Bluesman Spencer Bohren considers the Babcock Theatre a goldmine of nostalgia and can't wait to play there again tonight.

The downtown theater, which is under renovation, has hosted Bohren many times over the years. A Wyoming native, Bohren makes an annual trip to Montana and Wyoming from his home in New Orleans. It's part of his mission to spread his passion for blues and roots music.

"At the Babcock, you'll get the classic Spencer Bohren celebration of roots music. One thing people like about what I do is the folksy storytelling that happens accidentally. I never know what I'm gonna' play or say ahead of time, but it all works in some artistic way,'' Bohren said in a recent telephone interview with The Gazette.

Bohren last performed here as part of the Montana Avenue Cabaret series in 2008. That show sold out with more than 200 seats at the Billings Depot. Tonight's show is a fundraiser for Perfect Pitch, a local nonprofit that benefits school music programs.

Bohren has been touring the world, in his words "endlessly,'' since he became a musician in the mid-1960s. He and his wife, Marilyn, traveled the states in a '55 Chevy Bel Air pulling a vintage Airstream trailer. Their children toured with them, homeschooled by Marilyn, who also served as Spencer's manager. His son, Andre, is a drummer in the New Orleans funk band Johnny Sketch.

Bohren said he is approaching 100 tours of Europe, where fans soak up blues and roots music because it's not part of their culture and they're hungry for it.

"What's interesting in this country is that young people are totally unaware of this type of music. When I travel the world, it is celebrated in other countries. Blues music doesn't exist in France or Spain or Italy. They've got something that's soulful, but it's not blues.''

For several years, Bohren has been teaching high school and college students about music. He presents an annual musician's workshop in Big Timber and he just finished a week-long residency in Wyoming where he shared his knowledge of music with high school students in Sheridan.

"Music just continues to fascinate me. For over 40 years I have been learning about blues and country music, old-timey music, all those wonderful things that make up traditional music. It's really a gift in my life to share all of this,'' Bohren said.