The
musical paths of Sue Hudson and Cliff Baylis have crossed frequently
over the years and their shared enthusiasm for American music has
now led to them forming the duo foolproof, which has appeared in festivals,
concerts, folk clubs and pubs across the South of England.
Sue has been researching and performing acoustic music for over 20
years. Formerly with nationally-known folk duo Tundra, she has recorded
albums and toured extensively in Europe, and in the USA. An outstanding
singer and experienced musician, she has also contributed to several
radio, theatre and community opera productions.
During a tour of the USA in the 1980s Sue discovered the living music
traditions which eventually came to inspire foolproof. In 1988, she
formed Americana 6-piece band Small Town Romance, which achieved some
success on the London circuit before disbanding in the mid-nineties.
Along with Cliff, Sue now plays with Americana collective The Country
Counts and continues to front her own hoedown band.
Cliff
has a long-standing reputation as a skilled and inventive musician,
having played mandolin and guitar for many years in his own duos and
bands. He runs his own hoedown / ceilidh band Doctor's
Orders and is much in demand as a live session player for folk,
blues and country artistes. As well as teaching mandolin and guitar,
Cliff has appeared as a mandolin demonstrator at major instrument
festivals in the UK and Europe.
The
growing reputation of foolproof is based on their choice of excellent
songs, delivered by a combination of dynamic lead and harmony vocals
with driving guitar and sparkling breaks on mandolin. The duo’s
performance draws heavily on their shared understanding and experience
of roots music on both sides of the Atlantic. The resulting sound
is a compelling mix of country and folk, with overtones of blues and
gospel.
“Powerful and expressive with a truthfulness that connects closely
with their audience" - Profile
