Bill Forbes

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=170 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041a11c3.png"> <div> <IMG SRC="13296700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="ABC TV ident" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13396700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="TV opening title" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="12996700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Ronnie Black" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13c96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="'Red' Price" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="12a96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="'Cuddly' Dudley" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="23e96780.png" border=0 width="150" height="120" ALT="Dickie Pride" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="12b96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Billy Fury" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13e96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Billy Fury" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13b96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Jimmy Henney & Tony Hall" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="2ea966e0.png" border=0 width="150" height="110" ALT="Peter Elliott" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13496700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13596700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13996700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Cast" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13096700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT=" Vernons Girls" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13796700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="Cherry Wainer" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="23897700.png" border=0 width="151" height="112" ALT="Cliff sings "Turn Me Loose"" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="23c96720.png" border=0 width="150" height="114" ALT="Tony Hall & Jimmy Henney waving farewell at the end of last show." ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13196700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALT="ABC TV ident" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oh Boy!"><U><IMG SRC="05ffa490.png" border=0 width="250" height="73" ALT="Opening page" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Introduction"><U><B> Introduction</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jack Good"><U><B>Jack Good</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="diary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oh Boy! Diary"><U><B>'Oh Boy!' Diary</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oh Boy! Stage Show"><U><B>"Oh Boy!" Stage Show</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Who sang what?"><U><B>Who sang what?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sheet music"><U><B>Sheet music</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Group photos"><U><B>Group photos</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Cliff Richard The Drifters "><U><B> Cliff Richard & The Drifters    </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" The Drifters"><U><B>  The Drifters</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lord Rockinghams XI"><U><B>Lord Rockingham's XI</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cherry Wainer"><U><B>Cherry Wainer</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vernons Girls"><U><B>Vernons Girls</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vernons Girls Photos"><U><B>Vernons Girls Photos</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Bill Forbes</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Sound Vision"><U><B> Sound & Vision</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rehearsals"><U><B>Rehearsals</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Facts Figures"><U><B>Facts & Figures</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where Have The Shows Gone?"><U><B>Where Have The Shows Gone?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whatever became of the stars?"><U><B>Whatever became of the stars?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oh Boy! LP"><U><B>Oh Boy!  LP</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U><B>Contact Me</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Credits Links"><U><B>Credits & Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Your comments"><U><B>Your comments</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Online Store"><U><B>Online Store</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Bill Forbes</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>“</B></I><I><B>OH BOY!” STAR BILL FORBES WAS ONE OF THE SERIES MOST POPULAR GUEST STARS IN 1959. HE APPEARED IN 11 SHOWS AND BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME ALTHOUGH CHART SUCCESS IN BRITAIN ELUDED HIM.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>HERE BILL RECOLLECTS THE GOLDEN ERA OF THE ADVENT OF BRITISH ROCK N ROLL AND HIS MEMORIES OF WORKING ON JACK GOOD'S CULT TELEVISION SERIES</B></I><I><B>.</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6bd1e580.jpg" border=0 width="798" height="600" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill Forbes was born on 17</B></I><I><B>th</B></I><I><B> December 1938 in Sri Lanka. He came to Britain in 1955 at the age of 17 doing menial clerical work by day and renting a flat in Victoria, Central London. During 1958 Bill lived out his dreams of being a famous singer by appearing regularly at the “Bread Basket” coffee bar in Tottenham Court Road.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>COFFEE BAR DISCOVERY</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>It was while he was performing one night in September 1958 that two talent scouts representing Jack Good approached him and asked if he wanted to audition for the “Oh Boy!” show.  The series had just blasted onto the nation's television screens a few weeks earlier and Bill was already a big fan of the show.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“I was one of 30 artists who were invited to perform before Jack Good,” recalls Bill. “I turned up for the audition which was held at the actual venue for the live show itself - the Empire Theatre in Hackney- and I was absolutely petrified.”</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>On entering the theatre he saw for the first time many of the series regular stars, such as the Lord Rockingham XI, the Dallas Boys, Don Lang and the Vernons Girls.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>From the 30 artists who auditioned that autumn morning Jack Good personally picked just two to appear in his “Oh Boy!” series - Emile Ford (who appeared just once on the 29th November 1958 edition) and Bill himself.