Category: News

A two-hour special on CKCU’s ‘Canadian Spaces’

A while back, Roy was chatting with Chris White, host of the long-running folk show, Canadian Spaces (CKCU, Ottawa). They talked about playing a few recordings of Roy’s songs by other artists on the show. It turns out there have been quite a few over the years. By the end of the call, after putting together a tentative playlist, they decided to do a two-hour special on the subject.

So, on Saturday, April 2nd, 10am to noon ET, tune in to Canadian Spaces for a listen to some outstanding interpretations of Roy’s songs from the likes of Hart Rouge, Susan Jacks, Matt Minglewood, Sylvia Tyson, Garnet Rogers, Shari Ulrich, Valdy, Tony Trischka & Skyline, the Great Western Orchestra (with Cindy Church), Laurie Lewis, Tracey Brown, Heather Bishop, Suzie Vinnick,  Shaye Zadravec, Jef Leeson and Shawn Colvin.

Throughout the program, which spans the years 1975 to 2021, Roy reacts to the performances and tells a few stories along the way.

This show is also available ‘on demand’ on the CKCU site.
https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/129/55796.html

Our boy has hit the 50 year mark in the entertainment biz, and is getting a fair bit of media attention. Check out these articles.

The Georgia Straight (October 16, 2021)
https://www.straight.com/music/roy-forbes-celebrates-50-years-from-bim-to-edge-of-blue

The North Shore News (October 16, 2021)
https://www.nsnews.com/local-arts/roy-forbes-celebrates-50-years-in-the-music-business-with-two-north-vancouver-shows-4520471

Stir (October 17, 2021)
https://www.createastir.ca/articles/roy-forbes

The Vancouver Sun (October 20, 2021)
https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/local-arts/after-50-years-in-the-music-biz-forbes-has-the-memories-and-a-k-tel-record-to-prove-it

On November 7th, 2020, Roy was interviewed by host Holger Peterson about life for him in the pandemic and the release of his latest CD ‘Edge of Blue’. You can check out the podcast on the CBC Radio site here:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-154-saturday-night-blues/clip/15816433-hour-1

The interview starts about 28 minutes and 15 seconds from the beginning.

Read a recent article in the Vancouver Sun by Francois Marchand about Roy’s recent revelation HERE.

Roy got an early Christmas present this year…a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Producer of the Year for his new album ‘Edge of Blue’. Since 1985, Roy has produced or co-produced all of his own albums as well as records by other artists. He is tickled to get the nod for this area of his work from the CFMA ‘Producer of the Year’ jury.

The awards will be held virtually on April 9th and 10th, 2021. Find out more here: folkawards.ca

Back in August, 2019, AMI TV’s Rob Simpson and Tim Testor came to Vancouver to spend a few days hanging out with Roy, gathering material for a documentary on the singer.

Roy’s episode of “Rhythms” features quite a bit of footage of his mid-August outdoor Vancouver CBC Nooner concert along with an extensive interview. They even got in a visit to a record store!

Go HERE to view it online.

Roy performed for the first time with opera singer Ben Heppner and soul singer Tonye as part of CBC Music’s special show ‘Straight Outta Dawson’. “There is no Dawson Creek sound,” said Forbes. “The three of us are very different. But the fact that [Dawson Creek] had a little something to do with all three of us is pretty interesting. There’s more stuff going up there as well that people don’t know about.”

You can read more about the show HERE. It aired on September 23rd, 2017.

On July 28, 2017 The BC Entertainment Hall of Fame (BCEHOF) announced its 2017 BCEHOF inductees. These seven new Star Walk Stars and two Pioneer Stars will join the 275+ previous inductees who have been recognized for their significant contribution to the province’s entertainment industry and cultural landscape.

The BCEHOF is divided into two prestigious categories: Star Walk and Pioneers. The Star Walk inductees are individuals who have enhanced the province’s cultural profile, both locally and on the world stage. The 2017 Star Walk inductees included Roy in the music category.

Roy was formally inducted at his old stomping grounds the CBC, at his Musical Nooner concert there on August 24th. His fans and friends joined in on the celebration.

Roy’s star was unveiled on the Walk of Fame on Granville Street near the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver. The ceremony will take place on Monday, September 25 at 3pm.

Read the entire press release HERE.

Check out Roy’s Facebook page for some photos of the occasion.

In conjunction with the recently held Salmon Arm Blues and Roots Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the local paper did an article on Roy. You can view it HERE.