Robert Finley is an artist that I wish I would have discovered sooner. He worked hard for 67 years before finding success in the music industry. Finley is an army veteran and was a skilled carpenter before he lost his sight in his 60’s. Losing his sight is what led him to following his music career and dream of being a professional musician. Robert Finley says “losing my sight gave me the perspective to see my true destiny.” Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys took notice of Finley and began producing his music and writing songs with him, calling him “the great living soul singer.”
Now “the great living soul singer” is preparing for the release of his next album ‘Sharecropper’s Son’ which drops in just one month, on May 21st. Finley’s single “Country Boy” was co-written and produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.
The unique music video goes deep. It was directed by Tim Hardiman and shot in the fields of Winnsboro, Louisiana, where Robert Finley’s family worked as Sharecroppers during the Jim Crow era. The lyrics feature memories from Finley’s childhood. Robert Finley was born Winnsboro, Louisiana in 1953 and worked on the field picking cotton, often having to miss school. He left school in the 10th grade to work full time.
“Working in the cotton fields wasn’t a pleasant place to be, but it was part of my life. I went from the cotton fields to Beverly Hills. We stayed in the neighborhood most of our childhood. It wasn’t really all that safe to be out by yourself. One of the things I love about music is that, when I was a boy growing up in the South, nobody wanted to hear what I had to say or what I thought about anything. But when I started putting it in songs, people listened.”
Musically Finley’s new song strikes as nothing but authentic. The slide guitars are the most exciting part and compliment Finley’s soulful voice and delivery.
“When we play live, I always leave room in the show for lyrics I make up on the spot while the band hits a groove,” Finley explains. “I guess the younger generation calls it free-styling, but for me, it’s just speaking from my mind, straight from my soul.”
To pre-order ‘Sharecropper’s Son’ and for more information about Robert Finley please visit: https://found.ee/sharecroppersson
Lyrics:
No matter how hard I try
I just can’t get it right
I’m trying to make a brand new friend
And everybody trying’ to fight
It ain’t easy, it ain’t fare
Is the world so messed up
Am I the only one care
Soo much love that I’m willing to share
Soo many things that I’m trying to do right
I’m trying to make friends
But everyone want to fight
No matter how hard I try
I just can’t get it right
Working from early in the morning
Up until the edge of night
I guess I’ll go back home
Where a country boy belong
I’ve been so many places
City from town to town
Looking for a real good woman
They all seem to turn me down
I’m lookin for a Louisiana girl
To put in to my place
So when I wake up in the morning
There’d be a smile on her face
I guess I’ll go back home
Where a country boy belong
And I’ll tell you one more thing
I’m used to dealing with doubt
Should I be in the big city
My money’s running out
Cost too much for a hamburger
And they want too much for fries
Better not talk to the big lady woman
Cause they want too much for the thigh
I guess I’ll go back home
Where a country boy belong
Article Written by Ryan Cassata