Robert Finley (born February 13, 1954) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer-songwriter and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

. After decades of performing semi-professionally followed by time away from music, Finley made a comeback in 2016. He released his debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''Age Don't Mean a Thing'', later in the year, which was met positively by critics.

Life and career

Finley was born and raised in

Bernice, Louisiana Bernice is a town in Union Parish, Louisiana, Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,689 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, a decrease from 1,809 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is part of the Monroe, Louis ...

, United States. At 11 years old he began practicing the guitar he had purchased from a thrift store.

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

played a crucial role in his early development: "I always went to gospel quartet groups and I always took the front row seat, and I just watched their fingers", recollected Finley in an interview. In 1970, he joined the U.S. Army, originally to serve as a helicopter technician in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Upon his arrival, however, Finley accommodated the army band's need for a guitarist and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

by traveling with the group throughout Europe until he was discharged. After returning to Louisiana, Finley worked as a part-time street performer, leader of the gospel group Brother Finley and the Gospel Sisters, and as a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

. He was deemed

legally blind Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

and forced to retire from carpentry. In 2015, Music Maker Relief Foundation, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that supports aging blues musicians, discovered Finley busking before a gig in Arkansas. With their help, Finley made a musical comeback, featuring him in packaged tours with acts including Robert Lee Coleman and

Alabama Slim Milton Frazier (born March 29, 1939), known professionally as Alabama Slim is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. It was noted that he "plays a minimal guitar style with a piercing attack". Playing on-and-off since the 1950s, Ala ...

. Finley released his first album, ''Age Don't Mean a Thing'', on September 30, 2016, on Big Legal Mess Records. Although for the most part Finley was a bluesman, his

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Bruce Watson keyed in on more of his soulful compositions. With production credits from Watson and Jimbo Mathus, Finley traveled to Memphis to record the album with members of

the Bo-Keys The Bo-Keys are a soul jazz band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition. History In 1998, Scott Bomar was asked to assemble a backing band for former Stax artist and songwriter Sir Mack Rice. His co ...

. He penned all but two of the tracks, highlighted by an autobiographical title song, on ''Age Don't Mean a Thing'', evoking influences from

Booker T. and the MGs Booker T. & the M.G.'s were an American instrumental rock, instrumental R&B/funk band that was influential in shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul. The original members of the group were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cro ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, and B. B. King. Music journalists were highly receptive to Finley's comeback and album, particularly his revitalizing take on

Southern soul Southern soul is a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated fro ...

. After ''Age Don't Mean a Thing'', Finley got connected with

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

the Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

. Auerbach and Finley then released an original soundtrack for the graphic novel, ''Murder Ballads'', published by

Z2 Comics Z2 Comics is an American publisher of graphic novels, comic books, and popular culture merchandise. Known for its music-related projects and partnership with musical acts, the company uses "a data-driven approach to identify acts with strong follo ...

. Shortly after the release of the ''Murder Ballads'' soundtrack, ''

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 ...

'' announced that Finley would be releasing a full-length album produced and co-written by Auerbach. The album, ''Goin' Platinum!'' was released on Easy Eye Sound (

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

) on December 8, 2017. The following year Finley joined Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound Revue tour. Finley followed up the Easy Eye Sound Revue tour with a series of headline shows around the world. In 2019, it was announced via social media that Finley was a contestant for the fourteenth season of America's Got Talent. AGT released a sneak peek where Finley sang an original song, called "Get It While You Can". He managed to reach the live shows but was eventually eliminated in the semi-finals. In 2021, Finley announced the album ''Sharecropper's Son'', to be released May 21, 2021 on

Easy Eye Sound Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

. The album is autobiographical in nature, and centers around Finley's upbringing on a crop share in Louisiana. The album is produced by

References

External links

An interview with Soul Express
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Robert Living people America's Got Talent contestants American blues singers American soul singers Songwriters from Louisiana American carpenters Blind musicians Guitarists from Louisiana Blues musicians from Louisiana People from Bernice, Louisiana 1954 births American blind people