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>MARTY'S</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><I><B>DOUBLE</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>“I was over the moon,”</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> Bill said, </B></FONT><B>“but the audition didn't exactly get off to a great start!”</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>  Bill chose to sing Marty Wilde's current hit “Endless Sleep” as his audition piece. But at the end of the song Jack Good told him his performance was “OK” but he sounded a bit too much like Marty. </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>“We don't want two Marty's in the show do we?”</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> said Jack, and he got Bill to sing another song.  Bill's second audition piece was the Johnny Ray classic “Just Walking In The Rain” which was enough to convince Jack to put him in the series.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>GOD'S  LITTLE ACRE</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>“In those days Jack told YOU what songs you will sing, and nobody answered back. None of the artistes dared argue and being young and a novice I did as I was told.”</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bill continues </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#66CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>“Jack gave me an American record of the upbeat spiritual song `God's Little Acre' (from the film of the same name) which he wanted me to learn and perform on the show. To be honest I wasn't too pleased with the choice because I was a BIG rock `n' roll fan and to me it just wasn't right for the time...and it definitely wasn't rock `n' roll! Oh well I thought, I'll just have to put up with it and sing it.”</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill attended the painstaking rehearsals both at the Empire Theatre and the Four Provinces of Ireland Club in Islington during the latter part of October in preparation for his “Oh Boy!” television debut, which was due to be on Saturday 1st November 1958. (Show Number 8)</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="6b23c9c0.jpg" border=0 width="572" height="412" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>CRUSHING BLOW</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>However a few days prior to the live broadcast Jack called Bill with some crushing news. Tommy Steele had agreed to come on the show at short notice and so Bill's spot was cancelled.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“I was devastated by the news. I didn't hear anything from Jack for several weeks after that. I was in limbo at that time. I began to think he didn't want me at all and the call was just a polite way of letting me down.”</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Then at the beginning of December Bill was finally given his big chance- and a date for his debut show…  Saturday 13th December 1958  (Show Number 14)</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bill sang the spiritual number backed by the Lord Rockingham XI with the Dallas Boys and the Vernons Girls providing the vocal backing and choreography.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="6b487640.jpg" border=0 width="135" height="100" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Shortly after the show Bill signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and between 1959 and 1962 released eight singles, the biggest of which “Too Young” reached the number 29 position in UK Charts during December 1959.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="627" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=3 HEIGHT= 26 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>Bill Forbes' Eight Single Releases in United Kingdom </B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=3 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="613"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="613" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4232</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1959</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  My Cherie/ God's Little Acre</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4269</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1959</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  Once More/ Believe In Me</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4386</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1959</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  Too Young/ It's Not The End Of The World</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4566</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1961</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  You're Sixteen/ Backward Child</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4619</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1961</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  That's It, I Quit, I'm Moving On/ Big City Boy</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4747</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1961</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  Goodbye Cruel World/ Next Time</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> Columbia DB4855</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1962</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  Laughter Or Tears/ Like A Good Girl Should</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="142"><div> Columbia DB945</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="55"><div>  1962</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="410"><div>  Poker Face/ Marianne</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>HERO IN SRI LANKA</B></I></div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>His biggest success however was in his homeland of Sri Lanka, where his 3rd Columbia release “Too Young” backed with “Its Not The End of the World” became a double-sided number one hit at the beginning of 1960.</B></I></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>Bill was regarded as something of a hero in Sri Lanka, because although they had never seen the “Oh Boy” show over there, its reputation had spread worldwide and it was big news that one of its homegrown talents was starring in it.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> Today, Bill is still regarded as the first Sri Lankan solo artist ever to secure a recording contract and a hit recording outside his native country.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>When he returned there for a 10-day whistle stop tour in early 1960 - topping the charts with his version of the evergreen ballad “Too Young”- he was mobbed in the streets and even invited to lunch with the Prime Minister at his official residence.