Growing tired of his life as a truck driver out of Meridian, Missippippi, Forbert quit his truck-driving job and moved to Manhattan at the age of 21 where he worked odd jobs and played his acoustic guitar for SPARE CHANGE. And he loved it! Imagine quitting a steady job with a regular income in order to pay the bills as a street performer?? It's guys like him that inspired me to move to Nashville in 2005 to work as an intern at Compass Records, leaving behind a solid yearly salary, friends, and selling most of my possessions because I had a crazy dream of working in the music business. Taking these kinds of chances pays off - I'm telling you right now.
Forbert eventually landed some gigs at fabled venues like Folk City and CBGB which lead to a record deal with Nemperor records on which he released four albums, spawning the Top 20 hit "Romeo's Tune." Check out this link for a rare live recording of "Romeo's Tune from his 1979 performance at The Palladium in New York City, of which the socialite Andy Warhol was in attendance.
Forbert has been likened to Bob Dylan (check out the comparision below with Forbert on the left and Dylan on the right) throughout the years for reasons ranging from his rootsy acoustic style, to his well-worn physical appearance, which struck a chord with the middle class American demographic. Forbert is currently touring behind his most recent 2007 release, Strange Names and New Sensations. Come check him out in a rare appearance with his full band The Sound Benders.
Later on,
Graham
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