In 1950 Forrest met and married Margie Baker who also had a great interest in music. After little over a year of married life, Forrest and Margie moved to Flint, Michigan with other members of the Green family. It was in Michigan that Forrest began to work at his musical career. Forrest, Margie and brother Lonzo and his wife Maxine sang Gospel music throughout Michigan as THE GREEN FAMILY. During this time they also had a one hour radio program on WMRP in Flint and WMPC in Lapeer. It was at that time that Forrest met businessman Rudy Kotelas who believed in Forrest's music and sponsored his first record in Nashville, Tennessee where he cut his first songs at the famous Owen Bradley "hut" studio. That first record was "Let's Keep Our Secrets" and "Walking With My Memories". Then came "The Shell" and "The Strange One" on King Records. "Rain Must Be Teardrops" and "Day For Leaving" on Ranger Records, which made the national charts! At that time these were the #1 selling country recrods in the state of Michigan!
The success of his records, led Forrest to perform on Grand Ole Opry shows throughout the United States and Canada. During his career he performed with artists such as Marty Robbins, George Jones, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Tex Ritter, Helen Carter of the Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Porter Wagner, Jan Howard, The Statler Brothers, George Morgan, Bill Anderson, Ernest Tubb, Mel Tillis, Merle Haggard and many other top entertainers in Country Music.
Forrest's band, which he called The Rangers, has been made up of many very talented musicians throughout the years including Buddy Ray on lead guitar, Charlie Moody on Bass, Jim Odel on Steel Guitar, Johnny Dee on Piano and Roland Hoit on Drums. Many years later during the induction ceremony into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, Forrest was reunited with Buddy Ray and Charlie Moody who helped him create the Original "Ranger" sound. THE FORREST GREEN SHOW, featuring Margie Baker and many of the top regional acts, traveled around the country doing many hundreds of stage shows. He appeared on radio and television including a 26 week series on WKBD-TV, CHANNEL 50 out of Detroit, and starred in and co-produced with announcer Jim Harper and the "Saginaw Valley Jamboree" radio show which was heard throughout central Michigan. He also appeared on The Ernest Tubb Record Shop with Bill Anderson on the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree. He was a guest on many television shows throughout Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee.
In 1954 Forrest Green started his first recording studio and created the RANGER record label. For the first several years he continued to travel as the FORREST GREEN SHOW, but as work in the recording studio increased, he began spending less time on the road and more time on record productions and arranging. It was in this capacity that Forrest touched the lives of hundreds of singers, songwriters and musicians who came through the Forrest Green Studio. Many musical and performing careers were begun under his direction and he helped countless people realize their dream of recording and performing. His productions were distributed nationally on KING RECORDS, AUDIO FIDELITY and SANTO RECORDS, as well as his own RANGER RECORDS label. He recorded national artists such as Warner Mack and Helen Carter, and throughout his career has arranged and recorded over 400 records.
In 1980 Forrest canceled future tours of THE FORREST GREEN SHOW, sold his recording studio and retired from the music industry. Thirteen years later, in 1993, he was voted into The Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame and began doing a few limited engagements of his songs from the Ranger Records era. Interest in these songs increased and after nearly a decade of no commercial performances, Forrest sought the release of tapes of his songs from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, a Gospel Music tape, as well as a tape of his work from the last years of the Forrest Green Studio!
Probably no one else in the history of Country Music in Michigan has had such an impact of lives of other singers, songwriers, musicians and performers as has Forrest Green. His Leadership and promotion saw the growth of Country Music go from small stage shows to Auditoriums holding tens of thousands of people. His career spanned the most critical time in the growth and expansion of Country Music and much of that growth and popularity can be atributed to his efforts.
David O. Norris, Former Music Director WKMF Radio
Let's Keep Our Secret
Old Man (Go Away)
Chase Of The Wild Goose
No, No, Never My Love
Poverty
Green Green Grass Of Home
Tell Him It's Over
Thanks
Walking With My Memories
You Can Stand By
That's Why I'm Not Gone
The Shell
The Shell
What A Woman Can't Understand
Nightmares of An Old Love Affair
Life's Dusty Highway
You Were There
Rain Must Be Teardrops
The Woman That Never Was
Day For Leaving
The Good Lord Giveth
Do You Think?
Red, White and Blue
Lost To A World I Didn't Know
