Roy's Latest Treasures

It’s not quite the season for opening gifts but a few announcers around the station have been on the receiving end of parcels containing more great music.

Is there ever enough, apparently not and for fans of Roy’s Record Room and Friday Night Blues Party it is a boat load of the old and a wheelbarrow of the new.

If you have been listening to Triple R radio, as Mr. Forbes refers to his show from time to time, you’ll have noted that during the last two installments, our man Roy has been gushing about a collection of country 78s that landed in his lap a few weeks ago.

Roy Forbes (photo by Tracy Kolenchuk)

“It’s all country, from the twenties up to the late fifties and I am thinking that just about every one is a gem,” reports Roy from his vinyl bunker out on the west coast.

So just how many gems are we talking about Roy?

“Well there were two skids of boxes of records weighing about 6,000 pounds. That is between 6,000 and 8,000,” roared the delighted deejay who then made mention of the individual who bestowed this amazing collection on this amazing musician and broadcaster.

“His name is Keith Titterington and he is a long time collector from Calgary. I use the Country Music Record Guide which covers recordings from 1921 through 1942 and it took Tony Russell years to compile it. Anyway Keith is mentioned in the book,” added Forbes as he made note of Titterington stature in the world of collectors.

As he wades through this enormous batch of song, I can only imagine that Roy’s heart rate takes a radical jump a couple of times an hour, as this is a once in a lifetime treasure trove, that landed in the lap of the right individual.

Some of Roy’s favorites so far, you ask?

Well there is a 1935 recording of Bob Wills doing a Big Bill Broonzy number on Vocalion Records with a slide trombone player in the ensemble. Roy is also pretty hot on an original Decca recording of Rex Griffin doing Lovesick Blues.

“Rex probably got Lovesick Blues from Emmitt Miller and Hank did it in 1949. Rex must be the guy who got Hank all fired up about the song,” figures Forbes.

Another name that Roy dropped was Leodie Jackson and His Western Swingsters on the Courtney Records and he also opened a box that was all classic Cajun material.

“I’ve done two entire Roy’s Record Room shows from this set and I’ll do another next week,” stated Forbes who could put together two centuries worth of shows with this stash.

Forbes will also be lending a hand to one of the tour stops for Holgerpalooza and the west coast book launch of Talking Music.


“Holger will be at People’s Co-op Books in Vancouver on Tuesday November 22 which is on Commercial Drive. On this stop Terry David Mulligan will be interviewing Holger about Talking Music and the 19 interviews that make the book. Should be fun,” says Roy, who will be playing a few tunes, in an unplugged setting, to round out the evening.

That’s great. I just want to know why in Calgary Holger had Tim Hus perform and now in Vancouver he’s got Roy, yet we didn’t have any musical support at Greenwood’s in Edmonton. We’ll get to the bottom of this. In any case the west coast launch of Talking Music goes at 7:00 p.m. on the 22nd and People’s Co-op Bookstore is located at 1391 Commercial Drive.

Back to music flowing to CKUA producers and hosts who then deliver the music to you, Cam Hayden returned home from his annual road trip down to the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas.

Cam Hayden

“There were approximately 240 new discs waiting for me to listen to and share with CKUA listeners. I’ll be working the cream of the crop into the Friday Night Blues Party over the next few months,” says Hayden.

This stash is made up of brand new releases, a few that fit into the “great re-issues category”, and then there are a few surprises.

The producer/host of FNBP has already got a number ready to spin on this Friday’s show including new releases from Mac Arnold, Big Joe and the Dynaflows, Roomful of Blues, Fiona Boyes, Mary Flower an Bert Dievert.

“I am also going to be playing something from George Thorogood’s 2120 South Michigan recording. It’s an honest to God blues album,” says Hayden.

If you are new to listening to CKUA, Friday Night Blues Party can be heard on the CKUA Radio Network every Friday evening from nine through midnight.


One Alberta’s finest musical ambassadors, even though he’s a transplanted Albertan, is celebrating his 70th birthday along with one of his musical compadres this month.

Amos Garrett, who made his way to this province a couple of decades ago, and the piano playing Kelly Jay, both hit that 70 milestone in the next few weeks. So, the two statesmen of Canadian roots music will be shaking the rafters of a couple of southern Alberta’s finest venues as part of their public celebration plans.

Amos Garrett

On Saturday November 26 at Carlson's on McLeod, in High River, where Amos hangs his hat, the two will pull out all the stops, along with all the plugs in the jugs, and careen through songbooks that have been a half-century in the making.

“The second show will be in Calgary at the Blues Can, on Thursday December 1,” says Garrett who was born on November 26 1941. Kelly Jay’s birthday is falls on December 12.

The two will be working with bassist Brian Pollack who has been in Garrett’s Eh Team since the late eighties and drummer Kevin Belzner.

When I was speaking with Garrett a few days ago he had just returned from the first Sleep Walk Guitar Festival, which was created and produced by Luke Doucet.

“Luke did a great job putting it together and he focused on presenting blues and country players this year. He booked Brent Mason who was the top rung session guitarist in Nashville for years, Redd Volkaert came up from Austin and I was in on a superb blues workshop with Duke Robillard and Colin James.

“Because the title of the festival is Sleep Walk I suggested to Luke that I do a seminar on string bending techniques and that was really well attended,” added Garrett of the three--day event that took place at The Great Hall on Queen Street.

Doucet also tagged Winnipeg’s Jay Nowicki, of Perpetrators/Romi Mayes fame, The Sadies, Danny Michel, Grant Siemens from the Corb Lund Band and Melissa McClelland as participants.

“The venue seemed to be full no matter what was going on and I hope it is the first of many Sleep Walk Guitar Festivals,” concluded Garrett who is also readying himself for a 2012 run with his acoustic jazz trio.

Happy Birthday Amos, and you to Kelly Jay. Let the good times roll.