Steve Forbert To Bring Distinctive Folk-Rock To Helsinki Hudson

Grammy Award-nominated folk-rock singer-songwriter Steve Forbert brings his band, the New Renditions, and his distinctive folk-rock sound to Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, July 18, at 8pm. Best known for hit songs "Romeo's Tune" and "Goin' Down to Laurel," Forbert was touted as a "new Dylan" when he burst upon the scene in downtown New York in the mid-1970s.

Originally from Meridian, Miss., Forbert traveled to New York in 1976 and played for spare change in Grand Central Station while seeking work in the local folk venues. He quickly garnered folk club dates, but also performed at CBGB's, the wellspring of punk-rock, where he became a favorite of the crowd for his dynamic, energetic, non-stop performances that owed as much to the Ramones as to Bob Dylan.
More than four decades have passed since Steve Forbert made his way to New York City from Meridian in quest of a career in music. It was the most unlikely time and place for a folksinger to leap into the fray in a burgeoning scene where new wave and punk were emerging. Forbert took the stage as an archetypal folkie, armed with just an acoustic guitar and sheaf of very personal songs. After busking on the street for change from passersby, he rose to sharing bills at CBGB's with the likes of Talking Heads, the Shirts and John Cale, as well as headlining more traditional venues such as the Bitter End and Kenny's Castaways. Against staggering odds, he found blazing success early on with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially accepted albums including Alive on Arrival (1978), Jackrabbit Slim (1979), and Little Stevie Orbit (1980), and a most unlikely smash hit single, "Romeo's Tune."

His career had its share of triumphs as well as stumbles and disappointments as did his private life. Through it all, over the course of a marriage, divorce, raising three children, writing and recording 20 studio albums and fronting an ever-changing line-up of supporting musicians, he persevered and stayed true to his roots and the folk ethos.

Forbert recently chronicled those experiences in his memoir, "Big City Cat: My Life in Folk Rock," co-written with Therese Boyd. The memoir, originally conceived as a stage play, offers a uniquely introspective view of a life and career during a period of cultural upheaval and the author's emerging self-awareness. Sharing reflections and journals he kept at the time, Forbert weaves an absorbing narrative that fully addresses the trials, travails and triumphs that would eventually play out over the course of his prolific 40-plus-year career. With a colorful cast of characters that includes managers Danny Fields and Linda Stein, along with such music legends as Doc Pomus and John Simon, it offers a revelatory look at his personal life and family, as well.

Simultaneous with the publication of his memoir, Forbert released a new album, "The Magic Tree." It offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, augmented with new backing tracks. The collection rings with the verve and vitality that Forbert's fans have always come to expect. It takes on special meaning in light of the recent health scare that sidelined him for several months while he recovered from kidney surgery and chemotherapy.

Consistently upbeat and optimistic, the album's songs -- recorded in Meridian, Nashville, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia -- convey a firm sense that age ought not diminish a lust for living. "Big City Cat" and "The Magic Tree" underscore what revered critic the late Paul Nelson wrote about Forbert in Rolling Stone almost 40 years ago: "..Nothing, nothing in this world, is going to stop Steve Forbert, and on that I'll bet anything you'd care to wager."