Pete Finney, beloved steel guitarist who accompanied everyone from Patty Loveless to Beck, died Feb. 7 at age 70, according to a social media post from the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Although collaborating with some of country music’s biggest names—such as The Judds, The Chicks, and Vince Gill—Finney’s reach expanded beyond Nashville. He also worked with ex-Monkees members Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, along with Beck, Justin Townes Earle, and Candi Staton.
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“He exemplified how top instrumentalists can adapt to a range of styles and settings, whether in a recording studio, a concert stage, or the corner of a small nightclub,” the Country Music Hall of Fame wrote.
Pete Finney’s Career Very Nearly Ended Too Soon
A self-described “hippie country guy,” Pete Finney left his home state of Maryland behind to play with late Tex-Mex legend Doug Sahm in Austin. Some time later, he found work with ’80s country singer-songwriter Sylvia, perhaps best known for the crossover hit “Nobody.” Eventually, he began touring with country music duo Foster & Lloyd, later also working on Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd’s solo careers.
“Pete was such a kind and gentle soul and a wonderful musician,” Sylvia said of Finney, according to Saving Country Music. “He was also a walking encyclopedia of the history of country music!”
He would go on to work with an array of country music’s best and brightest, including the Academy of Country Music’s seven-time Female Vocalist of the Year, Reba McEntire. In fact, he was touring with McEntire in 1991 when a California plane crash tragically killed eight members of her band and two crew members. Finney had been traveling on a second plane with another band member and the rest of the crew, so he was spared.
Frequently performing in pickup bands in small Nashville clubs, Finney also built an extensive knowledge of country music history. In 2015, he even co-curated the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibition “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City.”
Additionally, Finney co-wrote a book to accompany the exhibit, which won him the Chet Flippo Award for excellence in country music journalism from the International Country Music Conference.
Featured image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum