Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...

, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and joint efforts with

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

as the

Finn Brothers The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music. The two brothers began making music together at a young age; later, when ...

Early life

Brian Timothy Finn was born in

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilt ...

, New Zealand, weighing 10 pounds at birth, to parents Richard and Mary. At the age of 13, he went to Sacred Heart College, Auckland, a Catholic boarding school, on a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

. He has two sisters, and one younger brother

Career

1972–1984: Split Enz

In 1971 Finn commenced a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. There he jammed in music practice room 129 (later the name of a

song) with friends and future Split Enz bandmembers

Mike Chunn Jonathan Michael Chunn (born 8 June 1952 in London) is a former member of the New Zealand bands Split Enz and Citizen Band. He performed alongside his brother Geoff Chunn in both bands. His musical performing career was cut short due to agoraph ...

, Robert Gillies, Philip Judd and

Noel Crombie Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior to ...

. Music soon became more important to him than his studies. In 1972 he quit university. A few months later, Phil and Tim formed the group Split Ends, renamed

in 1975, shortly before they left New Zealand for Melbourne. Between 1975 and 1984, the group released nine studio albums. Split Enz played its last show on 4 December 1984 in Auckland.

1981–present: Solo work

Finn had his first success away from Split Enz in 1981 when his discarded demo "They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me" became a top 10 hit for Australian band Jimmy and the Boys. In 1983, Finn recorded his debut

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, '' Escapade'', while still a member of Split Enz. This met with major commercial success both in Australia and New Zealand, and yielded hit song "Fraction Too Much Friction", which revealed a more rhythm-based sound than Split Enz had been known for. After contributing four songs to Split Enz album '' Conflicting Emotions'', Finn left the band permanently in June 1984, to focus on a solo career. In 1986 Finn released his second studio album, '' Big Canoe''. The album utilised a wide variety of instrumentation, including guitars, orchestral backings and traditional Indian instruments - most notably on single "No Thunder, No Fire, No Rain", which was inspired by the Bhopal chemical disaster. Though ''Big Canoe'' reached number three on the New Zealand charts, it failed to become the international breakthrough that Finn or record company Virgin had hoped. In 1987, Finn composed music for the Australian comedy '' Les Patterson Saves the World'', which yielded the Australian hit "You Saved the World". Finn had a small part in Australian film ''The Coca-Cola Kid'' alongside then-girlfriend

Greta Scacchi Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pl ...

, and a larger one in her Italian-shot romance '' La Donna della Luna'' (The Moon Woman). 1979 Nambassa Split Enz, Photo Susanna Burton

In late 1988, Finn recording his

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

third album, '' Tim Finn'', for Capitol Records. The album yielded strong reviews and the New Zealand hit "

Parihaka Parihaka is a community in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major camp ...

", based on a Māori village known for its campaign of passive resistance to European occupiers. In 2000, the album '' Together in Concert: Live'' was released, featuring Finn, and fellow New Zealand singer/songwriters

Bic Runga Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976), recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga ...

, and

Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then ...

. Recorded in August and September 2000 in venues around New Zealand, the album saw the three performers each equitably showcased. Both the concerts and album feature all three performers providing vocal and instrumental backing on each other's songs. The album peaked at number 2 on the New Zealand chart. In 2015, Finn composed further for theatre, with an opera ''Star Navigator'' commissioned by

New Zealand Opera New Zealand Opera is New Zealand's only full-time professional opera company, formed in 2000 from the merger of companies in Auckland and Wellington (and later Christchurch). New Zealand Opera is headquartered in Parnell, Auckland, stages severa ...

, Victorian Opera and West Australian Opera, and the musical '' Ladies in Black'' to premiere in Brisbane by

Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...

in November 2015. As England and New Zealand went into COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Finn and

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...

began working collaboratively on an album under the name ''Tim Finn & Phil Manzenera'', which is called '' Caught by the Heart''. The album was released on 26 August 2021. The album is produced by the two of them, with Manzenera doing the lead instrumental and Finn doing the vocals.

