Derek Forbes (Simple Minds)
Adept at fretted and fretless, Derek Forbes joined Scottish post-punk hit makers Simple Minds as they were about to wax their debut slab Life in a Day in at Abbey Road in early 1979.
A strong vocalist who toiled amid a barrage of sonic synths and guitars, Forbes anchored the band with a sharp tone, and funky rhythms which he mostly piled with a plectrum.
After getting the sack from Simple Minds, which Jim Kerr reportedly had misgivings of, Derek was a busy cat, working in a latter-day versions of Big Country and The Alarm, and smaller ensembles including Propaganda, Bolivian Dust, and Fourgoodmen which featured two of his ex-Minds mates, and leads Derek Forbes & The Dark.
He was voted Scotland’s Greatest Bassist in 2009, hosted his own Los Angeles based radio show aptly titled May The Forbes Be With You, and waxed a solo slab Echoes in 2016 comprised of Simple Minds tunes remade and remodeled!
Derek’s primary weapon of choice is the Fender Precision bass…
Derek Forbes Sound & Vision….
Simple Minds:
“I Travel” https://youtu.be/_6MwzSaBBQY
“Life In A Day” https://youtu.be/ILhTufh715A
“Changeling” https://youtu.be/DIL60rCoO8Y
“Waterfront” https://youtu.be/vxXfu-Kbtbc
“Film Theme” from Echoes https://youtu.be/Cb6dIKbQUz4
Derek Forbes & The Dark https://youtu.be/cvwv9GzE404
