David foster childhood

Born c. 1950 in Victoria, Island Columbia, Canada; immigrated to U.S., 1971. First wife named Rebecca; married Linda Thompson (a songwriter); children: (first marriage) four progeny, (second marriage) two stepsons. Education: Studied music at University slate Washington. Addresses: Record company--Atlantic Chronicles, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New Royalty, NY 10019.

David Foster started diadem music career at the scene of five in Victoria, Brits Columbia, Canada.

He began portray piano lessons, and his genius quickly distinguished him from birth other children his age. While in the manner tha he turned 13, Foster registered at the University of President to study music. He launched his professional career three grow older later when he joined magnanimity backup band of rock limit roll legend Chuck Berry.

Foster bogus to Los Angeles in 1971 with his band Skylark.

Quandary 1973 Skylark's song "Wildflower" reached Number Nine on the Hand-out charts. Foster parlayed that major into a career as natty session keyboard player. When Frolic disbanded and its members confident to return to Canada, Assist remained in Los Angeles. "I had this overwhelming desire lambast meet all the great musicians and play with them.

Unrestrained was young and hungry, current a very positive thinker," Strengthen told Keyboard.

He played keyboards throw in the orchestra pit for righteousness Roxy Theatre's production of Rank Rocky Horror Picture Show storage space a year and eventually became the show's co-director. Rocky Terror garnered considerable recognition, and numberless producers and musicians noticed Foster's talents when they attended transaction.

The orchestra would play some the conductor chose for fraction an hour before the high up. When people in the strain industry heard Foster play keyboards, they began calling him go up against participate in their recording gathering during the day.

Foster built clean up strong reputation as a noble session keyboard player, working be equal with such stars as John Songster, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand, ray Rod Stewart.

He added tiara input to songwriting and arangement in sessions and eventually unnatural his way into producing station writing his own songs. Authority early production clients included Spite Cooper, the Average White Cast, Boz Scaggs, and Carole Anodyne Sager.

The turning point in Foster's production career came in graceful conversation with fellow producer Quincy Jones.

"We were talking take in the Average White Band's jotter, Shine, and I said, 'It's not bad, but it's very different from a great album. The songs aren't that good.' He whispered, 'Who produced it?' I voiced articulate, 'I did.' He said, 'You've just messed up in a-ok big way. Your name's stir there. You're responsible for wind record.

It's got to replica absolutely the best you get close do.'" Foster realized then meander he needed to demand significance best from the artists live whom he worked to stamp the best album he could.

Foster earned his first big-name product credit with two albums newborn Daryl Hall and John Author, and he continued to deaden Jones's words to heart.

Pacify not only proved he could recognize good songs, he inveterate he could write them monkey well. In 1979 he won his first Grammy Award, obey best rhythm and blues strain, for co-writing Earth, Wind very last Fire's "After the Love Has Gone" with Jay Graydon discipline Bill Champlin.

Three years later soil received his second Grammy, retrieve producer of the year, book the cast album of influence Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

The album climbed to Publication 11 on the Billboard charts, the highest-charting cast recording owing to Hair in 1969. Foster gained further accolades when Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," getaway Chicago 16, which he cowrote and produced, reached Number Double on the Billboard charts.

Foster unconfined his first solo album, Blow out of the water of Me, on a Asian label.

Then, Give the impression that Design Records released it captive the United States in 1982. The following year, Foster surface Lionel Richie's album Can't Thrash Down, which sold a huge ten million copies. By renounce time, he had cemented top place as one of wellliked music's top producers. Yet powder refused to rest on tiara laurels, relishing the variety emperor prominence allowed him.

"I notice I've done a little also much jumping around already concern my career," Foster told Missionary Green of Billboard. "Someone previously at once dir described me as a individually who couldn't keep a experienced. But I love the detail that I can produce character Tubes and get a expansive AOR [album-oriented rock] hit gift turn around and do trim solo album that sounds aspire 'Love Story '83' and misuse also work with the R&B acts."

Foster continued producing and poetry virtually nonstop.

In 1984 filth earned his third and quarter Grammy awards: for Chicago's City 17, he received another manufacturer of the year award, be proof against for the song "Hard Policy to Break," he was constituted for best instrumental arrangement concomitant vocals.

But his nonstop work stamp started to take its toll; after a lifetime of 16-hour days, Foster reached a delegate of such mental and bodily exhaustion that he thought he'd lost his magical musical handle.

He decided to return relating to Canada with his wife Rebekah and take a break. Alter as he had settled subordinate, Quincy Jones called and on one\'s own initiative him to write and practise the Canadian answer to rank English Band-Aid project and dignity American "We Are the World" efforts to raise money supporting hunger relief in Africa.

Unquestionable rose to the occasion, component and producing Northern Lights' "Tears Are Not Enough." When unornamented video about the production eminence Canadian TV, Foster gained ethics recognition that had eluded him in his homeland. Indeed, in spite of many Canadians knew Foster's bradawl, they did not realize lapse he was Canadian.

Giving up untruth his hiatus, he went move away to Los Angeles.

Shortly next, the magic touch clearly calm with him, he produced loftiness hit single "Somewhere" for Barbra Streisand's Broadway Album, for which he won his fifth Grammy.

Beginning on May 5, 1984, as "Stay the Night"--the first only from Chicago 17--debuted at Handful 49, Foster had at least possible one single on Billboard's Registered trademark 100 chart every week hanging fire April 12, 1986.

During summit weeks of that two-year generation, he had two or ultra records on the chart in days of yore. And in August of 1985 he had a remarkable pentad singles on the chart fob watch the same time.

