Maury Finney (born in

Humboldt, Minnesota Humboldt is a city in Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 41 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Humboldt has been in operation since 1896. The city is reportedly named after Alexander von Humboldt, who wa ...

) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

saxophonist. Between 1976 and 1980, he recorded for the Soundwaves

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

. Finney charted twelve times on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country singles charts. His highest-peaking single was "Coconut Grove," which reached No. 72 in 1977.

Musical career

In the 1970s, Finney owned an appliance store in

East Grand Forks, Minnesota East Grand Forks (also known as EGF) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 Census, making it the largest community in Polk County. It is located in the Red River Valley region along the easte ...

. He also played in a band called The Charms, which had regional success, before recording his debut single "Maiden's Prayer" for the Soundwaves label. Finney's recordings for Soundwaves largely comprised instrumental covers of other artists' songs. Among these were David Houston's " Almost Persuaded,"

Larry Gatlin Larry Wayne Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) is an American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter. As part of a trio with his younger brothers Steve and Rudy, he achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on 3 ...

's "I Don't Wanna Cry," Hank Thompson's "

The Wild Side of Life "The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history, spending 15 weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' co ...

" and

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), m ...

's "Waltz Across Texas." The singles "Maiden's Prayer," "Coconut Grove" and "I Want to Play My Horn on the Grand Ole Opry" all featured vocals from a backing chorus, and Finney provided additional vocals on the latter. Between 1976 and 1977, he had charted the most instrumental songs of any country music artist. In 1977, the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

nominated him Instrumentalist of the Year. Finney continued to operate his appliance store until 2001, when he retired and closed it.

Discography

Singles

B-sides

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finney, Maury American male saxophonists Living people Musicians from Minnesota People from Kittson County, Minnesota Songwriters from Minnesota 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people) American male songwriters