Sharon Bear Foehner, St. Louis, Mo.

Blues Musician

As a child, Sharon Bear Foehner trained as a classical musician, playing bass violin. Then, she picked up the guitar in 1977. Landing in St. Louis ten years later, Foehner  quickly found the St. Louis blues and immersed herself in its culture. She points to the tradition’s greats as her mentors, including Bennie Smith, Johnnie Johnson, Oliver Sain, Renee Smith, Jimmy Rodgers, James Crutchfield, and 1985 National Heritage Fellow Henry “Mule” Townsend. Highlights in her career include performing with legendary blues musicians, like Rufus Thomas, guitarists Etta Baker and Hubert Sumlin, drummer Sam Carr, and harmonica player Frank Frost.

In the mid-1990s, Foehner and her mentor Bennie Smith participated in Missouri’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. She also co-founded, and played bass with, Bennie Smith and the Urban Blues Express, an ensemble that toured extensively, until his death. Foehner continues to perform the blues solo, in duos, and with a variety of bands. And, she actively works to repay her mentors by nurturing the next generations of blues artists, in bands and through educational programs at the National Blues Museum.

Her nominator Andy Lewis wrote: “In the music of Lonnie Johnson and other St. Louis pioneers, Sharon found a level of bounce and syncopation (the emphasis of the “offbeats” or “weak” beats in a groove) that she sees as crucial to the blues tradition. As blues has become more entrenched as a popular style, it has often lost this element that was so essential to its origins, becoming less propulsive. For Sharon and the St. Louis artists she trained with, blues music must achieve a kind of lift-off. Each member of the band provides a counter-rhythm to keep the music lively, the sound grooving, and listeners dancing.

This is the true sound of the St. Louis blues, seasoned with syncopation-heavy ragtime and swing. As an artist representing Missouri blues to newcomers to the area and tourists as well as its existing die-hard fans, Sharon gives audiences a real taste of the region’s style, not just an imitation of the blues artists who’ve dictated much of the style’s contemporary sound.”

Robert Nelson, the Creative Director of Community Engagement & Education at the National Blues Museum supported the nomination: “Sharon has helped new generations of students absorb the vital and historically essential music community in their home state of Missouri. As a musician performing at our concerts and events, she helps remind St. Louisans who are new to the blues, as well as long-time fans, that they are a part of a unique and enduring folk tradition.”

Thanks to Andy Lewis for crafting the nomination for the 2024 Living Traditions Sustainer Fellowship, and thanks to Sharon Bear Foehner for her contributions to sustaining the tradition of St. Louis blues.

In the video below, Sharon Bear sings lead vocals and plays guitar, covering the great Memphis Minnie’s Bumble Bee. 

Then, enjoy this 2023 performance at Pop’s Blue Moon with Doug Foehner on lap steel. 

Learn more about Sharon Bear Foehner in her own words in an Artist Spotlight from the National Blues Museum.