Forbes, calling himself "Bim," began his musical career in
Vancouver in 1971 after winning a "Battle of the Bands" competition in Dawson Creek. Initially, he appeared as the opening act for such groups as
Supertramp and
Santana, but soon came to headline and sell out his own shows. His song "Can't Catch Me", from his first LP
Kid Full of Dreams, was released as a single and hit the Top 10 in several major Canadian markets. His third LP "Thistles" was produced by
Emitt Rhodes and featured
Mac Cridlin,
David Foster,
Bob Glaub,
Penny Nichols,
Jeff Porcaro,
Ron Tutt,
Blue Williams and
Jai Winding. Forbes has appeared as a headliner in most of Canada's major folk music festivals. In 1984, he toured in the US with fellow Canadian
Ferron, with whom he performed a duet on the song "Proud Crowd/Pride Cried" for her album,
Shadows on a Dime. In 1987, he began performing and recording as Roy Forbes. He is also a member of the
supergroup UHF, together with
Shari Ulrich and
Bill Henderson. Songs written by Forbes have been recorded by
Sylvia Tyson,
Garnet Rogers,
Valdy, and
Susan Jacks. Since 2006, Forbes has hosted a weekly radio program called "Roy's Record Room" on the
CKUA Radio Network in Alberta. He previously hosted a program known as "Snap Crackle Pop" on
CBC Radio across Canada from 1996 to 2009. Both programs feature songs taken from his extensive collection of vintage records. ==Discography==