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Roy Forbes Reflects on 15 Years of ‘Roy’s Record Room’

Community Profiles

Do you (or someone you know) have a 200-300 word story about you and CKUA that you’d like to share with us? Please let us know by writing us. We’d love to feature it! What do such stories look like?

Well, here’s one by Roy Forbes, who celebrates the 15th anniversary of his CKUA show, Roy’s Record Room, on Sunday April 11, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM (MT).

I first came to CKUA in the fall of 1973, a 20-year-old folkie, in Edmonton for a gig at the Hovel coffeehouse. Holger Petersen had invited me to tape one of his now-legendary ACME Sausage Company radio shows.

Like the station does today for emerging artists, CKUA played the heck out of my early LPs and, along with the CBC, helped me build a profile, as a singer/songwriter/performer in Canada.

As the decades of festivals, concerts and tours flew by, I’d often pay a visit to the station when I was in Edmonton for a performance or a weekend at the Folk Fest. I’d be pushing my latest release or Holger and I might play some of our favourite sides on Natch’l Blues or HP Sauce.

Along the way, I had dipped my toe into broadcasting with a thirteen-year run on CBC’s Radio One, producing a national holiday program, Snap Crackle Pop, where I would spin records gathered while on tour.

When I dropped by the CKUA studio for an interview on Lark Clark’s Radio Mondo morning show in 2003, Lark, along with CKUA music director, Peter North, suggested that a weekly RF record hour would be perfect for CKUA. By 2006, under the guidance of CKUA program director, Brian Dunsmore, Roy’s Record Room hit the airwaves. And it did feel like a perfect fit to me. Fifteen years later, it still does. Plus, doing the program has inspired me to collect even more vinyl and shellac.

Thankfully, CKUA continues to support the music I’ve been making for the past five decades. My latest album, Edge Of Blue, recently spent some quality time in the upper reaches of the CKUA top 30 chart.

When I first stepped into the old Alberta Block building back in 1973, I felt completely at home. In 2021, as I type these words, the feeling remains the same.

Looking back over fifteen seasons of RRR, I’m deeply grateful to all the fine folks at CKUA who have assisted me in getting the show to air every week. I send out a big, hearty thank-you to the program donors who have hopped onto the “Triple-R Radio” train. It’s been a blast, working with and getting to know you all.

Finally, a big tip of the hat to the passionate people out there in “Triple-R Radio’ land, who tune in every week and e-mail me their thoughts and suggestions. All of you have contributed to making Roy’s Record Room a show that continues to revolve.

Roy Forbes
March 31, 2021

Thanks again for sharing this story about you and CKUA, Roy!

Please email us if you would like to share your own 200-300 word CKUA story with our community! And tell a friend too! We’d love to hear from listeners of all generations and backgrounds!