And I’ve got a lot of heart songs, so I’ll be pulling a few of those out.” But the other thing is, heart is in the title. “A, it’s one of my old songs from back in the ‘70s. The title/theme of their workshop is Right After My Heart and there are two things that resonate deeply with Forbes under that umbrella. “Her lyrics, every time you hear a song, there’s more to dig into, layers of meaning and perhaps meaning that she didn’t even intend. “She is a beautiful singer and an amazing songwriter,” says Forbes of his friend Ferron. On Saturday Forbes will join forces with Canadian folk rock maven Ferron, who is said to have influenced musicians such as Ani DiFranco, Mary Gauthier and the Indigo Girls.

He credits festival artistic director Linda Tanaka who “just put a bunch of people together and watched the sparks fly, watched the magic happen.” The folk fest’s workshops are where the musical chemistry comes out, says Forbes. Or how about the time Forbes was on stage at the Vancouver folk fest in 1989, backed by musicians from the same Memphis label that launched the careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.įorbes was belting out “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog,” and DJ Fontana, Presley’s longtime drummer, broke into a roll that Forbes first heard three decades earlier as a child in Dawson Creek. The (folk fest) workshops – that’s where the magic is.” (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and I) got on the stage and looked at each other and by the end of the half hour we left the stage as friends. We stepped onto the stage to sing a Jimmy Rogers song. He remembers one particular workshop with American folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who Forbes calls a legend. I always say: ‘I go up and I reach for a note high in the fretboard and if I hit it, it’s great, and if I don’t – it’s jazz.’”įorbes is overwhelmed, looking back at four decades of the folk fest at Jericho Beach Park. “I have two words: No peeking,” says an affable Forbes, who has retained his sense of humour. The heavily invested blues and roots man never really leaned on sheet music anyway. There’s been no need for Forbes to recalibrate his live performance game plan since losing his eyesight. “I played Presentation House a couple weeks ago and there was a certain amount of love in the room,” he says.Īsked how the accident has changed his outlook on life: “It doesn’t, really,” Forbes frankly replies. His family, friends and fans have helped pull Forbes up and over the adversity. “You know, when any major event happens in your life and you stop and you kind of look at things and think, ‘OK, well what’s important and what is not – all that stuff,” Forbes further explains. “The Beating of Your Very Own Heart,” says Forbes, is about pulling yourself through a tough time. One new song is called “The Beating of Your Very Own Heart” and you may hear it at this weekend’s 40th anniversary of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, at which Forbes has the honour of closing out. “Sometimes you get it all in one go, sometimes it takes a year,” explains Forbes of his relaxed songwriting schedule. The sidekick Forbes is referring to is his trusty Gurian-made guitar, which has been accompanying him since 1972.įorbes has amassed about eight finished songs so far for the new album he is recording, along with five or six others in “various stages of disarray.” I had my guitar in my hand and (played) hours every day and new songs started to come out of it.” “As I was coming to terms with things, music was a real healer for me,” says Forbes in a phone interview this week from his Lower Lonsdale home. Instead of lamenting about his diagnosis, Forbes got to work.

While he retained a sliver of sight in his lower left eye, Forbes is essentially legally blind. singer-songwriter was rearranging boxes in his North Vancouver home when one suddenly slid and smacked him in his only good eye.įorbes underwent emergency surgery followed by multiple, delicate procedures on his eye.Īnxiously, meanwhile, Forbes waited for the specialist’s verdict. Three days before Christmas in 2015, the veteran B.C.

With his unfortunate Christmastime accident in the rearview mirror, Roy Forbes is forging ahead and leaning on the music to propel him forward. Roy Forbes plays the finale at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, running until July 16 at Jericho Beach Park.

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