Finlay opened Cheatham Street Warehouse in 1974 and has since used the venue as a way to mentor and guide both obscure and famous musicians, said Blaine Moore, assistant manager.
George Strait, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Todd Snider, James McMurtry and Eric Johnson owe their success in part to Finlay’s patronage, said Sage Allen, treasurer for the Cheatham Street Music Foundation.
Finlay was born in a rural community outside of Brady, Texas, Moore said. Finlay learned to play music with his parents and four younger brothers.
He moved to San Marcos in 1959 to attend what was then Southwest Texas State College, now known as Texas State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English.
Following graduation, Finlay began a teaching career in San Antonio but later moved to San Marcos to work at Gary Job Corps, Moore said.
Finlay and business partner Jim Cunningham, a columnist for the San Marcos Daily Record, leased a decaying warehouse on Cheatham Street next to the railroad tracks in 1974, Moore said.
The building had previously served as a railroad warehouse and features sliding doors for the transfer of cargo onto trains, Allen said.
The rest is San Marcos history.
The Cheatham Street Warehouse is one of the city’s most valuable treasures, said Terri Hendrix, Grammy-winning artist and San Marcos resident.
A group of locals formed the Cheatham Street Music Foundation to purchase the property in 2012 and preserve it from land developers, Allen said.
The foundation’s members aim to protect the historic 105-year-old building and the culture of musical education started by Finlay.
The Cheatham Street Music Foundation leases the property under the stipulation that the warehouse continue to provide education for songwriters, Allen said.
Cheatham Street Warehouse hosts classes, concerts and the Songwriters’ Circle workshop, Allen said. The Songwriters’ Circle allows up to 20 artists to perform their material in front of a live audience, Allen said.
“It’s about the musicians,” Allen said. “People get encouraged when they see other artists perform. It’s symbiotic.”
Finlay encouraged all visitors regardless of their skill levels, Hendrix said. Hendrix was nervous the first time she signed up for the Wednesday night Songwriters’ Circle, she said. She was only 19 years old. “I just knew three chords,” Hendrix said. “Finlay was the one who encouraged me to be a songwriter.”
Hendrix said Finlay was a free spirit, quiet and serious, a songwriter, a Texan and a dreamer. “He was always dreaming about his songs, even the songs he had yet to write,” Hendrix said. “His head was always stuck in the clouds, looking for lyrics.”
Jon Wilcox is a news reporter for the University Star where this story originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and Corridor News.