- He was regarded as the first Sri Lankan solo artist ever to secure a recording contract and a hit recording outside his native country.
- He started working part-time for Donavan Andree, who launched and promoted several singers on Sri Lanka. His magic voice was there for all to hear and see, so much so that the action soon moved to England.
- At the age of 17, he went to Britain to pursue his dreams of becoming a famous singer.
- Bill Forbes (aka Kal Kahn) released 16 singles, his main hit being Too Young.
- He auditioned for the new and popular Oh Boy! show and was accepted, making his debut singing an upbeat spiritual song "God's Little Acre", picked for him by the producer Jack Good. Shortly afterward, he was signed by Columbia.
- Bill ultimately gave up show business in 1975 and settled in Huddersfield,.
- In Ceylon, "Too Young / It's Not The End Of The World" was a double-sided no. 1 hit in early 1960, beaming proudly on the overseas English Services of the venerable Radio Ceylon, celebrating their famous son.
- Bill Forbes was inspired by the successful comical song "Goodness Gracious Me" sang by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren. He decided to record his own "baila" styled (Ladies of) Calcutta and Aa-Chaa England ("Oh to be in England", composed by Bill Forbes) under the name of Kal Kahn in 1964. Both songs are considered classics.
- His most successful recording was a cover of "Too Young" which reached no. 29 in UK's NME Chart during December 1959.
- He educated at St. Peter's College in the suburb of Bambalapitiya.
- Besides his 11 appearances on Oh Boy!, Forbes was seen in Cool For Cats (1959, BBC) and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1961, ABC).
- He is regarded as the first Sri Lankan solo artist ever to secure a recording contract and a hit recording outside his native country.
- Forbes and his group The Contrasts recorded at Abbey Road Studios under the supervision of George Martin and Norrie Paramour.
- Bill met fellow Huddersfield musician John Armitage in 1963 when he invited him to become singer with the band, called The Contrasts. Their song 'Can't Get You Out Of My Mind' became so popular that they in touch with George Martin. The group worked for years with one of the greatest music producers in the world. "He even played piano on their biggest hit "Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" saying it added to the depth.
- While he was signed to Columbia, he was approached to sing for a different label (Oriole) but that was only made possible by changing his name. So was born Kal Kahn in 1963 but only for a couple of songs, recorded in a baila style.
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