Biography

When John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” hit the radio waves, a young girl growing up in London, UK decided that she wanted to be a singer when she grew up. Thirty years later, the music of Sue Pyper’s award winning CD “Before You Learn to Fly” is receiving international airplay.

Purchasing her first guitar at the age of 12, Sue became the first musician in a non-musical family. Although playing the guitar didn’t turn out to be as easy as it looked, in time she learned how to accompany herself, singing pop songs from books and imitating the sounds on her favourite records.

Drawn to the expressiveness of performance, Sue studied art at Richmond College of Art and Design. Her sharp wit, unpredictable humour and impressive artistic talent brought opportunity that allowed her to develop a successful career in photography, design and communications working for several large international corporations.  However it was music that was the constant rhythm in her life and fueled her sense of adventure.

At 27, she chucked the well-paying gig in order to see the world. Having previously traveled in Europe and Africa, she decided to venture to the United States and Canada. With an appetite for adventure she planned to see it all, from the deserts of Arizona to the artic polar bears. Staying in various hostels along the way, she noticed a recurring advertisement for Fiddlehead Farm, a wilderness adventure on the west coast of British Columbia. Her plans for the Canadian north took a detour and after the initial culture shock wore off, she found herself enjoying the rural alternative lifestyle of chopping wood, milking cows and weeding gardens. For 12 months she took in what she saw and felt; an experience that not only changed her life but also took her music in a new direction.

When she returned to the UK she started singing at local venues. It was at The Riverside Vegetaria that she met bass player, Pete Bolan. Along with lead guitarist, Chris Ezra, they formed a band “Out of Our Trio”, which combined the members' eclectic tastes, giving audiences music from folk to rock and roll. While she enjoyed the music, she was anxious to return to Canada and immigrated in 2000.

Finding her way back to BC’s west coast, she landed in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island and started looking for venues where she could play. She heard about a song circle at a local pub and showed up to play.  A serendipitous introduction to guitarist and recording artist Rodrigo Figueroa resulted in the production of her first CD, entitled “Before You Learn to Fly”. This amazing musical debut, released in May of 2004, features beautifully written original songs, as well as fresh interpretations of well chosen cover songs. The response to this first offering was phenomenal and in a short time her music earned an award for “Best Song” at the Vancouver Island Music Awards, achieved international radio play, optimistic reviews, and introduced an unforgettable voice to fans around the world.