1995–2005 : Finn Brothers

In 1989, Finn began playing music with younger brother Neil, for an intended Finn brothers record. After working together on some songs, Neil later proposed incorporating the tracks onto the latest album of Crowded House, the group he had formed after Split Enz dissolved. Tim co-wrote eight songs, including the hits "

Weather with You "Weather with You" is a song by Australian-New Zealand rock band Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album '' Woodface'' (1991), reaching top 50 in 10 countries, including the United ...

" and "

Four Seasons in One Day "Four Seasons in One Day" is a song by rock group Crowded House, released as a single in June 1992. It was co-written by Neil Finn and brother Tim Finn, originally intended for their debut ''Finn Brothers'' album; however, it was moved onto the ...

". In

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, both Tim and Neil were appointed Officers of the Order of British Empire, for services to music. The Finn Brothers resumed their collaborative work and released '' Finn'' in 1995. A second and final album was released in 2004 titled, '' Everyone Is Here''. A '' Mojo'' magazine review stated that it contained "some of the most haunting music to bear the Finn imprint".

2020–present: Forenzics

In 2020 Finn co-created Forenzics with former Split Enz keyboardist

Eddie Rayner Anthony Edward Charles Rayner (born 19 November 1952) is a New Zealand musician who spent twelve years as a keyboardist in the band Split Enz. He has also played in the groups Orb, Space Waltz, Crowded House, The Makers, The Angels in 1986-19 ...

. Forenzics is an experimental project with the debut album ''Shades and Echoes'' (2022) as a transformation of the songs of

Mental Notes (Split Enz album) ''Mental Notes'' is the debut studio album by New Zealand band Split Enz. The album cover was painted by band member Phil Judd. Original vinyl copies featured Judd saying "Make a mental note" in the runout groove of the record's second side, cau ...

. Alongside Finn and Rayner are former members from the album,

and

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early ...

- and also

who was involved in the redevelopment of Mental Notes (into Second Thoughts (album)). Initial singles "Chances Are" and "Premiere Fois" were officially released in November 2021, however "Walking", "Strange Stars" and "Abandoned" were all released before on YouTube (from early 2020 until early 2021).

Personal life

Finn was in a relationship with actress

from 1983 to 1989. Finn is currently married to television presenter Marie Azcona, formerly of MTV and

TVNZ One TVNZ 1 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Tahi) is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as indep ...

's ''Music Week''. Finn and Azcona have two children, and have collaborated on several songs, some of which are featured on '' Steel City'', the dance show that Finn wrote. Aside from co-writing two tracks with Azcona, Finn collaborated on another with former Split Enz member

. Finn's son Harper is a musician in his own right.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Soundtrack albums

Spoken word albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Charity singles

* This discography relates to releases by Tim Finn only. See also Finn Brothers' discography, Crowded House discography and Split Enz discography for other related works.

Awards

RIANZ Awards

The

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

are awarded annually by the

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

in New Zealand.

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are awarded annually by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

Countdown Australian Music Awards

'' Countdown'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , 1981 , himself , Best Australian Songwriter , , - , 1982 , himself , Best Australian Songwriter , , - , rowspan="5" , 1983 , ''Escapade'' , Best Australian Album , , - , rowspan="2" , "Fraction too Much Friction" , Best Australian Single , , - , Best Video , , - , rowspan="2" , himself , Songwriter of the Year , , - , Most Popular Male Performer , , - , 1984 , himself , Most Popular Male Performer , , - , 1985 , himself , Most Popular Male Performer , , -

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards for live performance in Australia are awarded annually by Live Performance Australia.

References

External links

* *
Tim Finn's Official Website

AudioCulture profile

Tim Finn's MySpace site

Fanclub endorsed site

Australian Record Company site

Trouser Press commentary on Crowded House, Neil Finn and Tim Finn discographyElsewhere Tim Finn retrospective to 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, Tim 1952 births APRA Award winners New Zealand people of Irish descent Living people New Zealand pop singers New Zealand songwriters Male songwriters New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand expatriates in England People from Te Awamutu Crowded House members Split Enz members New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland 20th-century New Zealand male singers New Zealand singer-songwriters New Zealand guitarists New Zealand new wave musicians New Zealand male guitarists New Zealand pianists Helpmann Award winners 20th-century New Zealand musicians 21st-century New Zealand musicians 21st-century New Zealand male singers Tim Male pianists ALT (band) members Māori-language singers