In any event, Foley wasn't a Texan, not by a long shot. Her home lay in Ottowa, but her heart belonged to the mythical landscape inhabited by the likes of blues masters like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and James Cotton. It was they whom she burned to emulate when she began sneaking onto blues club stages at the tender age of sixteen. She had her union card before she qualified for a driver's license.

By the time she turned 18 -- not yet old enough to buy beer in some Texas counties -- she had already lit out for Vancouver and cobbled together a band. She displayed an adult perspective when she told a reporter, "Women grow up faster than men, and it shows in the way they play guitar." But she displayed a dash of youthful vigor when she added, "I'm going to play as good as a man, and I ain't gonna be no rhythm player."

It is that attitude, and the chops to back it up, that have won Foley such respect and admiration from listeners and critics. ("After one performance," said Billboard, "she left the audience flabbergasted.") They look at the figure in the footlights and see a star waiting to happen: she looks in the mirror and sees setting off on a lifelong quest. In one of those peculiar juxtapositions of perception and reality, both parties are, for once, correct.

Albums by artist:
Young Girl Blues
Without A Warning
Big City Blues
Walk In The Sun

Listen:
To listen to sample tracks, click the album of choice above.

Artist's Links:
Artist's Homepage