Sue Foley cleans up again at Maple Blues Awards

Entertainment news Tuesday , Jan 28, 2003

From my ISP, Alberta.com

Sue Foley is great as is acoustic blues player Harry Manx. I saw him at last summer's Edmonton Folk Music Festival. That guy can play!

Third straight year
Sue Foley cleans up again at Maple Blues Awards

TORONTO (CP) - Singer and guitarist Sue Foley cleaned up for a third straight year at the Maple Blues Awards on Monday. The Ottawa-based musician was honoured with five awards including entertainer of the year, female vocalist of the year and songwriter of the year.
Veteran bluesman Colin Linden was named producer of the year for his work on Foley's album, Where The Action Is. Linden, who has produced The Band, Bruce Cockburn and Lucinda Williams, took the award for the third consecutive year.

Halifax native Tom Bona, Foley's drummer, was selected drummer of the year, his second year in a row.

It's been a whirlwind year for Foley, who returned to her native Ottawa in 1997 after spending several years in Austin, Tex., honing her blues chops. She's been nominated for a W. C. Handy Award in the U.S. for female artist of the year. The Handy awards, which are high recognition in the blues community, will be handed out in Memphis on May 22.

The Maple Blues awards, handed out at a ceremony Monday night, are organized by the Toronto Blues Society. The winners are chosen by votes from the society's approximately 600 members, in conjunction with blues organizations in Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor and Thunder Bay as well as the Manitoba Blues Society, the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society in B.C., CBC Radio's Saturday Night Blues, and the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in New Brunswick.

David Gogo, from Nanaimo B.C., one of the country's foremost electric bluesmen and guitar slingers, was recognized as guitarist of the year. Gogo, who has been playing guitar since age 16, has shared stages with B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a close friend.

Guitarist Harry Manx, from Saltspring Island, B.C., was chosen acoustic act of the year.

Other instrumental awards went to two members of the veteran Downchild Blues Band, horn player Pat Carey and bassist Gary Kendall.

Toronto-based bandleader and solo artist Michael Pickett was named harmonica player of the year. Vancouver's Kenny (Blues Boss) Wayne won piano/keyboard player of the year.

John Mays, veteran singer with Toronto band Fathead, was chosen male singer of the year for the second year in a row.

New artist of the year honours went to Toronto's David Rotundo and The Blue Canadians. Leader Rotundo also won a $1,000 bursary, presented by Galaxie, the CBC's continuous music network.

For the second straight year, Duke Robillard was voted international artist of the year. Robillard, founder of the American band Roomful of Blues, is currently signed to Edmonton-based label Stony Plain, for which he has also produced and played on recordings by a wide variety of American and Canadian artists.

Two special awards - one voted for by Toronto Blues Society members, the other by its directors - were also presented.

The blues with a feeling award went to Chuck Jackson, who has been frontman, singer and harmonica player with the Downchild Blues Band for more than 12 years. Jackson is also the founder and director of the annual Southside Blues Festival in Port Credit, Ont.

Andrew Galloway was crowned blues booster of the year. Galloway is the founder of the Toronto-based blues record label Electro-Fi, which is building a major catalogue of recordings by both Canadian and American artists.

Winners of the 2003 Maple Blues Awards:

Acoustic act: Harry Manx

Electric act: Sue Foley

New artist: David Rotundo & The Blue Canadians

International artist: Duke Robillard

Drummer: Tom Bona

Bassist: Gary Kendall

Piano/Keyboard player: Kenny (Blues Boss) Wayne

Horn player: Pat Carey

Harmonica player: Michael Pickett

Guitarist: David Gogo

Male vocalist: John Mays

Female vocalist: Sue Foley

Recording of the year: Where the Action Is (Sue Foley)

Producer of the year: Colin Linden (Where the Action Is, Sue Foley)

SOCAN songwriter of the year: Sue Foley

Entertainer of the year: Sue Foley

Blues with a feeling award: Chuck Jackson

Blues booster of the year: Andrew Galloway



© The Canadian Press, 2003