(March 30, 2026) Pianist Mike Finnigan spent so much time working as an in-demand sessions player that he hardly found time to make records as the lead artist. Finnigan, who died in 2021 at the age of 76, played for a roll call of hall of fame artists that started when Jimi Hendrix asked the 23-year-old Finnigan to play a few songs for Electric Ladyland — a recommendation like that assured Finnigan’s phone would rarely stop ringing.
Finnigan worked as a session musician and on tour with Buddy Guy, Keb’ Mo’, and Bonnie Raitt, just to name a few. Finnigan was also a member of the Phantom Blues Band, known for their work with Taj Mahal.
Finnigan had a soulful voice, which made him a natural lead vocalist to go along with his skills on the ivories, and he had largely completed work on album when he passed away. That album, titled Mike Finnigan, has been brought to life through the work J.J. Blair, a producer and longtime associate of the pianist.
The album includes covers of some well-known songs, and others that are off the beaten path. The tunes in the former category include Finnigan tearing into a rollicking rendition of The Impressions “Fool For You,” and a duo with Smokey Robinson on “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” which is featured in this First Listen.
Blair brought Robinson in to finish the song, and it’s a blues-endowed tribute to Finnigan to hear his gravely and soulful vocal paired with the buttery voice of the man who penned the song that topped the R&B charts for The Temptations in 1964. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
