Congratulations to Fiona Boyes! On November 23, 2022, Fiona will be inducted into the Blues Music Victoria Hall of Fame! She also has the distinction of being the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“Fiona Boyes will be the first woman even to be inducted into the Blues Music Victoria Hall of Fame on Wednesday November 23.

Extraordinarily talented blues guitarist and vocalist Fiona Boyes will this month be inducted into the Blues Music Victoria Hall of Fame after a dynamic 25 year music career that has taken her all over the world.…

You wouldn’t think it from all her success, but Fiona only fist picked up a guitar in her late twenties. 

She said she has always been drawn to blues styles originating from all over the US.

“There’s Mississippi Hills music which is really based on riffs and grooves, and then there’s more finger picking stuff that’s more melodic – different parts of America have regional styles of blues,” she said. 

She first began her career in Melbourne playing acoustic guitar and immediately gravitated towards finger picking – a style she said originated in blues music of the 1920s and 40s.

After a few years of playing she had the opportunity to join a band and started playing electric guitar, but over the years has also dappled in baritone guitars. 

She has flavoured her more recent albums with the sound of cigar box guitars – a traditional instrument that developed from people simply using what was on hand to create instruments.…

Fiona will be the first woman ever inducted into the Blues Music Victoria Hall of Fame on Wednesday November 23, 2022. 

She was also the only Australian musician ever to be recognised in the American Blues Foundation ‘Blues Music Awards’, with 8 nominations, including 2019 ‘Traditional Female Artist of the Year’.

—Ellouise Bailey, Bega Distict News

Full Story on Bega District News and more information on the Blues Music Victoria Hall of Fame event and Fiona’s induction is at bluesmusicvictoria.com.au