Maury Finney

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Maury Finney is an American country saxophonist from Humboldt, Minnesota. He recorded for the Soundwaves label from 1976 to 1980 and had twelve appearances on the Billboard country singles chart, with his highest charting song being “Coconut Grove,” which reached No. 72 in 1977. Before his recording career, he played in a regional band called The Charms and ran an appliance store in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. His debut single was “Maiden’s Prayer” for Soundwaves. Finney’s recordings mostly feature instrumental covers of other hits, such as David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded,” Larry Gatlin’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life,” and Ernest Tubb’s “Waltz Across Texas.” Some singles, including “Maiden’s Prayer,” “Coconut Grove,” and “I Want to Play My Horn on the Grand Ole Opry,” included backing vocals, and Finney sang on the last one. Between 1976 and 1977, he had more instrumental songs on the charts than any other country artist. In 1977, the Country Music Association nominated him for Instrumentalist of the Year. He ran his appliance store until he retired and closed it in 2001.