One of the great things about 2021 was discovering new artists in unexpected places. Not every new artist was created equally. Not every rising artist was created equally. Which brings us to Robert Finley. The 68-year-old bluesman was a revelation. Once we heard his story and unlikely rise, it was so captivating and compelling to us that we made Finley the subject of our June 2021 cover story.
And deservedly so.
As we traced in Liza Lentini’s terrific profile, Finley may have garnered attention on America’s Got Talent, but he showcased his true chops on his new album, Sharecropper’s Son. The Louisiana native inked a deal with Black Keys guitarist/frontman Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. From there, Finley’s album was produced by Auerbach and it remains one of the most underrated and underappreciated efforts of 2021. Not only that, Finley opened for the Black Keys on their short run of Southern tour dates this fall
Thankfully for you, if you missed out on Finley, now you have literally no excuse. In this 15 minute live performance, Finley shows off the talent that grabbed our attention in the first place. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.
The session was filmed in the dressing room of City Winery in D.C. Backing Finley are guitarist Josh Cournoyer and on vocals is Christy Johnson (Finley’s daughter).
Finley joins UPSAHL, KANDLE, the Grammy-nominated Cha Wa, Sam Himself, Rozzi, Nick Waterhouse, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Sub-Radio, Cedric Burnside, Naia Izumi, Grace Weber, India Carney, Kate Vargas, John R. Miller and STACEY to showcase their talents. Our last 15 Minute Live Performance featured singer-songwriter Trishes.
Here’s the full setlist:
Sharecropper’s Son
I Can Feel Your Pain
All My Hope
Souled Out on You
