Biography
Born into a household steeped in music, Jaye Foucher cannot recall a time when she was not engaged with one instrument or another. Family lore passed down by her mother recounts how, as a toddler scarcely able to reach the piano keys, young Jaye would replicate melodies broadcast over the radio. Years of formal study followed in jazz, pop, and classical piano. At seventeen she first handled a guitar and experienced immediate, irresistible attraction to the instrument. Within two years she was both performing and recording with a Boston-area ensemble while devoting six to eight hours daily to practice. She left college to devote herself entirely to the music she longed to produce. Her goal was to become the first female rock guitarist recognized as a virtuoso, a distinction no woman had yet attained. Early private lessons yielded only modest advancement. In 1986 she began working with Gary Hoey, the first teacher who demanded genuine growth. Recognizing how quickly she assimilated new material, he assigned her extensive exercises and repeatedly affirmed her potential, urging her to chase her ambitions. One such ambition was enrollment at the Guitar Institute of Technology; she entered GIT in 1988. Upon arrival she was unexpectedly assigned to the school’s most advanced cohort and finished among the top twenty guitarists in a class exceeding two hundred students. After receiving her diploma in 1989, Foucher returned to Boston and joined the progressive metal band Lord Bane while also maintaining a private teaching practice. Industry notice arrived through features such as Guitar Player’s “Spotlight” column, three competition finalist placements, and the first of numerous endorsement agreements. Departing Lord Bane, she established the progressive metal group Plaid Dragon in 1993. The following year Celestion Industries invited her to perform at the Winter NAMM show in Los Angeles. Momentum accelerated: her name and playing appeared in more than 130 magazines and fanzines worldwide, she performed at seven NAMM events, two Muzik Messe gatherings in Switzerland, and a comparable trade show in Spain. When Plaid Dragon dissolved in 1995, Foucher turned to composing and recording her own instrumental works. Her debut independent album, Infectious Licks, appeared in 1997 and earned enthusiastic critical praise along with regular airplay on progressive-rock and guitar-oriented stations internationally. January 2000 brought the release of her second solo recording, Contagious Grooves. Among the endorsements she secured were those from Jackson Guitars, DiMarzio pickups, GHS Strings, and Rocktron Technology. She is also a founding figure behind Guitarpalooza, the online publication devoted to instrumental guitar music. In 1998 a newsletter profile delighted her by explicitly labeling her a virtuoso rock guitarist. The arc of her career demonstrates that persistence paired with ability can indeed realize long-held aspirations.