Prepare for a captivating musical journey with One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley’s new solo acoustic tribute to female pioneers of guitar. Foley’s much-anticipated album is out now via Stony Plain Records. The two current radio singles, Elizabeth Cotten’s “Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie” and “Maybelle’s Guitar” — Sue’s original homage to country music matriarch Maybelle Carter — give a glimpse into the depth and variety of the song and style selections. The twelve inspiring tracks of this album also honor the hard-driving Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, French classical guitarist Ida Presti, Tejano sensation Lydia Mendoza, the often-underrated Charo, and less well-known but equally compelling Southern blues women Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas.
Foley not only chose songs associated with each of the artists (apart from the Maybelle Carter selection, which she wrote herself), she covered a wide range of styles and techniques including Piedmont fingerpicking, Flamenco, classical, the Carter Scratch and more.
True to the album title, Foley performs all the tracks on a single acoustic guitar, a nylon-string Flamenco guitar that she bought from a master luthier on a 2022 excursion to Paracho, Mexico. Sue notes in a recent Vintage Guitar interview that she chose the Flamenco guitar over a standard classical guitar because she could play it a little harder: “I wanted a flamenco because you can beat them up a little bit more than the classicals — classicals are very resonant and pristine, but a flamenco is a little more utilitarian. I needed something with a little more grit, and I decided on a beautiful Flamenca Negra from Salvador Castillo.” The audiophile-quality album was produced by Mike Flanigin, recorded by Chris Bell at Blue Rock Studios in Austin, and mastered to Dolby Atmos Surround Sound at Abbey Road Studios in London.
One Guitar Woman is more than a tribute album. Foley doesn’t merely cover these artists’ songs; she absorbs their style and inhabits the soul of the music. Her guitar work is so deep and natural that it seems to rise from the same roots that gave birth to the originals, while her vibrant vocals bring new life to the lyrics and make the songs her own.
One Guitar Woman was a voyage of self-discovery for Foley. As she says in the Final Words of her liner notes: “There’s something that transformed in me when I started to research these female pioneers of guitar. Knowing that they had persevered through decades of challenges and trials so that my trials were lessened has taught me humility, and having a clear understanding of their accomplishments makes me want to reach higher in my own career. They forged the path for all female guitarists, leaving us not just the trail, but a map of directions and the wisdom to navigate it.”
Sue Foley on Tour:
APR 6 – McGonigel’s Mucky Duck – One Guitar Woman – Houston, TX
APR 16 – Red Rooster – Madison, WI
APR 17 – SPACE – Evanston, IL
APR 19 – Natalie’s Grandview (Music Hall & Kitchen) – Columbus, OH
APR 20 – Chief’s on Broadway – Nashville, TN
APR 22 – WoodSongs – Lexington, KY
APR 25 – Festival International de Louisiane 2024 – Lafayette, LA
APR 26 – Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe – Galveston, TX
APR 27 – Austin Blues Festival 2024 – Austin, TX
MAY 10 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
MAY 25 – Kerrville Folk Festival 2024 – Kerrville, TX
MAY 26 – Main Street Crossing – Tomball, TX
JUN 1 – The 04 Center – One Guitar Woman – Austin, TX
JUN 8 – The Odeon Theater – One Guitar Woman – Mason, TX
JUN 15 – Utah Blues Festival 2024 – Salt Lake City, UT
AUG 2 – Festival de Blues de Donnacona 2024 – Donnacona, Canada
AUG 3 – Blues En Ville 2024 – Saint-georges, Canada
AUG 20 – Chirp – Ridgefield, CT
Jan. 26 – Feb. 2nd, 2025 – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise 2025 – Fort Lauderdale, FL
