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Australian Blues Woman FIONA BOYES Signs International Recording Contract

The career of Melbourne based blues performer, Fiona Boyes, continues to reach new heights. On Christmas Eve Fiona signed an international recording contract with award winning Memphis label, YELLOW DOG RECORDS.

After winning the prestigious INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE in Memphis in 2003, Fiona went back to the US to play major Festivals in New York, Chicago, Portland and Atlanta. Recognised by Blues Hall of Fame legend, Pinetop Perkins, as ‘the best gal guitar player I’ve heard since Memphis Minnie’, Fiona went on to play and record with some of the greats of Delta and Chicago blues, including Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin from Muddy Waters’ band, and the immortal Hubert Sumlin, famed for his 28 year career as Howlin Wolf’s guitarist.

The recipient of every major performance award in Australian blues music, Fiona is also an established recording artist. Having made 5 albums with her band the Mojos in the 80’s, she then produced two solo releases, and her acclaimed double album, ‘Fiona Boyes and the Fortune Tellers Live in Atlanta’, which made it to #2 on the Chicago charts.

This next step in Fiona’s career marks an incredible milestone. She leaves Australia on January 23rd and after a short stopover in Memphis where she will be a judge at the International Blues Challenge, it’s on to Austin, Texas, to record her new album.

Joining Fiona in Austin’s Wire Sound Studios will be Grammy award winning producer, Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff, sound engineer Stuart Sullivan, whose genius in the recording studio helped artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Marcia Ball, and Willie Nelson to gold and platinum records, Bob Margolin, The Texas Horns, bass player Larry Fulcher from Taj Mahal’s Phantom Blues Band, and Grammy Award winning Texas Swing keyboardist Floyd Domino (Asleep at The Wheel, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Strait). Special guest on the album is multi-Handy award winner and 2006 Grammy nominee, Marcia Ball.

Australian blues fans have one last chance to see Fiona perform before she leaves for the US. On Saturday January 21st, a great line-up of Melbourne musicians including Fiona and her band The Fortune Tellers, Chris Wilson and Sarah Carroll, Jimi Hocking, Kerri Simpson, Lil’ Fi, Nick Charles, and Bron Ault-Connell, will be playing an afternoon show at the Corner Hotel, Richmond, between 2pm and 7pm. Ticket sales from this show will enable Fiona to be off the road while she records her new album. For wine afficianados, a bottle of 1998 Penfolds Grange Hermitage will be raffled during the afternoon.

If you can’t make it to the Corner and would like to help Fiona get to Austin you can pre-purchase a CD, which will be numbered and autographed, and sent to you before the official release in July.

Fiona would like to thank the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society, her many supporters, and especially Maton Guitars. It was through Maton’s generous support of emerging talent more than 20 years ago that Fiona won her first acoustic guitar, and she has proudly played Maton guitars ever since. To Neville, Patrick, and Anthony, and all at Maton – a big thank you.

For further information contact Steve Clarke, Back Porch Blues Productions,
Ph 0418 320 103 email: backporch@fionaboyes.com or go to the website www.fionaboyes.com