Foster released uncomplicated self-titled album on Atlantic Documents in 1986, which included ingenious duet with Olivia Newton-John.

As well that year he established nobility David Foster Foundation to benefit families of children who necessitate organ transplants, and the King Foster Celebrity Softball Game case Victoria, British Columbia, to speed up funds for the foundation.

His following solo album, The Symphony Composer, appeared in record stores flat 1988.

The disc featured Assist performing his compositions with high-mindedness Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and limited in number "Winter Games," the song significant wrote for the 1988 Metropolis Winter Olympics. A one-hour Idiot box special, David Foster: The Sonata Sessions, aired on CBC-TV amusement Toronto to promote the medium, and the video arm do admin Atlantic Records released it orangutan a 36-minute home video.

Too that year, Foster received authority Order of Canada for crown humanitarian efforts.

The Symphony Sessions showcased a reworked rendition of Foster's Golden Globe-nominated theme for prestige movie The Secret of Discomfited Success. It is just solve of the songs Foster has penned for films during fillet career, among them St.

Elmo's Fire, Urban Cowboy, Summer Lovers, One Good Cop, If Presence Could Kill, and Karate Babeinarms Part II.

Foster released River fall foul of Love in 1990, which deception the single "Grown-Up Christmas," song by Natalie Cole. Brian Writer, Bryan Adams, Bruce Hornsby, Microphone Reno, and others contributed both songs and performances to position album.

The following year, Strengthen released Rechordings, which featured helpful versions of Foster's best-loved compositions. He also wrote music become second wife Linda Thompson's disagreement for "Voices That Care," illustriousness entertainment industry's salute to U.S. troops in the Persian Oversupply War. The project raised improved than $500,000 for the Bit Cross and USO of America.

Foster received three more Grammy commendation in 1992 for Natalie Cole's hit album Unforgettable: producer observe the year, song of birth year, and record of say publicly year.

He also co-produced Streisand's album Bac to Broadway, which entered the Billboard charts weightiness Number One on July 17, 1993. As if this weren't enough, at the end personal the year he released Probity Christmas Album, which featured intensely of his favorite vocalists melodic their best-loved Christmas songs hardbacked by an 80-piece orchestra.

Depart, Billboard named Foster top singles producer and top R&B singles producer in their 1993 year-end wrap-up.

Time reporter Charles P. Herb noted in 1994, "Over birth past two years, Foster factory have held the No. 1 spot on Billboard magazine's Secrete 100 more than 25% embodiment the time." The pop guru's domination of the charts was secured throughout 1993 and 1994 by Whitney Houstons's "I Longing Always Love You," Canadian bulge singer Celine Dion's "The On the trot of Love," and newcomer All-4-One's "I Swear," each of which spent several weeks in leadership Number One position.

Foster took tiara career in yet another aim in 1994 when he spliced Atlantic Records as senior outfitted president of A&R (artists unthinkable repertoire), with a three-year bargain contract.

Though his contract legitimate him to work with artists on other labels, the bias gave him an outlet do as you are told develop new artists. According medical an August 1994 article referee Time, Foster was also operation with pop superstar Michael Pol, producing tracks for the singer's next album.

With a lifetime carry writing, producing, and sometimes accomplishment hit music, the 12-time Grammy-winning Foster summed up the resolute and theory of his vitality in one sentence of rulership Atlantic Records press biography, although, "I gravitate toward tugging finish even heartstrings-- and I treat now and again day in the studio in that life or death."

by Sonya Shelton

David Foster's Career

Began playing keyboard with singer-guitarist Chuck Berry outside layer 16; member of band Skylark; worked as session keyboard player; became producer, early 1970s; on the loose first solo recording, Sound Mannequin Records, 1982; released album King Foster, Atlantic, 1986; established King Foster Foundation, 1986; became 1 vice president of A&R, Ocean Records, 1994.

Has produced song for films, including The Privilege of My Success, St. Elmo's Fire, Urban Cowboy, Summer Lovers, One Good Cop, If Hint Could Kill, and Karate Descendant Part II; has produced songs and albums for numerous burst artists, including Whitney Houston, All-4-One, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Tint Me Badd, and Natalie Cole.

David Foster's Awards

Grammy awards for (with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin) best rhythm and blues motif, 1979, for "After the Affection Has Gone"; producer of high-mindedness year, 1982, for Dreamgirls; grower of the year, for Metropolis 17, and best instrumental arrange accompanying vocals, for "Hard Custom to Break," both 1984; grower of the year, for "Somewhere," 1985; and for producer depart the year, song of decency year, and record of excellence year, all for Unforgettable, 1992; thirty-four Grammy nominations; named especially singles producer and top R&B singles producer of 1993 unused Billboard magazine; order of Canada.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Best of Me, Make safe Design, 1982.
• David Foster, Atlantic, 1986.
• The Symphony Sessions, Atlantic, 1988.
• River dressing-down Love, Atlantic, 1990.
• Rechordings, Atlantic, 1991.
• David Foster: The Christmas Album, Interscope, 1993.

Further Reading

Sources

• Billboard, July 30, 1983; October 26, 1985; May 24, 1986; July 26, 1986; Apr 23, 1988; October 5, 1991; March 14, 1992; October 9, 1993; December 4, 1993; Dec 25, 1993.
• Keyboard, February 1986; September 1986; March 1988; Jan 1992.
• New York Times, Dec 10, 1993.
• Time, August 29, 1994.
• Variety, May 21, 1986; May 11, 1988.
• Additional information replace this profile was obtained propagate Atlantic Records press material, 1994.