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 U.S. 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. 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 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. 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,
James Brown, and
B. B. King. Music journalists were highly receptive to Finley's comeback and album, particularly his revitalizing take on
Southern soul. Shortly after the release of the
Murder Ballads soundtrack,
Billboard announced that Finley would be releasing an album produced and co-written by Auerbach. The album, ''
Goin' Platinum!'' was released on Easy Eye Sound (
Nonesuch Records) 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'', which was released May 21, 2021, on
Easy Eye Sound. The album was autobiographical in nature, and centered around Finley's upbringing on a crop share in Louisiana. The album was produced by
Dan Auerbach. Finley is featured on the cover of the 2023 compilation album
Tell Everybody 21st Century Juke Joint Blues From Easy Eye Sound where he performs the titular album track. Finley's fourth album
Black Bayou was released in October 2023. Continuing the collaboration with Auerbach's label, the album features the return of prior collaborators from ''Sharecropper's Son''
Kenny Brown, bass guitarist Eric Deaton, with the addition of drummers
Patrick Carney (of
The Black Keys) and Jeffery Clemens (of
G.Love & Special Sauce). On October 10, 2025, Finley released the album ''Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya'', where he is backed by his daughter, Christy Johnson. The album was produced by
Dan Auerbach. ==References==