Next week, Forbert will play in Homer for the first time. The show starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at Duggan’s Waterfront Pub. Downward Dog Productions will donate a portion of ticket sales to Cook Inlet Keeper.

Forbert recently returned from an eight-show tour of Great Britain. In an interview this week, he said the weather there was just getting “gray” as he left. Although, upon being told that summer in Homer has ended, he still sounded excited about coming back to Alaska.

His last trip to the state was in 2001 to participate in a songwriters’ clinic in Palmer.

“That plugged me in to Alaska,” he said. He was impressed with the unique talent in Alaska, and one particular musician at that clinic, Aaron Garrett, grabbed Forbert’s attention.

The two later put together an album of Garrett’s music, which Garrett released himself, Forbert said.

Born in Meridian, Forbert learned to play guitar at age 10 from a distant relative of Jimmie Rodgers, identified by many as the father of country music. Within a decade his story was hitting the pages of Newsweek, Rolling Stone and other magazines.

His first album, the 1978-released “Alive on Arrival” featured his hit “It Doesn’t Have To Be that Way.” That was followed by the album “Jackrabbit Slim,” which featured “Romeo’s Tune.”

According to online music reviews, it was difficult to tune in to an FM frequency in the late 1970s without hearing one of the two songs.

In the mid-1980s, Forbert moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he continued to release albums. His later work included “Any Old Time,” dedicated to Rodgers’ songs.

The album reunited Forbert with producer Garry Tallent — Bruce Springsteen’s bass guitarist in the E Street Band — who had also produced Forbert’s “Streets of This Town” in 1988.

Forbert’s latest two albums are “Just Like There’s Nothin’ to It” and “Good Soul Food.” Veteran bass players Victor Krauss and Tallent contributed to the first album and vocalist Edie Brickell added background vocals.

Forbert said his performances often respond to the feel he gets from the audience.

“I still do a lot of the earlier stuff, and if they’re familiar with that, they won’t be shocked,” Forbert said of his upcoming Homer show.

Recently, Forbert created a four-song download to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund.

The download includes songs from different Forbert albums and is available on his Web site,

Forbert also recently released a 25-year anthology DVD, which will be available at next week’s shows.

His stop in Homer is his first on a four-day tour in Alaska. He will play at Vagabond Blues in Palmer Oct. 14, Snow Goose Theatre in Anchorage Oct. 15 and the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium in Kodiak Oct. 16.

Forbert will play Oct. 13 at Duggan’s Waterfront Pub at 7 p.m.