Beyond the basic thrill of breaking incredible new talents, part of the thrill of reality musical shows is the back stories of the contestants.
Without a doubt, it takes a world-class voice and great performing skills to make it on television on shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent.
Still, it takes more than just a technically good voice to make it far (or even to win) on shows like these. Beyond that, it takes a certain amount of grit and personality—and having an inspiring backstory certainly doesn’t hurt either.
As it turns out, one performer in the 2019 season of America’s Got Talent had the entire package.
The performer we’re talking about is Robert Finley, a contestant with one of the most memorable backstories anyone had ever seen.
As he explains, he was born in Louisiana to parents who were sharecroppers. He grew up on a farm and didn’t go to school because he helped his parents with the business of picking cotton.
Because his life was so small and controlled, Finley was desperate to find an outlet that would allow him some fun and joy—without getting him into trouble. Before long, he found that outlet in playing music.
Still, the story only gets more complicated from there.
When he was 19 years old, the Vietnam war was in full swing—and he enlisted.
After that, he moved back to his hometown to get a job to support his family and more and more time passed. Soon enough, Finley realized he was beginning to lose his sight.
When he went on America’s Got Talent, Finley was almost entirely blind and had to walk with a cane. Still, he explains that there was an upside to his misfortune as well: he rediscovered his love for music!
Though he was 65 years old, he finally found the strength to live out his childhood dream.
After all that, Finley walks out onstage to introduce himself to the judges.
As he explains his story briefly, he tells the judges that he’ll be performing an original song called “Get It While You Can.” After a moment, the bluesy song starts playing in the background and nobody knows what to expect.
Before long, Finley starts singing—and his voice is so raspy and soulful that nobody can believe what they’re hearing!
Without a doubt, the show has never seen a voice quite like Finley’s before.
Fortunately, his decision to do an original song goes over very well—and it even has the judges dancing.
Everybody in the crowd has a smile on their face as he sang out the song. When it finally ends, the whole crowd bursts into applause! As the judges explain, Finley’s life experience and his talent were a huge inspiration to the entire crowd.
Everybody loved his performance which included soul, funk, rock ’n roll and so many other genres. Finally, Simon Cowell says that Finley’s soulful voice is a lot like a fine wine—it has only gained from being hidden away for so long!
When it’s all over, Finley gets his four yeses from the judges.
As Finley’s performance shows, it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
Though it took Finley some 65 years to get the stage and the audience that his talent deserved, he never gave up on himself despite so many hardships. As a result of his efforts, he made it on one of the biggest talent competitions in the world and won the hearts of millions!
Congratulations to Robert Finley on a truly amazing performance! Check out the full thing in the video below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
