It's not every day Sue Foley gets an opportunity to open for a blues icon like B.B. King.
Come Monday night, that's exactly what will transpire when Ottawa's renowned blues singer-guitarist, supporting her sixth album, Love Comin' Down, takes to the stage of Toronto's Massey Hall as opening act for the legendary bluesman.
"I'm excited, honoured and all the rest ... you know, we're just moving along," Foley says modestly from her Ottawa home. "We've worked towards this. Nothing has happened overnight. I mean, Todd (Littlefield, Foley's manager) has been working his butt off, so I have to give him credit for a lot of stuff that's happening now."
For his part, Littlefield says he'd been searching for the past six months for a suitable Toronto gig for Foley to play. After submitting her album to Massey Hall officials once the King gig was confirmed, the response back was beyond favourable.
"They absolutely loved Love Comin' Down," Littlefield says. "So they passed it on to King's people. And he's fairly open and supportive, so they definitely will get a chance to meet."
Incidentally, Foley almost encountered King this past September when she played a gig in New York at the newly opened B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on the day he turned 75. There were whispers King would make a cameo appearance at the club, but Foley says a face-to-face meeting would've been remote at best, given he was headlining his own blues festival that same evening at Jones Beach with Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi.
Critical applause
"There was a slight rumour he'd show up ... but he was in Long Island, so I was doubtful," Foley says. "To me, it was just a gig."
Still, much of the critical applause towards Foley's Love Comin' Down -- which is up for six Maple Blues Awards to be handed out in Toronto Feb. 6 -- comes as a result of the 32-year-old's own talent as a crafty lead guitar player, a heartfelt singer, a sharp writer and interpreter of other blues legends' material. A move to Austin, Tex., in 1990 began Foley's trailblazing efforts that resulted in four albums on Antone's Records between 1990-96, before moving to the Shanachie label for a pair of albums ('98's Ten Days in November and Love Comin' Down) and eventually relocating to Ottawa to raise her son and improve her Canadian exposure.
"It's good to re-establish things here because I was gone for so long," Foley says. "People (in Canada) were sort of familiar with what I was doing, but not fully knowing."
Adds Littlefield: "She's worked hard and really found her stride on this album. Still, not enough people have heard the album here.
Compilation sister
"Hopefully, that will change -- we'll have to see."
Along with a compilation CD of her Antone's years due out sometime in March, more exposure is on the way for Foley.
She's slated for upcoming TV spots on CBC Morning News (Monday, 8:30 a.m.) and Open Mike with Mike Bullard (Feb. 5). Following the King show, Foley will headline several North American dates (including stops at Ottawa's T-Rex Smokehouse Jan. 27 and Wakefield's Black Sheep Inn Feb. 9) as well as open for the likes of Jonny Lang, John Lee Hooker, The Neville Brothers and her latest fan, singer Jennifer Warnes.
"We've been talking a lot, and she's just a nice lady and really supportive about what I do," Foley says. "We'd been trying to hook up to do a project together for quite some time. So I'm gonna be down in Los Angeles (in March) and ... well, you just never know what could come out of that."
Foley's also confirmed to make her United Kingdom concert debut at this year's Bishopstock Festival in Exeter alongside Ray Charles, Taj Mahal and Johnny Winter.
