Steve Forbert's blend of folk, rock and country has paved the way for younger artists.
By LOUIS HAU
Published October 2, 2003
It has been 23 years since folk rocker Steve Forbert enjoyed an all-too-fleeting moment of fame with his top 20 hit Romeo's Tune. While he hasn't cracked the pop charts again, time has done nothing to dim this Mississippi native's creative fires. After a lengthy mid '80s standoff with CBS Records over repertoire, Forbert closed out the decade signed to another record company and has since been recording steadily for a variety of labels. The past five years have been especially rewarding for his loyal fan base, with the release of another solid album of original material, a fun collection of Jimmie Rodgers covers, several live recordings and, most revealingly, two terrific CDs of previously unreleased tracks from his early career. Titled simply Young Guitar Days and More Young Guitar Days, those two discs stand alongside his best work and present a convincing argument for Forbert as an essential precursor to today's legions of bed-headed alt-country music acts.
It's a debt that hasn't gone unnoticed by the young'uns: three members of Wilco backed Forbert on his 1996 album Rocking Horse Head. Like those alt-country hipsters, Forbert is a musical omnivore. While he adores Rodgers, Leadbelly and Carl Perkins, he also carries a torch for mid '60s pop singers such as Jackie DeShannon and once quoted a line from the Velvet Underground's Sweet Jane in one of his own songs.
An enthralling live performer, Forbert usually hits the stage solo, armed with just an acoustic guitar, a few harmonicas and his boyish charm. This stripped-down approach suits his expressively wispy rasp of a voice and his affecting tales about life and love. When Forbert tears into his songs with his eyes shut tight and his foot keeping time, you get the feeling he's out there doing this as much for himself as he is for his audience.
Steve Forbert performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $10 in advance, $13 day of show. (813) 971-0666.
