His parents were battlers with a dream of one day rising from the dust and hard work they endured to owning their own property and sinking deep, long-lasting roots. It was to this end that young Steve spent most of his early childhood moving from town to town across NSW with his family. Where there was good work to be had, that's where the family would go. It was in these early years that simple life philosophies were deeply ingrained into this young man.
Discipline, hard work and the pursuit of ones dream were the life food served at the Forde's table.
Today Steve Forde is a farmer and landowner in his own right.
He is a singer, a songwriter and a serious touring country star. Although retired now, Steve was a successful bull rider and bareback bronc rider. What ever Steve sets out to do, he does it well and still today draws heavily on his family's ethos of: "Hard Work, Long Days, Hard Work, Hard Play".
Steve Forde is the real deal, make no mistake.
Moving to the South Coast, the rawboned 18 year old with fire in his belly joined his first band and tasted the life of a touring country musician, the late nights, the poor money, the long miles but he was loving it and knew this was something he wanted to do. It was also during this time that like all young, developing sensible, sensitive artists Steve decided that Bull riding looked like a good idea and a heap of fun and so without care or concern to his guitar hands or the rest of his body he climbed on his first angry beast and away he went. As a rising rodeo, singing star, overseas travel appeared on the young mans horizon and in 1998 he boldly said goodbye to the farm and his band and headed to the USA for a bit of a look. Landing in Texas, he did as you do and bought himself a whopping, great, clunky heap of '63 Dodge Polara, filled her up with fuel, checked the oil and set himself loose on the highways and open roads of the USA. Steve lucked into some top blokes, now good mates in Texas and joined their band playing country music and doing the fabled American miles through Colorado, South Dakota and into Canada. When the gigs were lean the young Aussie Bloke from Cowra could be found working in bars, building fences or riding bareback broncos in Lubbock Texas making a name for himself as fearless, tough or just that crazy Aussie guy.
Sadly, tragedy stuck Steve when his traveling mate from Brisbane broke his back riding bareback and had to be flown home to Australia leaving Steve concerned for his mate's welfare but also now short of a traveling companion and his rodeo buddy. That old Dodge was dying, blowing black smoke and money was tight but Steve made it to Kansas in search of Dorothy, but she was long gone so took up a contract harvesting corn instead. Cashed up again and armed with his guitar and a kit bag full of new songs Steve headed off to Nebraska.
On the way the old Dodge dropped its gearbox, curled up its toes and died. Like Woody Guthrie in the dustbowl and a long way from home Steve hitched a ride to Missouri where he met a bloke in a bar heading to a rodeo in Franklin, Tennessee. Steve took another lift to the rodeo and chanced his luck on winning some much-needed money.
A smashed thumb later, a lot of pain and some impressive Australian colloquialisms Steve headed back to Nashville where he was introduced to songwriter Dan Roberts. (Beaches of Cheyenne, The Old Stuff, The Fever, Dan also toured as opener for Garth Brooks for two years.) Hitting it off well with Dan he moved in for a time and had the pleasure of playing songs and working on new material with this wonderful writer and friend.
Steve headed back to Australia when he heard that his father needed help on the farm and he went to work head down bum up on the land only to disappear on weekends to compete in rodeo's around the country.
He bought his farm, near Grenfell and set about getting it cleaned up, stocked up and productive while still helping his father on his farm and finding time to getaway riding broncos.
In 2000 Steve started his band and a new day was upon the busy boy. The band started playing small shows throughout their immediate area, then moved on to Tamworth and then again onto the national Rodeo Circuit, people were talking and the talk was all good.
Steve Forde had arrived.
Enthused by the great response the band was getting Steve sent some demos to Nashville producer Mark Moseley who liked what he heard and contacted Steve and they set about recording the debut album.
Steve Forde's debut album "Livin' Right" was released in May 2002. The first film clip Rodeo Freak was released on the back of the successful debut.
The album continued to build momentum and attract both recognition and accolades including two Golden Guitar nominations at the Tamworth 2003 awards and the second single "What I'm talking about" spending twenty-six weeks in the CMC top twenty.
Overdrive is a good word for what happened next, with the release of "Livin' Right" and successful subsequent tours Steve decided the music was where his heart was and with consultation with his family, his younger brother took over running the farms so Steve could go hard on his rapidly rising popularity.
"Wild Ride" (album two) was again recorded in Nashville in December 2003 with Mark Moseley although this time Steve co-produced the recording process as well as penning all of the tracks. The first single "The Letter" was released and promptly entered the CMC charts in the top ten and it stayed in the No.1 position for three weeks.