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“The biggest kick for me was that “Too Young” knocked Cliff Richard's “Living Doll” off the top of the Sri Lanka charts. I really felt I'd made it! It all happened so fast it's just a blur when I think about it now. All the detail gets lost when so many good things happen at once,”</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Bill said.</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>WOMAN FROM LIBERIA</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>On 17th January 1959 Bill Forbes made his 2nd of 11 appearances on the series. He sang another song chosen for him by Jack called “Woman From Liberia” which would prove a big hit with the viewers.  “She gave me water but it was not from the well” are the songs most memorable if not politically correct lyrics, which warns against accepting suspect liquid refreshment from dodgy African women!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Despite its popularity here in Britain the song was never released as a single.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bill sang the song again the following week 24th January (as well as “God's Little Acre”) and for the very final show on 30th May - at Jack's request. Fortunately this final show has survived so at least one Bill Forbes performance has been preserved on film for posterity.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>DEPUTIZING FOR CLIFF</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill's unscheduled 4th appearance on the 7th February 1959 show came out of the blue and proved to be a highlight in his career.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bill recalls; </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#66CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>“On the Friday - the day before the live broadcast- Jack called me suddenly to say that Cliff was sick with laryngitis and was unable to appear. And he wanted me to stand in as Cliff's replacement.”</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Cliff was due to sing 3 solo songs as well as a duet with Marty, and I had to learn all five numbers with just 24 hours notice.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“I sang “Hot Dog”, and “Love Me Tender”. Fortunately I was an Elvis fan so most of the lyrics were no real obstacle. “For the finale Marty Wilde and I closed with a duet singing “Rip It Up”, “Keep On Knockin' (But You Cant Come In)” and “Bird Dog”. </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>“That was my biggest moment! Normally I would only get to sing just one song but because Cliff was such a big star by this time he would always get about four or five numbers to sing. The show went very well and was my chance to shine as the big star for the week.” </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill's 5th appearance on “Oh Boy!” was on 28th February singing “Bim-Bom-Bey”- a country hit in 1959 for Jimmy Rodgers in the USA.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="6b8d51c0.jpg" border=0 width="213" height="284" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="20" VSPACE="0"></B></I><I><B>BILLY FURY</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>While rehearsing for the 14th March 1959 “Oh Boy!”(his sixth appearance!) Bill met Billy Fury for the first time. It was to be Billy's debut appearance on the show.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“We used to joke around a great deal,”</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> said Bill. </B></I></FONT><I><B>“We were very good friends. As we had the same initials - B.F.- he used to greet me by saying “How's it going B.F?” and I used to reply “swinging well B.F.!”  Hank Marvin overheard us once and suggested the B.F stood for bloody fools!!”</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>On that show and on his next appearance on 11</B></I><I><B>th</B></I><I><B> April Bill performed a catchy rock `n' roll song entitled “Once More”. Bill himself composed the song and he dedicated it to Elvis Presley who had inspired him.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>It obviously met with Jack Good's approval- who allowed it to be performed twice in the series.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“I was quite pleased with “Once More” and several other stars sang it too.  I always remember on one occasion I was singing it live on “Oh Boy!” while Adam Faith was singing it at the same time on the BBC's rival pop show “Drumbeat.”</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bill wanted to give it to Elvis to record, but despite Columbia A & R's man Norrie Paramor's best efforts to pass it on- Elvis never did get to hear the song.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The track was released as a double A side together with “Believe In Me” in May 1959 and was Bill's second Columbia record release.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill was back on “Oh Boy!” on 25</B></I><I><B>th</B></I><I><B> April closing the first half of the show with “Good Rockin' Tonight”backed by the Dallas Boys and Lord Rockingham XI.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>For his 9</B></I><I><B>th</B></I><I><B> appearance on 16</B></I><I><B>th</B></I><I><B> May 1959 he sang Ricky Nelson's current hit “It's Late.”</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill was guest on the last 2 “Oh Boy” shows on 23rd May and 30th May 1959. On the former show he performed “Too Young” (a perennial ballad made famous in the UK by both Jimmy Young and Nat King Cole) and which later became Bill's 3rd single reaching number 29 in the UK's NME Chart in December 1959.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>The surviving final show from 30th May features Bill singing “The Woman From Liberia” once again by popular request.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="6baba8a0.jpg" border=0 width="186" height="138" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill recalls his “Oh Boy!” days with great affection.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>“The Vernons Girls and the Dallas Boys were great company to mix with and we had some good laughs. Red Price, Benny Green and Don Storer were also great fun too!</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Some of us used to go to the café next to the Empire Hackney - its name escapes me- and we would chat for hours if we weren't needed at the rehearsals. Eventually fans got wind that Cliff, Marty and Billy went there and large crowds would gather outside.”