by Marty Forbes
September 24, 2024
I was lucky to be born Jerry Forbes son (btw I should have mentioned this on my ‘name’ post but Dads real name was Murray McIntyre Forbes) and I’m sure my brothers Gord and Gerry feel the same way.
I hit my teen years as a baby boomer so the rock and roll lifestyle aligned perfectly with my dream of getting in to broadcasting.
As a Forbes I benefited from the best (free) record collection you could ever imagine.
Each week I’d get a box full of 45’s from Dad (that may require a young folks Google search) and also the latest albums from bands like The Beatles in either mono or stereo (another google reference)
The British pressings of their singles actually had the centres ‘built in’ so they were always great to show off to friends at school especially when I had them a week before the record stores had them..
In high school the ‘jocks’ were usually the cool thing for the ladies to get attracted to but I snuck in to that group because I could spin the latest tunes at gatherings.
Everybody wanted to hear ‘the latest thing’ and bringing over the latest Bob Dylan or Loving Spoonful records was always fun.
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In radio it was always a show stopper when the ‘stars’ dropped in to the radio station – sports or performers. And it was always great when record reps invited you to meet the band after (free) concerts. Bonus if it was a private one on one meeting.
But I got an early start on this magic when I came home from school one day in Edmonton.
I think it must have been 1968, and when I heard a commotion coming from the back yard, I stepped out to see one big burly hairy giant of a man with a few other ‘long haired’ guys raising a ruckus.
It was my first exposure to a rock band…Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks….who were drinking some gifted ‘moonshine’ with Dad and a few of the CHED station staffers.
If you know of Ronnie you know he is loud…and that thick southern accent was always a kick when he started to tell his endless zany stories about fun on the road being an entertainer.
“I hoodood the hoodoo woman who hoodood the hoodoo man” – typical Ronnie.
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As the afternoon wore on, and the boys got drunker, they decided to throw my step brother Danny and step sister Kerry around like a sack of potatoes. From one guy to the other about three feet off the ground…laughing.
It was mayhem and extremely funny to watch.
Don’t worry…no children were harmed in this escapade.
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I didn’t know much about these guys at that time, other than Ronnie, and he used to mix and match band mates over his career so I’m not sure if any of these guys ended up being part of the legendary group The Band.
Later in life, during my career, I’d run in to Ronnie during Canadian Music Week in Toronto and would chat with him briefly.
He did remember that crazy afternoon and he used to call Dad “the silver haired gentleman” for which I felt deeply honoured.
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We lost Ronnie a few years back…a true gem.
So in a round about way the ‘630’ frequency impact (1080 as I was a young child) is why I was so attracted to follow my late Father into the business so I too could enjoy the endless fun and rock and roll lifestyle.
