It’s been 40 years since Steve Forbert lost his job as a truck driver in his hometown of Meridian, Miss., and blew into New York City with an ass-pocket full of Folk/Rock songs and a dream to make a living from them. In relatively short order, Forbert went from subway busking and opening for Talking Heads at CBGB to an exultant New York Times show review to a label-bidding frenzy. Nemperor Records scored Forbert’s signature, releasing both his unexpected and brilliant Alive on Arrival in 1978 (which sparked some “next Bob Dylan” chatter) and his glossier but equally sincere and captivating Jackrabbit Slim in 1979. The crown jewel of his sophomore album was its lead-off track, the deliberately crafted radio sensation “Romeo’s Tune,” a song that just missed the Top 10, became a hit for Keith Urban nearly 30 years after Forbert wrote it and endures on playlists to this day.
In the intervening years, Forbert has maintained a constant presence on the road, playing ecstatic shows in any locale for absolutely any audience. He’s been no stranger to the studio either, building a catalog of 16 albums, including last year’s vibrant and engaging Compromised, a contemporary (and less shiny) full-band hat tip to Jackrabbit Slim.
Over the course of his four-decade career, Forbert has played Cyndi Lauper’s boyfriend in her video for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” been nominated for a Grammy (for his Jimmie Rodgers tribute Any Old Time), had his songs covered by Rosanne Cash, Marty Stuart and many others, was inducted into the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame and exhibited his cellphone photography at a Nashville gallery. Most artists would have been happy to hang their hat on a single peg as solid as “Romeo’s Tune,” but most artists aren’t Steve Forbert. Not by a long shot.
