Steve Forbert came into the American music fan’s consciousness in 1978 with his debut album, “Alive on Arrival.” Like a lot of acoustic guitar and harmonica playing folkies, he was hailed by critics and promoters alike as yet another “Dylan.” But as Steve told Rolling Stone magazine, “I’m not trying to be the new anybody.” A top 20 hit called “Romeo’s Tune” made him a sure-fire star-on-the-rise. That was then and here we are 25 years later and Forbert is still plying his musical trade all around the world, albeit not to crowds as large as Dylan sees, but rabid fans nonetheless.

Forbert is a native of Meridian, Mississippi who found his niche when he moved north to Greenwich Village in the late 1970s. He actually caught the attention of punk music manager Danny Fields while playing at the legendary CBGBs. Fields saw something special about this young, lanky kid from down South. “Mine was a textbook-case mixture of initial fascination with New York City and the dull, aching homesick blues,” Forbert says. Steve’s fan base grew and his audiences grew to love his intelligent lyrics, quirky voice, and memorable melodies. He had just enough of a rough edge to endear him to the rockers in the crowd and just enough of a pop / folk sensibility to become a favorite for that type of music fans. However, the story of Steve Forbert’s career is not an easy one — after disappointing sales of a couple of albums, he was all but cast aside as a has-been. It took a great deal of pluck and nerve for Forbert to persevere and do what he does best — entertain.

Steve’s career eventually brought him to Nashville, where he spent much of the 1980s. He continued to work on his songwriting skills and performed regularly throughout the South. Garry Tallent from the Street Band produced a key album called “Streets of This Town.”

The 1990s saw Steve head toward producing his music on independent labels and veering away from the traditional music biz types. By 2000, Steve was in high gear and recorded one of his most memorable albums in Memphis, Tennessee, with the legendary producer Jim Dickinson. “Evergreen Boy” displays Forbert’s skill at writing about everyday loves, losses, regrets, and hopes as well as his ability to channel the best of folk, rock, country, and R&B into his uniquely American sound. As one reviewer says of this album: “Like John Prine and Greg Brown, Forbert remains a great comic voice, not because he’s clever, but through finding a fresher joy by never shrinking from heartache and doubt.”

Another recording project that is very near and dear to Steve’s heart is his tribute to country music and to Jimmie Rodgers, a fellow native of Meridian, Mississippi. In fact, Forbert actually took guitar lessons from one of Rodgers’ cousins at age 10. “Any Old Time” contains twelve classic songs by Rodgers which the Washington Post says “sound as fresh as they did when they first appeared between 1929 and 1933.” The album was nominated for a Grammy Award. “I have to say, it’s a pleasant surprise all around,” Forbert says. “I did this thing almost out of a feeling of obligation. I grew up with some of his relatives. I had recorded some of his songs before, but when I focused on this, I was even more impressed.”

A few years and a few albums down the road brings us to Steve’s most recent studio album, “Just Like There’s Nothing to It.” An astute reviewer at Paste magazine has this to say: “Steve Forbert has matured into a canny observer of the human comedy, capturing his subjects with the sharp-eyed precision of Randy Newman but with greater compassion… True to its title, this is an album where everything just seems to work effortlessly — which is one of the hardest feats to convincingly pull off.” The songs on this album are songs that are typical Forbert: they speak of survival and struggle. As one critic points out, they are about “finding comfort with one’s place in the world.”

Forbert continues to criss-cross the country and plays frequently in the British Isles. Often he plays solo, sometimes with a small band, but he continues to believe in what he has been doing for nearly three decades. He produces a multitude of live CDs that he makes available on a regular basis. He includes free downloads of his music on his website and genuinely seems to be glad of the musical path he has chosen.

 

Eric Balkey

Erik Balkey will be opening the show for Steve. Erik has been on the road since January 2002. Keeping just a post office box in Philadelphia, he has taken to the highway with his guitar and notebook as well as paint brushes and rollers. He picks up interior house painting jobs to sustain his travels, and performs all over the country from Maine to Texas, Florida to Chicago, covering over 50,000 miles annually. Among recent honors, Balkey was named a Kerrville New Folk Winner in 2005 and was selected for a Top-12 DIY feature in the January 2006 issue of Performing Songwriter magazine.

 

 

Like Popeye and Jonathan Richman, Steve Forbert is what he is. In 28 years of playing sun-dappled heartland rock with the occasional sidelong glance of cynicism, he’s only gotten to sound more like his own earnest self. But then, you don’t expect a lot of shape-shifting from a Mississippi kid who came to the art-damaged, sleaze-obsessed NYC rock scene of the late ’70s to regale CBGB with songs about Southern girls and “the moon in your perfume.” The fact that he survived that baptism by fire to earn a record deal and a cult following attests to his music’s most undeniable quality: the power to comfort. With Forbert’s scratchy midrange, fluid strumming and breezy philosophy, a song like 1979’s “Romeo’s Tune,” or 2000’s “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” is a rare balm. And in a pop culture of serial reinvention, some things shouldn’t change.  Andrew Marcus, Phoenix New Times

[On Erik Balkey’s Mission Street Project] You’ll find insightful story songs about regular folks, co-writes with the best songwriters you probably never heard of, simple melodies, lovely harmonies, tasteful instrumental support, a few well-chosen covers, and sincerity you won’t hear out of the White House.  David Kleiner, www.minor7th.com