discussing her styles helped\u2014it turns out she didn\u2019t just do the Carter scratch. She also played slide, dabbled in a Mexican-influenced style from her time near the border, played blues, used open tunings, and even flatpicked. When I heard that, it finally clicked. I thought, she\u2019s a brilliant guitar genius monster! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you write \u201cMaybelle\u2019s Guitar\u201d specifically for this record?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wrote that a few years ago while touring. I had started on the book, interviewing and then researching the past, which I\u2019d already kind of been doing my whole life but started doing with a lot more depth. And then I ended up back in school. I don\u2019t have an undergraduate degree, but I jumped into a master\u2019s program at York University in Toronto. I\u2019m kind of a natural researcher, so I thought university would be OK. I went in for composition, and \u201cMaybelle\u2019s Guitar\u201d was one of my songs that I\u2019d written. I focused on pioneering women guitar players and was studying Lydia Mendoza and Memphis Minnie, and that grew into my Ph.D. So these are all offshoot projects from my Ph.D. I just don\u2019t talk much about the academic side because I don\u2019t want to sound like a chin-scratching academic [laughs<\/em>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of influential women in guitar history, you mention a Charo performance in your liner notes that had a big impact on you. Do you remember what it was?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, it was probably a variety show from the late \u201960s or early \u201970s. Charo was the first woman I ever saw really play guitar. I grew up with her and always loved her. In this video, she comes out in a tuxedo, her hair is full and beautiful\u2014it just struck me. We took her for granted because she was everywhere, but when you really consider her artistry and ability, it\u2019s astounding. She was way ahead of her time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You say her entertainment value over-shadowed her talent\u2014do you think that was just sexism in how she was portrayed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She put it all out there and was unapologetic about it. Even now, she still wears short skirts and bounces around on Instagram\u2014but she\u2019s also incredibly serious about her playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve spoken about a responsibility to bring this music into the present. Do you feel that putting your own spin on it is another way of honoring these artists?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. As a blues artist\u2014especially a traditional one\u2014I interpret a lot of other people\u2019s work. But you still have to find your own way. You have to be honest with the material and make it your own. That\u2019s key to playing older music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For your current shows, do you switch between solo and full-band sets?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, I do both. I\u2019ve got band shows this week and solo shows next week. Even in the band sets, I break it down and incorporate solo material. I still love playing electric, so I mix it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sue
Sue Foley – Photo: Marilyn Springer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen videos where you play in the classical style on your left knee. Do you do that for all songs or just the classical ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just for \u201cMalague\u00f1a\u201d and \u201cRomance in A Minor.\u201d I switch knees and even joke about it with the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where did these classical pieces come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charo, and also Ida Presti, who was a major figure in classical guitar. She was a child prodigy, technically a complete virtuoso. Everyone I\u2019ve interviewed who knew or studied with her said she was the best guitarist they\u2019d ever seen\u2014so intuitive, so fast, just brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were there any women you wanted to include on this record but didn\u2019t have space for? Any chance of a part two?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know about a part two. Right now, I just want to finish my book\u2014I actually have to deliver it this year. And honestly, I\u2019d like to focus on myself for a while. There were artists I would\u2019ve loved to include, like jazz guitarist Mary Osborne, but that would\u2019ve required an ensemble, which didn\u2019t fit this solo album. At a certain point, I just needed to finish it. But there\u2019s still plenty of material out there\u2014definitely a lot of meat on the bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever feel haunted by these musicians, or are they leaving you alone?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not haunted\u2014honored. I love introducing people to these artists. At shows, I get folks who\u2019ve never heard of them, sometimes just because they have a theater subscription. They come up afterward saying, \u201cWow! I had no idea. This is amazing.\u201d And now they know who Memphis Minnie is\u2014which they should! She\u2019s important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do feel a bit haunted by some of the women I interviewed for my book, though. I\u2019ve been carrying their stories for over 20 years, and some have passed away. In that sense, I\u2019m traveling with ghosts. I\u2019m excited to finally deliver the book and, in a way, put those stories to rest\u2014make sure they land where they\u2019re supposed to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learning from the Legends<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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