"Wild Ride" (VES0001) which was released on July 15 2004, contains a bonus CD enhanced version of CMC's No.1 video clip, The Letter.
So climb on, hang on, close your eyes, and grit your teeth because we are all in for a wild ride.
Rodeo Freak
Steve Forde Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A heart full of hope
He's a nicotine junky
With a lip full of cope
All gassed up on caffeine
From all night on the road
If you look into his eyes
He's a different breed
And you'll see what I mean
When the bull blows from that gate
He'll be trying to ride him
Flying high on 2000 pounds of hate
He's all try, you can bet your life
Don't ask why, it's something deep inside
He's so free, he wants it to be
Cause he's just a Rodeo Freak
Been through hell and back
He's held together by tape
An adrenalin addict
Livin life, tempting fate
With a glove full of rosin
Runs his hand in his riggin
Slides on up and nods his head
He's a grittin and grinnin
He's a different breed
And you'll see what I mean
When you hear that chute gate crack
He'll be liftin, spurin, jerkin, hurtin
A modern day Bareback jack
He's all try, you can bet your life
Don't ask why, it's something deep inside
He's so free, he wants it to be
"Rodeo Freak" by Steve Forde is a song that captures the essence of a rodeo cowboy. The lyrics describe the rugged and tough nature of a cowboy who is determined to tame a wild animal. The opening lines "Fist full of braided rope, a heart full of hope, he's a nicotine junky with a lip full of cope" paint a picture of a cowboy who is ready for anything. His adventurous spirit is fueled by caffeine, adrenaline, and a thirst for adventure.
The song portrays the rodeo cowboy as someone who has been through hardships but is still determined to succeed. The lyrics "been through hell and back, held together by tape" suggest that the cowboy has faced challenges in the past but has managed to overcome them. The rodeo cowboy is a modern-day hero, and his bravery and resilience are evident in every line of the song.
The chorus of the song, "He's all try, you can bet your life, don't ask why, it's something deep inside, he's so free, he wants it to be, cause he's just a Rodeo Freak," highlights the passion and deep-seated desire that drives the cowboy. He doesn't do it for the money or the fame; he does it because it's who he is. The song is an ode to the rodeo cowboy and is a celebration of the unique and adventurous spirit that is embodied in each of them.
Line by Line Meaning
Fist full of braded rope
He's holding tightly onto a braided rope, ready for the rodeo event
A heart full of hope
Despite the risks, he's optimistic and passionate about the sport
He's a nicotine junky
He's addicted to smoking tobacco
With a lip full of cope
He's using chewing tobacco to help calm his nerves
All gassed up on caffeine
He's consumed a lot of coffee or energy drinks to stay awake and alert after a long drive
From all night on the road
He's been traveling through the night to get to the event
If you look into his eyes
His tired and determined expression shows how much effort he's put into competing
You'll see the miles he drove
The exhaustion in his eyes is evidence of how far he's traveled to compete
He's a different breed
His passion for rodeo sets him apart from others
And you'll see what I mean
His unique personality will become evident through his riding
When the bull blows from that gate
When the rodeo event starts and the bull is released, he'll ride it for as long as possible
He'll be trying to ride him
He'll be making every effort to stay on the bull's back
Flying high on 2000 pounds of hate
He's riding an angry and aggressive animal, but he's enjoying the experience
He's all try, you can bet your life
He's giving his all and risking his life to compete
Don't ask why, it's something deep inside
He's driven by a passion and desire that can't be explained
He's so free, he wants it to be
He feels liberated by competing in rodeo and wants to continue doing it
Been through hell and back
He's faced many challenges and risks to compete
He's held together by tape
Despite being injured, he's patched himself up enough to compete again
An adrenalin addict
He's addicted to the rush of adrenaline he gets from competing
Livin life, tempting fate
He's living life dangerously and taking risks in order to compete
With a glove full of rosin
He's using rosin to improve his grip on the rope
Runs his hand in his riggin
He prepares himself by adjusting his grip on the braided rope
Slides on up and nods his head
He's ready to begin the event and nods to signal to the judges that he's ready
He's a grittin and grinnin
He's gritting his teeth in determination and grinning from the excitement
When you hear that chute gate crack
The sound of the chute opening signifies the start of the rodeo event
He'll be liftin, spurin, jerkin, hurtin
He'll be using all his strength and skill to stay on the bull's back as it bucks
A modern day Bareback jack
He's a contemporary version of the classic rodeo performer, Bareback Jack
Contributed by Miles B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.