Blues guitarist Sue Foley to play Devil’s Backbone Tavern July 19

Foley takes the stage in support of latest album, ‘One Guitar Woman.’
Submitted photo

Sue Foley picked up a guitar at the age 13, and she’s been rocking ever since. The legendary blues guitarist played her first gig at the age of 16. After high school graduation, she and her band toured throughout Canada and the United States.

Then in 1989, by the age of 21, Foley came to Austin to be part of the city’s budding music community.

“I came to Austin to record for Antone’s,” Foley said. “I wanted to be part of that music scene.”

Antone’s is a renowned blues label and nightclub that helped launch the career of Kim Wilson, Gary Clark Jr. and Austin’s own Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Foley found her groove in Austin, and she’s been here, making music ever since.

“Austin has a unique music scene,” Foley said. “It’s really supportive, and it’s got some of the highest caliber of musicians in the world.”

During Foley’s life in Austin, she has witnessed as the city has grown from a small, tight-knit community into a sprawling vine of musical variety. Despite this growth, Foley says that to this day, Austin remains true to its roots.

“We really do look out for each other,” Foley said. “It’s just a great fabric here — Really caring, nice people who look out for each other.”

Over the years, Foley has toured steadily with her band, working and sharing the stage with other greats such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy and Billy F. Gibbons. Since 1992, she has recorded 13 albums including her latest, One Guitar Woman: A Tribute to the Pioneering Women of Guitar, released in March of this year. This tribute contains eleven covers by fellow women guitarists, with Foley adding one self-penned song to the track list.

As an acoustic album, One Guitar Woman delivers the heartache of late-night honky-tonk blues, when it’s last call and the loneliness of home awaits. Her guitar is heartfelt, deep and poignant, and her voice hits an alluring spot between sweet and sultry.

Foley is a three-time consecutive winner of the Blues Music Award. Sshe was honored as Guitarist of the Year and Blues Act of the Year at the 2023 Austin Music Awards and won the Lifetime Achievement/Blues with a Feeling Award at the 2024 Maple Blues Awards.

Foley is currently on tour supporting One Guitar Woman, and she will take the stage with a full band at Devil’s Backbone Tavern on Friday July 19 at 7 p.m.

“I’m just excited to be coming up that way,” Foley said. “[We’ll have] a lot of good Texas blues. Come out on a summer night and hear some blues.”

Reserve tickets are on sale now starting at $40 and are available at devilsbackbonetavern. com/ live-music.

To listen to Sue Foley’s music, find her on Apple Music, YouTube and Spotify or visit the artist’s webpage at suefoley.com to learn more.