Marty Forbes "August 08" - Edmontonians Article

Edmontonians August ’08

I was totally thrilled to hear that the late Wes Montgomery is going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this coming September in Winnipeg.  Thanks to wonderful people like Jackie Rae Greening of CFCW this was made to happen.  Wes ‘owned’ the airwaves in Edmonton for many, many years, hosting mornings on CHED, K-LITE, and CFRN, with the last several years on country music radio CFCW.

I was fortunate to have known Wes from when I was ‘just a kid’ when he worked for my Dad at CHED in the 1960’s.  Nothing was sadder for me when we had to change the format on CFRN AM in the early 1990’s and I had to let this legend go from his morning shift.    Wes took it easy on me and we shook hands ‘as friends’ at that time, however he got the last laugh.

In his column in the Edmonton Sun that weekend Wes mentioned his ‘termination’  when he stated…

”I just got fired by my former bosses kid – I knew him when he just got out of his diapers.”

Special!

Good work JR.

This past month I was honoured to be part of a focus group for the Edmonton Oilers Hockey club.  This was just a week or so after the Daryl Katz takeover.  Ernie Pasemko and Frank Calder of Calder Bateman Advertising conducted the session, with input from people like me,  Don Metz, of Aquila Productions, Martin Salloum, of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Ron Gilbertson of Economic Development Edmonton, among others.

This was just one of ‘several’ gatherings to discuss the on going operation of the hockey team.  The sign of a great businesses is when they conduct research on a continuous basis to improve their product.  I think we’ll see the results of that on the ice this year.

Also with the Edmonton Oiler’s, I go back to the early 1980’s with GM Kevin Lowe when he was doing ‘sport-a-torials’ for a radio station I was running in town.  I must have taught him well because Kevin made ‘world wide headlines’ when he performed a half-hour verbal assault on Anaheim’s Brian Burke with Total Sports host Bob Stauffer on our sports station, Team 1260 early in July.

This was one of the most ‘entertaining’ half hours of radio that I’ve ever heard and it spurred a record number of phone calls and emails the following few days.  The NHL themselves even called to ask for a copy of the tape.

We are ‘so blessed’ with world class entertainment this summer in Edmonton.  I saw some ‘tremendous’ concerts this past month and many more are on the way.  As showcased a few months ago Pink Martini blew everybody away at the Winspear during the Jazzfest.  China Forbes (no relation) sang in six different languages and had a back up band that could ‘each’ carry the show by themselves.  Thanks for the tickets Rob Christie...I owe ya one.

Following that Mark Knopfler, formerly of Dire Straits, sold out the Jube in record time and put on one of those concerts where you spend most of the time with your eyes closed moving to his amazing guitar.  Jubillee President Katherine Huising invited me up to see the relatively new ‘private’ rooms that they now have available for corporate functions at the Jubilee.  Give her a call from more information.

Then it was off to Rexall for the James Taylor concert.  Nothing like watching a veteran of the music industry work the crowd.  Both James and Mark enjoyed 4 and a half-star status in the newspapers the next day, which is a rarity for Edmonton critics to say the least.

Now the fun begins because we’re in ‘outdoor’ concert season and I hope that the past six to eight weeks of almost endless ‘precipitation’ is just about over so the Folk Festival; Big Valley Jamboree; the Edmonton Fringe Festival, and the Blues Festival can enjoy blue skys for their events.

There’s nothing like bad weather (and bad roads) to ruin a good summer – so fingers are crossed that these outstanding events get more than their fair share of sunshine so that the world class entertainment we have invited to town can take home positive stories of their experience in Festival City.  I'm going to catch night one of the Blues Fest - then hop a plane to Phoenix to see Dave Matthews Band.

Finally, I’ve been ‘touring the city’ over the past several weeks talking to some of our great civic leaders along with 630 Ched’s Gord Whitehead and Debbie Walker.  We’ve spoken to people like Telus Dr. Bob Westbury, the United Way’s Anne Smith, and Quickcards Lyle Best, about an incredible new project that Santa’s Anonymous is currently working on.

It’s not ‘official’ yet – but when it gets announced Santa’s Anonymous will go to a whole new level.  It’s an exciting project that will help this wonderful cause become even bigger and better.  Dad would be proud!

Lots of movement (or rumoured movement) in the Edmonton radio scene over the past few weeks - keep your eyes on Puget Sound cuz I'm sure most or all of these will be chronicled before the all important Fall book gets underway in September.

More to come…soon.