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Artist
Robert Finley
12+ albums
bluessoulsinger-songwriteramericanamericana
about
Robert Finley is an American blues and soul singer-songwriter and guitarist. After decades of performing semi-professionally followed by time away from music, Finley made a comeback in 2016. He released his debut studio album, Age Don't Mean a Thing, later in the year which was met positively by critics. Finley was born and raised in Bernice, Louisiana. At 11 years-old, he began practicing the guitar he had purchased from a thrift store. Gospel music 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 army, originally to serve as a helicopter technician in Germany. Upon his arrival, however, Finley accommodated the army band's need for a guitarist and bandleader 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. In 2015, Music Maker, a non-profit organization that supports aging blues musicians, discovered Finley busking before a gig in Arkansas, who was deemed legally blind and forced to retire from carpentry. With their help, Finely made a musical comeback, featuring him in packaged tours with acts like Robert Lee Coleman and Alabama Slim. Finley released his debut studio album, Age Don't Mean a Thing, on September 30, 2016 on
