Foy Best Vance was born in 1974 in Bangor Co-Down in Ireland. However even before Foy was a year old, his preacher-man father along with his mother and three elder brothers had packed up their belongings and caught the boat to America, the land of the free.

Relocating to Oklahoma, Mr Preacher-man preached the length and breadth of the vast country with family in tow. It was in the black churches of the South that young Foy soaked up the deep riches of the southern roots and started to sing. Music was Foys only outlet and it didnt take long for his folks to notice that their boy had a special gift. Thats when the preacher-man taught him how to play the 12 bar blues, a moment which proved to be a milestone for Foy. I was brought up hearing all manner of music and poetry. My father loved literature and music and would often initiate a sing-song when the family were together, but what stood out more to me were the times you would find him alone in a room singing and playing guitar. Eyes closed and feeling it, this was something different. He sang different. It sounded different.

Foy always knew that he wanted to sing and write music after the family moved back to Ireland five years later and living on a working-mens estate in Bangor, his only exposure to music was artists on TV and radio. They all seemed so other-worldly that I assumed that they were born into the life they led, which when translated, meant there was no hope for me. So he carried on playing and singing in private for his own pleasure - It was perhaps this that has led to Foys ability to perform as if for an audience of one, regardless of the reality.

Foy cut his teeth gigging all over Ireland and Scotland with a soul funk band which didnt prove enough to satisfy his musical aspirations. It was around this time that he took a renewed interest in his fathers acoustic although the soul flavours have never left him. Upon meeting his muse in the form of an aspiring Belfast artist, Joanne Shaw (now Joanne Vance), he began to immerse himself in his art form he discovered the beauty and importance of song; Songwriting for me is an organic free-flowing experience. Rather than having a preconceived plan for putting a song together I try to open up and let things flow naturally.

Foy also explored possibilities of not only writing but exhibiting his work which he did extensively in various outfits. Most notably in a band called Columbo who stole the show at Belfest (annual Belfast festival) and then split up! Foy was again a nomad, seeking the next venture. As nothing happens by accident in Foys world it was around this time that he was offered a regular slot at a bar in Lanzarote, Canary Islands after a member of the audience saw him perform at the Dirty Duck, just outside Belfast. Coincidentally Foy was already going to Lanzarote a week later for his honeymoon!

After a week in Lanzarote the newly wed Vances decided that they would accept the offer and stay put Joanne would concentrate on her art and Foy would use the time to do some soul searching, deciding where to go next with his music. A couple of months later and another milestone moment arrived for Foy 1am, 30 January 99. On that night Foy was performing at the usual venue in Lanzarote. One of the things Foy often does live is to put himself on the edge, being forced to get caught up in the moment and improvise a new song in front of an audience. At that particular moment the lyrics Jesus is coming like a thief in the night jumped out of him and suddenly he was consumed with a deep sadness. He finished the gig, went home and spent the whole night crying without any particular reason. The next morning he finds out that back in Ireland his beloved father suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away at 1am.

As soon as this happened songs just started pouring out of Foy, he immediately finished the song he started improvising the night before, now named Crying In The Night, and eight months later he had another 40 or so songs ready to go; When my father died all these songs just started pouring out of memy fathers passing had left a huge gap that I had to fill. He had enough material for at least 4 albums and more songs just kept coming. In some kind of a twisted way Foy now had the answers he was searching for it was at that time he decided that he had to do something significant with his music.

In Foys world nothing happens by accident, and it was in this manner that the people who launched Joss Stone (Brian Freshwater and Jacqueline Hughes) came across some of his recordings. The studio manager at Intimate Studios (Wapping) insisted that we listen to some tracks a new artist had been working on. Stunned by what we heard we went on a mission to track the man down, Brian says. When we first saw Foy playing live we knew he was the real deal. The way he communicates his wonderful poignant songs, with his astonishing, emotive soul voice just gives you goose bumps. We immediately recognised that this was an authentic artist with something special to convey.


Every once in a while an artist emerges to shake you from your seat and touch your soul, singing as if it were the last time he would ever perform. With a distinctive, cracked, soulful voice and a skill to write profound storytelling songs, Foy Vance belongs to a calibre of artists that stands the test of time, irrespective of trends or fads, delivering heartfelt songs about the human condition that everyone can relate to.

Foy arrived into the public consciousness last summer with the release of his widely acclaimed debut EP Live Sessions and the Birth of the Toilet Tour. A series of gigs that saw him support such diverse artists as KT Tunstall, Tegan and Sara, Pete Townshend, Joss Stone and blues legend Taj Mahal led to two sold-out shows at Ronnie Scotts, which further confirmed his reputation, now rapidly growing via word of mouth, that Foy is a major talent.

These shows amassed a dedicated fan-base and gained Foy support and admiration from his peers, including nine-times Grammy award winner Bonnie Raitt, who invited him to join her as special guest on her UK/European tour which kicked off in April.

An overwhelming response from US and Canadian audiences, due to the airing of two of Foys songs (Homebird as featured on the new EP, and Gabriel and the Vagabond) on the cult ABC networked TV drama series, Greys Anatomy last month (as selected by The OCs music supervisor, Alex Patsavas) and a showcase at SXSW, has led to a huge demand for the immediate release of Gabriel and the Vagabond as a single in the US.

In between support slots with Rodrigo y Gabriela and Dave Matthews earlier this year, Foy recorded a new collection of songs that comprise the forthcoming EP, Watermelon Oranges, released as a limited edition on Wurdamouth Records, on 24th July.

Watermelon Oranges unveils another dimension to the melancholic, introspective mood of Foys debut, Live Sessions and the Birth of the Toilet Tour. On this new EP, Belfast born Foy embraces the influences of Americas deep south - gleaned from his early years and experiences when the Vance family lived in Oklahoma - while maintaining his trademark, emotionally connected intensity and heart-felt lyrics. The result is that he has delivered five joyous, life-affirming songs, drenched in infectious melodies that contain elements of gospel, rhythm & blues, country and soul.

Displaying a traditional and timeless approach to songwriting, these songs are classics in-themaking. They also showcase the wide range of Foys distinctive vocal style that has the ability to uplift you to the skies or make you break down in tears in a matter of seconds - from the yearning out-cry of Home to the country-tinged Stoke My Fire and Homebird to the rhythm & blues immediacy of Dont Please Yourself and Sometimes.

Idiosyncratic as ever, Foy would find the oddest of places around the studio, whether it was the toilet, the cramped space underneath the stairs or even the store room, to record vocals and instruments that would enable him to capture a mood or a feeling and give the record a unique texture that also transcends the rawness of his live shows.

The whole purpose of any recording is that it represents a moment in an artists life and I feel that this record does exactly that for me. The idea behind the EP was to create an environment that would allow the songs to breathe. I wanted this record to sound as natural as when the songs are being played live Foy says.

"an unbelievable voice...the premier league of British songwriters"
The Sunday Times

"As if the spirit of the Blue Nile entered the body of Tom Waits"...
Leo Abrahams, Composer/Guitarist

"he's the missing link between Richie Havens and Stevie Wonder"...
Pierre Perrone, The Indenpendent

"a Gospel fuelled Pearl Jam"
What's on London

"Beautiful"
David Holmes

"Every once in a while an Artist emerges with something so new and experimental that the existing trends of the time are redefined. Foy Vance is a Northern Irish musician who's managed to transcend established thinking."
The Irish Post

"Spine Tingling voice"
The Sun

For more information you can check out Foy on his website www.foysnoise.com or on www.myspace.com/foyvance

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