Meet the Blind War Veteran Robert Finley, Competing on ‘AGT All Stars’
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 2 minutes
There are some people who pursue their dreams despite of their less than an optimal physical state, America’s Got Talent All Stars competitor Robert Finley is one such individual. A legally blind war veteran that is passionate in music, Finley brings his wisdom and talent back on the biggest stage in the world.
Who is Robert Finley?
Finley is a 65-year-old native of Louisiana, who gave up music to serve in the Vietnam War and then worked as a carpenter to support his family. He realized he was becoming blind from glaucoma a few years ago, but nonetheless remains optimistic, noting in his interview package that losing his sight made him understand music more.
On AGT season 14, the soulful vocalist amazed all four judges with a spectacular performance. During his performance of his own song, “Get it While You Can,” the singer received four “yes” votes from Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough, Gabrielle Union, and Howie Mandel, advancing him to the next round.
Finley got the audience on their feet almost immediately as his powerful vocals reverberated along the song’s words. Simon Cowell mentioned right before his performance that he sensed Finley had a “good soul,” which not only reflected from his song, but through his personality as well.
He Released an Aptly Named Album
Smart viewers soon discovered that Finley was a featured musician on Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Review tour in 2017. The Auerbach-produced album “Goin’ Platinum” on the Easy Eye label includes “Get it While You Can.”
Ahead of that, Finley released the appropriately titled album Age Don’t Mean a Thing which featured his soulful voice influenced by B.B. Booker T., King, and the MGs. This album has a really telling backstory detailing the singer’s experience. While in the army, Finley sang soul and R&B in a band but when he returned to civilian life back home in Louisiana he found it impossible to make a living from music, so worked as a carpenter and occasionally performed solo for fun.
At the age of 65, Finley was able to write and produce his own album, knowing his background only adds to how special the album truly is for the singer. Win or lose, Finley has already won the people’s hearts on AGT All Stars, and competing on the show at his age is already a great achievement.
I love tis guy….