Sue Foley plays the blues in part because she knows how difficult it is for young women to become professional musicians.

As if making a living playing music wasn't challenging enough, sexist attitudes in both the industry and media make it virtually impossible for all but the most gifted and determined women to make it. Most of them just give up.

Which is why Foley, who lives in Perth, is hosting "Guitar Women," an all-female summit of guitars with Roxanne Potvin, Rachelle Van Zanten and Ellen McIlwaine at Centrepointe Theatre tomorrow.

"When critics ask why there aren't as many important female guitar players as men, it's because we're looking for women to play like men," Foley says. "Why do we have to play the same way? We're different creatures. Nancy Wilson of Heart is one of my guitar heroes. Bonnie Rait, Joni Mitchell, they're all great guitar players."

Foley has been working for the past five years on a book called Guitar Woman, a history of female guitarists and to date she's interviewed 60 players.

"There are a lot more women coming into the business, but I don't think we've progressed to the point where we're seeing really strong female players because it still comes down to a little T&A, lots of dancing and flash. For me, there isn't a whole lot of substance in that.

"Video put the emphasis back on looks. I can't watch a video channel. Even the women with talent are selling themselves out. It's a very low common denominator when we could be doing so much more.

"We have to educate women about other possibilities and hopefully see more women really jamming out. But for that we need role models. And the business has to turn around and get back to music."

Foley, 38, was one of those prodigies who only started playing guitar at 13 but knew she was going to be a musician long before that. Growing up watching stars such as Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, she was influenced by their hard-rock, hard-blues style because her air guitar-playing brothers liked them. But that all changed after attending a concert by James Cotten.

"I had an epiphany and in an instant, I went from rock to blues. One minute I wanted to be the next Jimmy Page. The next I wanted to be the next Memphis Minnie."

Blues pioneer Memphis Minnie was a guitar prodigy who died in relative obscurity in 1973. Robert Johnson cited her as one of his biggest influences.

"She's a prime example of somebody who is highly influential, who wrote and recorded more than 200 songs and played lead guitar, was a real bad ass, and still, she never gets mentioned in the same sentence as Robert Johnson. That's just wrong."

Foley has become one of Canada's leading blues players. In 2000, she won her first Juno Award for best blues album for Love Comin' Down. She has also received a record-setting 17 Maple Blues Awards and three Trophee De Blues in France. She was also nominated for a prestigious W.C. Handy Award for best contemporary female artist in 2002 and in April, Foley released her 10th studio album, New Used Car.