Forrest Melvill Thomas Jr. (April 21, 1953 – September 9, 2013), known professionally as Forrest, was an American singer, based in the Netherlands.
Life and career Born in Galveston, Texas, where he sang in church during childhood, he moved to Los Angeles, California as a teen and won several contests there as a singer. After this stage in his career, he moved to the Netherlands, where he had a hit in 1983 with the song "Rock the Boat", a cover of the Hues Corporation's 1974 No. 1 US hit. His version peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and in his native United States at No. 9 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
A second single, "Feel the Need in Me" (originally by the Detroit Emeralds), was a hit in the UK, reaching No. 17. A third single, "One Lover (Don't Stop the Show)", peaked at No. 67 in the UK.
He and his wife, , a television presenter had two sons, but later separated, after which he began to concentrate again on music. He sang in R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a theatre show, in 2001, dedicated to 1960s soul music. He was asked by DJ Roog to front the band Planet Hardsoul, who had a minor hit with their cover of "Where Did Our Love Go". In December 2012, Thomas married again, to Diana van Lippen.
Death On September 9, 2013, Forrest died of a stroke in a hospital in Tilburg, Netherlands, aged 60.
Discography Albums One Lover (Ariola, 1983)
Singles YearSinglePeak chart positionsCertificationsUS DanceAUSUKNLD 1983 "Rock the Boat" 9 33 4 7 BPI: Silver 1983 "Dancing with My Shadow" — — — — "One Lover (Don't Stop the Show)" — — 67 37 "Feel the Need in Me" — — 17 20 1984 "Dance All Night" — — — — "She's So Divine" — — 98 — 1986 "She's So Free" — — — — 1987 "Valerie" — — — — 1989 "You Got What It Takes" — — — — "Rock the Boat '89" — — — — "Feelin' Alright" — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
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