WHAT ROY'S UP TO ...

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Items of Interest

‘ROY'S RECORD ROOM’ ON CKUA

Mondays from 6:00 - 7:00 pm Mountain Time (5:00 - 6:00 pm Pacific Time)
Spend an hour with Roy as he plays an eclectic mix of tunes from his extensive collection of vinyl and shellac, sharing facts about the artist, the music and the actual discs. Roy records the show in the ‘Vinyl Vault / Shellac Shack’ aka his basement. If you’ve liked Roy’s occasional CBC ‘Snap Crackle Pop’ radio show, you’ll love the weekly instalments on CKUA. Note: Roy loves 78s.

A FINGERFULLA FORGOTTEN 45s (Maybe)

I have had my eye on a towering stack of tomato boxes filled with 45s so it could be a Fingerfulla Forgotten 45s. Or, there are still many, many milk crates full of forgotten 78s, just waiting for rediscovery.

Tune in on Monday, March 8th, six PM sharp, to see how I solve The Mystery of Roy's Record Room.

ROY AT THE ROBSON SQUARE 'SIGNATURE CELEBRATION' SITE ON FEBRUARY 13TH

You have one chance to catch Roy during the Vancouver 2010 celebrations. He’ll be performing on stage one at Robson Square in downtown Vancouver for a four o’clock show, Saturday, February 13th. For this special occasion, Roy has invited guitar maestro Robbie Steininger (who played on Roy’s last album) and the multi-talented singer/bass player Linda Kidder to lend a hand for the half-hour show. See you there!

GREETINGS, SNAP CRACKLE POP FANS ...

I’ve had a couple of notes from regular SCP listeners wondering if Paul Grant and I will be doing our ‘traditional’ New Year’s Morning show on CBC Radio One. Unfortunately, the answer is ‘nope, not this year’.

Here’s the deal. After thirty-plus years with the CBC, my pal and SCP co-host Paul Grant retired last summer. He’s taking some well deserved time to do whatever the heck he wants and I know that all of us wish him well. We out here on the West Coast really miss his warm and knowledgeable presence on the CBC. He’s one of the good ‘uns!

Paul and I managed to slip in quite a few editions of Snap Crackle Pop over the past thirteen years. From our first national broadcast on Radio One in September, 1996, to the most recent show in January, 2009, the two of us spent many a happy hour spinning those records, unravelling the roots of today’s music and sharing our finds with all of you. I learned a lot about making radio from Paul during our run of ‘Snaps’ and I want to say ‘Thanks, buddy’.

As my good friend Bill Henderson wrote, back in the early 70s, ‘If there’s no audience, there just ain’t no show’. And, folks, you SCP fans have been the BEST audience a radio show could have. I treasure the e-mails I’ve received from you over the years, sharing your own musical finds, memories, information, mis-information corrections and tips for some great batches of records that have now become a part of my collection. And those supportive face-to-face comments in airport bookstores, restaurants, post-offices and coffee shops; at after-concert CD signing sessions and on street corners all across Canada – all have been much appreciated. Thanks for being there for SCP.

At this point, I can’t say what the future of Snap Crackle Pop will be with the CBC. If it’s meant to continue at some point, I’m in! If not, it’s been a great run.

THE ROY FORBES/BILL HENDERSON SONGWRITING WORKSHOP IN SUMMERLAND CONTINUES

Submissions are being accepted immediately for the 15th Annual Bill Henderson/Roy Forbes Songwriters Intensive/Workshop and Showcase, April 17 and 18, 2010 at The George Ryga Centre in Summerland. Songwriters should register immediately by submitting a tape or CD of their music (no more than two songs) with two sets of typewritten lyrics plus a $30 submission fee (payable by cheque or money order to The George Ryga Centre.) The full price of the Songwriters Intensive/Workshop/Showcase is $250 in the event that your work is selected for the Workshop Intensive. There will also be a full day workshop on April 10, 2010.

ROY"S INTERVIEW WITH HOLGER PETERSON

ON CKUA WITH LARK CLARK

HONOURS FOR ROY AND A CONCERT IN DAWSON CREEK

Here's the press release from Dawson Creek ...

Northern Lights College, along with the City of Dawson Creek and the Kiwanis Performing Arts Centre joined forces to make June 8-9 an unforgettable weekend tribute for acclaimed singer/songwriter Roy Forbes.

The festivities kicked with Forbes receiving an Honourary Arts Degree from Northern Lights College. The degree was conferred on Friday, June 8th 2008 during the Convocation ceremonies at the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John.

Then, on Saturday, June 9th, the City of Dawson Creek recognized Forbes with a street-naming ceremony that took place at 2 pm. Mayor Calvin Kruk officially unveilled 'Roy Forbes Drive' - 11th Street from 96th Avenue to 97th Avenue.

The weekend was capped off on Saturday evening with a fundraising concert at the Kiwanis Performing Arts Centre, with half of the proceeds going to the KPAC fundraising initiative.

A CUT FROM ROY’S JAZZ VOCAL SESSION FINALLY SEES THE LIGHT OF DAY.

You regular visitors to www.royforbes.ca may remember a flurry of posts from a couple of years back regarding an upcoming jazz vocal project from Roy. Well, the stage had been set and the papers had been signed with CBC Records. However, because of a readjustment of priorities within CBC Records, the eagerly awaited project never did materialize.

Luckily, those who were waiting to hear some jazzy Roy vocals can get a tiny taste on the new 'Hot Air CD Volume IV'. The CD has highlights from almost a dozen Hot Air studio sessions by BC jazz musicians, including the Wow Jazz Orchestra, the Hip Pocket Quartet, Amanda Tosoff, Evan Arntzen, Laila Biali and many more.

The Roy Forbes Sextet (with Miles Black on piano, Miles Hill on bass, Brad Turner on trumpet, Campbell Ryga on alto sax and Buff Allen on drums) is represented by one cut on the CD – a bluesy/jazzy take on the old Fats Waller tune (via Mildred Bailey) 'Willow Tree'.