The music of Ana Popovic, a native of Belgrade, proves that blues can step outside its usual strict boundaries and still appeal to audiences of all ages. Her remarkable success is built on a willingness to cross over.

"I really like to be too bluesy for a jazz and too jazzy for a blues player", says Ana. "If you can bring up the bluesy feeling in all the styles, that is my ideal situation."

Each of her two Ruf Records CDs to date - "Hush!" (2001) and "Comfort To The Soul" (2003) - presents Ana's seemingly effortless mixture of blues, jazz, funk, soul and world music. At just 28 years of age, she's already a leading light on the European blues scene and one of the very few European artists to have been nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in the U.S. (Best New Artist Debut, 2003). She has successfully toured the States and appeared at many major European festivals, sharing stages with the likes of Bernard Allison, Solomon Burke and Walter Trout.

Candye Kane, one of the most flamboyant and talented figures in international blues circles, made her Ruf debut in 2003 with "Whole Lotta Love". The title can be understood in a number of ways.

"It's no secret to anybody that I am a big woman. It's the first thing you see when you meet me and many of my songs adopt themes about body size and image."

But "Whole Lotta Love" is also a way of life for this charismatic Californian, who preaches the gospel of love both earthly and spiritual with grace and a sense of humor, exuding a confidence that is hard won. To escape the hardship of being a welfare mother at age 17, Kane worked as a stripper and adult model. She invested part of her earnings in her singing career, which exploded with a string of releases during the 1990s for respected labels like Antone's, Sire and Rounder. Her long-time love affair with the blues doesn't keep her from flirting with soul, rock and swing. An excellent singer and performer, Kane's lusty shows are the stuff of legend.

The third member of the Blues Caravan is Canadian guitarist, singer and song-writer Sue Foley. Raised on the local scene in her native Ottawa, Foley recorded several albums for Antone's Records while living in Austin, Texas. Her modern electric blues has won acclaim throughout the world, culminating with a W.C. Handy nomination in the "Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year" category in 2003. As suggested by its title, her forthcoming album "Change", due for release on Ruf Records in September 2004, will present a new side of Sue Foley - live and acoustic.

"Because it was recorded in one night, the album has a raw quality and also a vibrancy that could only be created in the moment with the help of a great audience."

Like her Ladies Night partners, Sue Foley includes songs by the great female blues singers of the past in her repertoire. Memphis Minnie's "Me And My Chauffeur Blues" and "Bad Luck Woman," "Hardworking Woman" by Mississippi Matilda and Bessie Smith's "Sugar In My Bowl" are just a few examples.