Touring in support of her newly released One Guitar Woman; honouring blues and finger-picking heroines like Memphis Minnie and Elizabeth Cotten, Maybelle Carter, who invented the Carter scratch style that influenced legends like Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll, whose electric guitar playing influenced Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Keith Richards. as well as classical guitar prodigies like Ida Presti and the multi-talented Charo represents a convergence of female power and musical mastery, breaking new ground for others to follow. “It shows a different perspective,” Foley says. “Hopefully, it will open the gates for more girls and women to embrace their place in the history of guitar. After all, we’ve been here all along.”

For One Guitar Woman, Foley learned to play Charo’s fiery version of “La Malagueña” on flamenco guitar and taught herself Ida Presti’s interpretation of Niccolò Paganini’s “Romance in A Minor,” slowing it down to a nuanced instrumental caress. Foley’s ingenuity shines in original compositions like “Maybelle’s Guitar,” where the Carter scratch underscores the towering influence of the Carter family’s music. Her deeply felt reinterpretation of Lydia Mendoza’s “Mal Hombre” breathes new life into this Tejano classic.

Foley has garnered international attention and numerous accolades, including the 2024 Blues with a Feeling/Lifetime Achievement award at the Maple Blues Awards, the 2024 Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Female (her fourth consecutive win), a Juno Award, multiple Austin Music Awards, Blues Music Awards, and Trophées de Blues de France.

Occupying the upper echelons of her art form, Foley epitomizes the electrifying truth that women rock and have for a long time. “I grew up with strong female musical influences like Heart, Linda Ronstadt, and Chrissie Hynde. They taught me that talent and skills were more important than looks and fluff. Playing matters.”

Awards & Accolades

· 2024 Blues Music Award winner Best Traditional Blues Female – Koko Taylor Award

· 2024 Blues Music Award nominee, Instrumentalist – Guitar

· 2024 Winner Maple Blues Award Blues with a Feeling/Lifetime Achievement Award, triple nominee for Guitarist of the Year, Electric Act of the Year

· 2023 Blues Music Award winner Best Traditional Blues Female – Koko Taylor Award

· 2023 Austin Music Awards winner Guitarist of the Year and Blues Act of the Year

· 2022 Blues Music Award winner Traditional Blues Album–Pinky’s Blues

· 2022 Blues Music Award winner Best Traditional Blues Female – Koko Taylor Award

· 2022 JUNO nominee Best Blues Album–Pinky’s Blues

· 2022 Maples Blues Award winner Entertainer of the Year, Guitarist of the Year

· 2020 Blues Music Award winner Best Traditional Blues Female – Koko Taylor Award