Sue Foley on Building Her Blues Roots + 1951 Nocaster: Vault Sessions (S3: E16)

In this episode of the Vault Sessions, @Sue Foley plays Mattie Delaney's "Down the Big Road Blues", talks about the impact of the Rolling Stones, how Stevie Ray Vaughan and others combined the three parts of the blues, the unique blues sound of a nylon strings, incorporating flamenco flair, and more. Sue plays a 1951 Fender Nocaster. This song was one of two songs recorded by Mattie Delaney in the 1930’s. Her song "Down the Big Road Blues" is a variant of Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues". They share a similar chorus “I can't go down that big road by myself. I can't go down that big road by myself. If I can't carry you, I carry someone else” Mattie Delaney was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist active in the 1930s. This interviewed was filmed live backstage at the Bigfoot Blues Festival on October 18th in Tracy City, TN. Season 3 is packed with great players so click the subscribe button for updates. Coming soon: Jimmy Herring, Samantha Fish, Stuart Mathis, Robben Ford, and dozens more. These sessions help keep the music alive by helping the Songbirds Foundation raise money to buy guitars for kids…check out our website to find out more— songbirdsfoundation.org. Thanks to our sponsors— The Riverview Foundation, Schillhahn-Huskey Foundation, GHS Strings, and Todd Sharp Amplifiers. Special thanks to John Dooley for the great video work. #guitarsforkids #vintageguitar

Added 19 Jun 2026