Information/Write-up
When the British Columbia Centennial rolled around in 1971, communities across the province found creative ways to mark the milestone—parades, festivals, commemorative coins, and, in the case of Victoria’s Brothers Forbes, a two-song 45 brimming with regional pride.
John and Larrie Forbes were already fixtures on the West Coast music scene by 1970. Both had honed their chops in the Royal Canadian Navy’s Naden Band, moonlighted in local jazz and dance outfits, and logged years in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. By the late ’60s they were a tight-working duo—John on piano, organ, trombone, and harmonies; Larrie on drums, flute, trumpet, trombone, and lead vocals—holding down a residency at the Empress Hotel’s Paint Cellar club. The idea for The Happening B.C. took shape mid-flight to Tokyo in 1969, when the brothers were representing British Columbia at an international tourism convention. Somewhere over the Pacific, they sketched out a jaunty, good-natured anthem that name-checked a wide range of B.C. tourism highlights—Whistler’s ski slopes, the flowers of Victoria, totems and Indigenous heritage, the caribou country of the Kootenays, the “swingin’ seashore” of the West Coast, Campbell River fishing and Prince Rupert, B.C. Ferries on the Sunshine Coast, Garibaldi and Whistler skiing, the Williams Lake Stampede, the Kelowna Regatta, the Grey Cup, the Pacific National Exhibition, the long sweep of the Fraser River, Rogers Pass, Highland Valley Copper, and the pulp mill at Port Alberni.
Recorded at Vancouver’s Studio 3 on December 9, 1970, and self-released on their own J&L label, the single is pure Centennial spirit—proudly local, lighthearted in tone, and tied directly to the brothers’ touring and performance history. The original sleeve notes joke about the impossibility of rhyming certain B.C. place names, while celebrating the chance to showcase the province’s many communities and landmarks. It was their personal contribution to the Centennial year, one they were certain their parents would enjoy even if no one else did.
The flip side, Where Will You Be?, was described in the notes as “a totally different song.” Built around John’s piano and complemented by Larrie’s flute, it also features a spoken-word passage delivered in a eulogy style.
While the Brothers Forbes would go on to a twelve-year run at Victoria’s Old Forge nightclub, with countless lineup changes and a loyal following, The Happening B.C. remains their most tangible recorded legacy from the era. Decades later, it was reissued on CD under the title British Columbia Our Home, accompanied by an extensive booklet containing detailed liner notes that chronicle the brothers’ careers, their family’s deep British Columbia roots, and their long-standing presence in Victoria’s live music scene.
-Robert Williston
John Forbes: piano, organ, harmony
Larrie Forbes: drums, flute, lead vocal
Fred Hendrick: bass
Produced by Rick Honey
Recorded at Studio 3, Vancouver, British Columbia, December 9, 1970
Cover photo by Barry Casson (Victoria)
Art by Kal Opré (Vancouver)
The Brothers Forbes are really brothers, and were featured at The Paint Cellar every night in the Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia.
Liner notes:
If we missed anybody in this recording, then it was purely unintentional. Good grief, how do you rhyme Boston Bar, Spuzzum or Vanderhoof with anything? We did get Campbell River and Williams Lake in though, and we sure had a great time making this recording! The Words for “The Happening B.C.” swam around in our heads until we decided to put them to music and record it. With the British Columbia Centennial here, this has to be an opportune time! It’s our contribution, and we hope you like it. We know our parents will anyway.
“Where Will You Be?” is a totally different song, which makes sense cause you can’t put the same song on both sides of the record can you? In this one we use Larrie’s Flute and his eulogy at great length, and if you’ve lived in British Columbia for One Hundred Years, then we wish you goosebumps.
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