Fiona Boyes
With 8 USA Blues Music Award nominations, career tour dates in 20 countries, and her recent induction into the Blues Victoria Hall of Fame, Fiona Boyes is a relentless and curious musical explorer. Fiona plays deep Blues, influenced by a myriad of traditional regional styles and has carved an international reputation as a blues guitarist, bandleader, vocalist and songwriter. Winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA, she is also a Blues Blast Music Award winner and former Port Fairy Folk Festival Artist of the Year.
Fiona’s new album ‘Ramblified’ is her 13th release. It is a collection of original songs celebrating the opportunity to get back into the studio after lengthy pandemic lockdowns. Along with powerful duo arrangements, featuring inventive percussion from long-time bandmate Mark Grunden, several of the songs are performed in intimate, solo mode. Fiona’s passion for unusual guitars is evident, with 3 string ‘Revenant’ and 4 string ‘Tenner’ cigar boxes and a rare ResoLectric baritone amongst the instruments played. ‘Ramblified’ follows a string of award-winning albums such as Mississippi/Louisiana-inspired band project ‘Voodoo in the Shadows’ (2018), audiophile acoustic album ‘Professin’ the Blues’ (2016) and ‘Box & Dice’ (2015) which was written around her growing collection of cigarbox guitars. In 2020 she also released a 20th Anniversary Edition of her debut solo album ‘Blues in My Heart’, a 16 track celebration of acoustic ragtime finger-style blues.
Fiona’s nomination for the Koko Taylor Award (Best Traditional Female Artist) at the 2019 USA Blues Music Awards in Memphis was her 8th BMA nomination over various categories since 2007. Fiona is the only Australian ever to be nominated for these awards, which are considered to be the Grammies of the Blues.
Equally at home on acoustic or electric guitars, her mostly original repertoire is like a Blues travelogue. Listen to her play and you’ll hear Delta slide guitar, single chord Mississippi Hills grooves, intricate country blues finger picking, along with material drawn from the classic blues sounds of New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. As her friend and mentor, the late, great Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist) said. ‘She’s got it! I’ve played with all of them – and she’s got it!’
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