</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>“Jack Good was a real live wire. He was a super action type producer with that accent on `bang-bang-bang' type quick fire entertainment for the show. The screaming audience added to the electric atmosphere and the frenzy,”</B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCCCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> Bill remembers.</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Because the shows were broadcast live Bill, like all other artists, never did witness any of his performances on screen. </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#66CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>“It was a very different generation back then. We viewed each performance as a live theatrical booking to honour and nothing more . By that I mean we didn't think in terms of wanting to see recordings of ourselves because we just assumed they didn't exist. It didn't even enter our young heads to even consider if the programmes were being recorded for safekeeping.”</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> AFTER “OH BOY!”</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bill made a total of 11 appearances in the “Oh Boy!” series and released 10 singles between 1959 and 1967. Though he failed to penetrate high into the British pop charts, his career continued to flourish. He appeared on pop shows “Cool For Cats” in 1959 (BBC) and ABC's “Thank Your Lucky Stars” in 1961, singing his contemporary single “You're Sixteen”  (a song made more famous by Johnny Burnette in 1960).</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>In 1963 he began doing the cabaret/ nightclub and holiday camp circuit and formed his own band  “The Contrasts”. They were signed up by George Martin and released 3 singles between 1963-1965. For several years he took up residency as the star attraction at Butlins Holiday Camp in Skegness, Lincolnshire. He finally gave up show business to find more settled employment in 1975.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>In 1967 Bill married and moved to Huddersfield where he still lives happily with his wife. He has two daughters. Now 65, Bill has an amazingly retentive memory and wonderful recollections of his important contribution to Britain's first, best and arguably ONLY true rock `n' roll series</B></I><I><B>.</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="4" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="644" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#0000FF" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=3 HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>ROUND UP OF BILL FORBES APPEARANCES ON “OH BOY!”</B></I></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 34 WIDTH="221"><div> <I><B>SHOW DATA</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>TX DATE</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>SONGS PERFORMED</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>1.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.14)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <I><B>13th December 1958</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>God's Little Acre</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>2.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.19)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>17th January 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Woman From Liberia</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 48 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>3.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.20)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>24th January 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>God's Little Acre</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Woman From Liberia</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 80 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>4.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.22)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>7th February 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <I><B>Hot Dog</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Love Me Tender</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Rip It Up/Keep On Knockin'</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Bird Dog (duet Marty Wilde)</B></I></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>5.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.25)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>28th February 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Bim Bom Bey</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>6.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.27)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>14th March 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Once More</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>7.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.31)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>11th April 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Once More</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>8.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.33)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>25th April 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Good Rockin' Tonight</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>9.    “Oh Boy!”   (Show No.36)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>16th May 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>It's Late</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>10.   “Oh Boy!    (Show No.37)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>23rd  May 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Too Young</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>11.   “Oh Boy!”  (Show No.38)</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="166"><div> <I><B>30th May 1959</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="233"><div> <I><B>Woman From Liberia</B></I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="6bc55b20.jpg" border=0 width="597" height="434" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I><B>Bill Forbes (Back row, third from left) with the cast from the last "Oh Boy!" show on 30th May 1959.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B> Bill is flanked by the Dallas Boys on the left and balladeer Peter Elliott to the right.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>(The text and interview on this page was kindly submitted by </B></I><A HREF="mailto:rumbers@ntlworld.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:rumbers@ntlworld.com"><U><I><B>Paul  Rumbol</B></I></U></A><A HREF="mailto:rumbers@ntlworld.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:rumbers@ntlworld.com"><U><I><B>)</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Sound Vision"><U><IMG SRC="64973460.jpg" border=0 width="115" height="70" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B> </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>