FINIS TASBY
Powerhouse blues vocalist Finis Tasby was born in Dallas, Texas in 1940, and grew up immersed in the vital Texas blues tradition. As a teenager got his first professional music experience as drummer with the swinging local combo The Blues Blasters.

By the early 1960s he'd switched instruments, and was playing bass and singing backup with local legends The Thunderbirds, working regularly with Z.Z. Hill, and also backing Clarence Carter, Lowell Fulson, and Freddie King on regional tours. By the mid '60s Finis had stepped out in front of the band, and began establishing his reputation as one of the most soulful blues singers on the circuit. In the early 70's Finis moved to Los Angeles, and picked up where he'd left off in Texas. As a bass player, he worked with many of the greats, including B.B. King, Percy Mayfield and Big Mama Thornton. But it is as a vocalist that Finis really comes into his own, and in the '70s he made his first recordings as a front man. It was during this period that he also formed a lifelong friendship with blues great John Lee Hooker, with whom he often performed locally. Finis' reputation as a strong and soulful singer reached new heights with the releases of several CDs, including "People Don't Care" on Shanachie, from which three songs were used in the film "The Babysitter".

In the late 1990s Finis began his alliance with Rand Chortkoff, when Rand independently produced Finis' CD "Jump Children", which was released to wide acclaim on the Evidence label. (Finis also recently released the CD "Tribute To John Lee Hooker" on the small Kon Kord label.) Finis and Rand have worked closely since then on several other recording projects and numerous live performances, culminating in the formation of The Mannish Boys.