Spotlight On The Finneys

John and Frankie Finney have been traveling the roads of Virginia for almost three decades, singing Christian Country music that speaks deep into the hearts of their listeners. The Finneys’ distinctive songs feature John on the lead with his seasoned, traditional Country voice and Frankie with a light touch of harmony in the background. Blending in voice and in life, this couple delivers the message of Christ with sincerity and a strong faith that radiates through their music.

The Finneys recently recorded two projects, a Christmas CD entitled Christmas With The Finneys and a Country Gospel favorites album, You Asked For It. “Mercy Walked In” is Frankie’s favorite song to perform live and the duo recorded this on You Asked For It.  “It is a song with a powerful statement of what Jesus Christ did for us by taking our place,” says Frankie. John’s favorite song to sing is a Roarks’ song called, “I Know Where You Are”. This is also included on You Asked For It. “I love Gospel songs with a story, and this one touches me every time I sing it. The story is of an old man standing over the grave of his wife, saying, ‘I know where you are.’ It’s really an emotional song, but one that makes you feel good. I can just picture myself as the old man in that song. Of course, Frankie’s not too excited about being the woman in that song!”

On The Right Track, released before the latest two CDs, features all original songs and this project is very dear to the hearts of the duo as each tune was birthed from their own life experiences.

“My favorite song from the On The Right Track project is ‘Adopted’,” says John Finney. “This song is a true story of how my brother and I were taken away from our abusive parents and put up for adoption. Then a preacher and his wife who could not have children adopted us both. We went from being scared for our lives to having a real family who loved us overnight. The last verse of the song relates that experience to when I was saved and once again adopted, this time into the family of God.”

John’s wife Frankie has her own special song on this album. “’Frankie’s Song’ is my favorite song because John wrote it and gave it to me for our first Christmas,” Frankie shares. “But, my favorite song to sing is ‘He’s My Friend’ because it says just how I feel about Jesus Christ; He is my best friend.”
This husband and wife team spends a lot of time together, yet after 28 years they still speak with a fresh love that is inspiring. John says Frankie is totally devoted to him. “She would do anything for me, even give her life for me, I am convinced of that. Also she is my greatest fan and she encourages me so much. Sometimes I’m too hard on myself and she always knows how to make me feel like there is hope for me as a singer, musician, and songwriter. God has truly blessed me with the perfect spouse!” Frankie says that what she appreciates the most about John is, “his friendship and love for me.”

Still, even with this kind of devotion and loyalty, the constant travel and activity of a music ministry can be hard on a marriage at times. The couple mentions that it is a challenge to take time away from the ministry and do things as a family. “We stay so busy with singing, recording, taking care of the home and all, sometimes life gets to be a whirlwind,” says John. Frankie mentions that it is a challenge for her to leave John to his own thoughts when he is creating his music. However, they both love spending time together being adventurous and just having fun.

The Finney’s ministry is growing and they have a busy schedule. However, they say there is a short list of venues they’d love to appear at, the number one choice being the Grand Ole Opry, in the Ryman Auditorium, the favorite place of all Country singers. Also on their bucket list are vacation destinations such as the Holy Land, Greece, Italy and Australia. Frankie says what she’d really love to see is one of John’s songs recorded by another artist or charting. John agrees, “It would be fulfilling to have a song that I wrote chart. Not so I could be proud, but because it would be satisfying to know that God took something that He Himself gave to me, and then used it to encourage and touch people. That would be humbling and very rewarding.”

Life as a Christian Country artist is not always easy and the rewards are not always tangible, like seeing a song chart. However, the Finneys say they have received some good advice to assist them on this journey. Frankie shares, “The best advice [I received] is that I don’t forget why I sing, because it’s not about me. More than one person gave that advice, and our friend, Gary Nester, is one of them. It’s important for me to remember that, because I love to sing and I have so much fun singing that I don’t want that to become the main focus of our ministry, because it truly is not about me.” John adds, “Gary Nester, one of the finest Christians I know, told me, and I am paraphrasing the discussions we have had, ‘Stay humble, and remember why you do this. It’s all about Jesus.’”

 

As the Finneys keep their focus on Jesus, they are aided in their ministry by their local church. John says, “Our own particular church encourages us, prays for us, and supports what we do. I love our church, and miss it when we are gone, which is a lot! But when we are home they all let us know that they miss us and love us. It’s easy when you’re gone so much to start to feel like you are an island, out there alone, and disconnected. I don’t feel that way because of our church.” Frankie adds, “Our local church is our foundation.  When we are free on Sunday mornings, that’s where we go. Our pastor delivers the truth, all the time and we need that.  Our church prays for us and encourages us in our ministry.  We are indeed a family.”

The Finneys rely on private devotional time as well as church teaching to keep their faith vibrant and to be ready to share with anyone who wants to talk about the Lord. “I love my time in the Word,” says John. “I have a daily routine where I go to my favorite coffee house each morning and read. Being on the road a lot, I listen to Christian radio programming. I listen to Enlighten, and I also listen to the Family channel on XM to catch all those good preachers, like Alister Begg, Irwin Lutzer, Ravi Zacharias, David Jeremiah, and so many more. My favorite Bible passage would be the account in Acts where Paul is before before King Agrippa and he gives his testimony of how he was saved on the road to Damascus. Everyone should use that passage as a guideline as to how to give his or her testimony. He tells the king what his life was like before he met Christ, how he met Christ, and what his life has been like since he met the Savior. Actually, my song ‘They Call Me Paul’ came from that passage.”

 

Frankie also spends a lot of time in the Word and in constant prayer. “I would have to say that I have tossed around favorite verses many times because when I read the Bible, I always read something that could be my favorite,” Frankie shares. “But I was saved at eight years old and being from a family where love was at a premium, when I heard that God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me, I can’t let go of that. John 3:16:  For God so loved the world (me) that He gave his only begotten Son so that whosoever (me) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Wow!”

The Finneys desire to share their faith and let the world know of the love of Jesus is behind all of their lyrics and harmonies, and shines through in all of their music. They want people to leave with a solid message in their hearts. For John, that message is: “That’s easy – That life without Jesus is meaningless!” And for Frankie: “I want everyone to know, without a doubt, that I love and care for each individual in the audience.”

 

Please connect with the Finneys from Richmond, Virginia, on the web and discover their music and message. You can find them at: http://www.thefinneys.com/

Questions? Comments? Please contact Lorraine Walker at sgmradio.lorrainewalker@gmail.com