Page 66 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2024 Digital Edition

Angel’s resilience in the face of discrimination and her
commitment to breaking barriers for those who follow is
nothing short of inspirational. “To all my beautiful little
Black girls that tell me all the time they want to play and
sing just like me, and pick their afros out too! I LOVE YOU
ALL and I will ALWAYS be here to encourage you and
hopefully make it easier for you when your time comes to
rock out.”
“I know who I am and what I’m capable of, and you
ain’t seen nothing yet! I am Melody Angel – young, gifted
and Black!”

Fiona Boyes: Riffing from Inspiration
Fiona Boyes’ entry into the blues scene was marked by an
unexpected victory in her first real performance on a borrowed
guitar at an open mic ‘Talent Encouragement’ competition. “To
my amazement, I made it through to the finals… and won!
That’s how I got my first guitar,” she recalls.
Boyes, an Australian native, drew inspiration from
traditional, regional styles, including the legendary finger-
style bluesman ‘Dutch’ Tilders. Noting the scarcity of female
guitarists in her local scene, she was also drawn to the talent
and skill of Memphis Minnie. Boyes states, “I wrote a tribute
song to her called ‘She Could Play That Thing,’ which I played
in my winning set at the 2003 International Blues Challenge in
Memphis. It was thrilling to think that I was playing on Beale
Street, right where she would have played back in the day.”
As a relatively late bloomer, acoustic country blues felt
more approachable to Boyes; she wasn’t sure if she could
ever command those muscular, masculine styles of Chicago
and Mississippi blues. She explains, “I credit Bob Margolin
and Hubert Sumlin for encouraging me to tackle a grittier,
more emphatic way of playing, and for helping me develop
Melody Angel. Photo by Ÿ Jason Rosewarne as a musician. It is particularly precious to me that I got to

She exclaims, “It’s no wonder I get the least opportunities to
perform, while also getting paid less than everyone else, making
it that much harder to keep a career going. Don’t worry, I will
always find ways to survive, because I’m blessed with talents
that don’t stop at music.” To diversify her skills, Angel has
also branched out into acting, voice-over work, editing and
videography, graphic design and music production.
Her guitar has become a tool for activism, a means to voice
the injustices and challenges she faces as a Black woman in
blues – and in America. “I keep going,” she says, “because
I was blessed to have a mother that raised me to believe in
myself and understand the strength I’m built from – the legacy
of the strong Black women in my family.”
Facing an industry that often relegates her to the margins,
Angel says, “I move through this industry the way that I do,
because I know that my ancestors created blues, gospel,
rock ‘n roll, R&B, jazz and country. You can’t tell me where
I belong! I belong anywhere I want to be! I have every right
to play the blues and rock ‘n roll, and whatever else I feel
like playing.” Fiona Boyes. Photo by Ÿ Jason Rosewarne

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