Great Hall Concert Series – Sue Foley

With her painted nails, Sue Foley strokes, strums, shakes and flicks the six-string, producing a tone that doubles as her voice – noisy, proud and true. Undisturbed by pedals and multi-effects, her clear and distinct sound reflects a cascade of sparkling notes and convoluted chord changes that dazzle like diamonds, whether on the fingerboard of her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster or on her handmade Mexican flamenco guitar.

There is polish and a poetic sense of depth in the performance, growing from technical excellence rooted in powerful electric blues guitar and, most recently, soulful acoustic nylon string playing, including Piedmontese fingerpicking and other time-honored styles. Translucent glockenspiel tones mix with gravel and grease on the 13 albums she’s released since her 1992 debut, Young Girl Blues.