David Walter Foster
, OC, OBC (born November 1, 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter and arranger. [1].
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Career
Foster was a keyboardist for the
pop group
Skylark, whose song “Wildflower” was a top ten hit in 1972. He has worked as a producer with a wide range of musical stars, including
Whitney Houston,
Céline Dion,
Cher,
Andrea Bocelli,
Chicago,
Earth Wind and Fire,
Chaka Khan,
Barbra Streisand,
Kenny Rogers,
Boz Scaggs,
Olivia Newton-John,
Madonna,
Mariah Carey,
Michael Jackson,
Janet Jackson,
Bryan Adams, &
Christina Aguilera (
see
"Artists produced," below).
He has produced debut albums for
The Corrs,
[2] Michael Bublé,
[3] Renee Olstead, and
Josh Groban, which were released under his own record label,
143 Records, and distributed through
Warner Music. Foster helped launch
Kevin Sharp's career after the two met through the
Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In 1985,
Rolling Stone named Foster the "master of ... bombastic pop kitsch."
[4] That year, Foster composed the score for the film
St. Elmo's Fire
,
[5] including "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" which hit #15 in US pop charts. Another song from the film, "
St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", recorded by John Parr hit #1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 on September 7, 1985. He collaborated with then-wife
Linda Thompson on the song "
I Have Nothing", sung by
Whitney Houston in the 1992 film
The Bodyguard
. The couple were nominated for a
Grammy Award and an
Academy Award for Best Song for the song. Foster, along with
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, composed "
The Power of the Dream" as the official song of the
1996 Summer Olympics, with Thompson providing the lyrics (sung by Céline Dion). He also composed "Winter Games", the theme song for
1988 Winter Olympics in
Calgary, Alberta. "Winter Games" is the soundtrack for a fountain show at the
Bellagio resort in Las Vegas as well as a fountain show at
Sea World Orlando. In 2001, he produced an album of his own arrangement of
Canada's national anthem,
O Canada, with the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and
Lara Fabian. In 2003, Foster won an
Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for
The Concert for World Children's Day
. His song "I Will Be There With You" (sung with
Katharine McPhee) is being used by
Japan Airlines to promote the introduction of new aircraft to its US flights.
During the 1990s he often performed acts with
San Diego vocalist
Warren Wiebe, whom he had discovered in the restroom of a hotel bar in 1987.
In 1994 he had Wiebe put together a band called Millennium featuring
Nita Whitaker and a few session vocalists, but the deal with Foster's record company led to the group's demise. Wiebe was Foster's "mouth" on many of his videos but committed
suicide before he could release a solo album.
In 2009 it was revealed that Foster had worked with songwriter
Diane Warren to produce records for
Whitney Houston's upcoming album. It was then announced that her comeback single would be the Foster-produced "I Didn't Know My Own Strength".
[6]
Television
In early 2001, Foster was in
Popstars, a reality series that aired on
WB. The series aimed at coming up with the next girl group and eventually became
Eden's Crush (featuring
Nicole Scherzinger, current lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls). He and Linda Thompson wrote and produced several songs on their album.
Foster's home life was featured in a
Fox staged
[7] reality TV show called
The Princes of Malibu
, in which he attempts to force his two spoiled stepsons, Brandon and
Brody Jenner, the children of Thompson and Olympian
Bruce Jenner, to straighten their lives up and earn their own way.
In late April 2005, Foster appeared as a special guest on both
American Idol
(as a mentor) and
Nashville Star
(as a judge) two weeks apart. He was also a judge on
Celebrity Duets
, a FOX TV show. He also appeared on
Star Tomorrow
, where auditions were held in
Los Angeles and
New York for undiscovered talent. It aired only one [July 31, 2006] episode on
NBC.
In July 2006, Foster made a brief appearance on
The View
as
Star Jones's vocal coach. In August 2006, he was the musical director for
JCPenney Jam: The Concert For American Kids, which aired on CBS and was later released in
CD/
DVD format. In November 2007, Foster appeared in Oprah's annual "Favorite Things" episode, performing with Josh Groban.
In September 2008 singer
Charice joined Foster on
Oprah
with
Celine Dion via satellite; and later on
October 31 he and
Andrea Bocelli appeared on
Oprah
again together, where he stated that Bocelli was his "favorite singer of all time".
[8]
In December 2008, Foster was featured in a PBS special titled
Hitman David Foster & Friends
, a concert featuring live performances by Foster and numerous other performers.
[9]
David also wrote the score for the
Jodie Foster movie
Stealing Home.
Personal
Currently single, Foster has been married three times, has five biological daughters, and two ex-stepsons. He was married to his first wife, singer/writer BJ Cook, she has a daughter Tamre Winger, and her and Foster had one daughter, Amy Foster (b. July 29th 1973), a songwriter who has collaborated with classic artists in the 2000's such as Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, and Josh Groban among others. She has her first book coming out in Oct. He was married to his second wife, former model Rebecca Dyer, during the 1980's for seven years. They had three daughters:
Sara Foster (b. August 24, 1981),
Erin Foster (b. August 24, 1983), and Jordan Foster (b. September, 1986)
[10]. As of May 2008, Sara is engaged to tennis player
Tommy Haas.
[11] Foster revealed on the show that he also has a daughter, Allison Jones (b. June 6, 1968), from a previous relationship.
Foster married third wife
Linda Thompson on June 27, 1991, and the two became a songwriting team, collaborating on several songs including You Lift Me Up for Josh Groban "Grownup Christmas List" she has also written with
Amy Grant,
Clay Aiken and
Michael Bublé and songs from
The Bodyguard
movie soundtrack. Thompson filed for
divorce Monday July 11, 2005, the day after her short-lived reality series,
The Princes of Malibu
premiered.
Thompson, is the mother of
Brody Jenner and
Brandon Jenner) from her previous marriage to
Bruce Jenner.
Foster's sister, producer Jaymes Foster, is the mother of
Clay Aiken's son Parker Foster Aiken
[12].
His cousin,
Billy Foster, died in a race car accident in 1967.
In 1992 he was driving down the
Pacific Coast Highway when his car struck actor
Ben Vereen, who had been on the road because he had crashed his car and was in a daze.. Despite being thrown 90 feet, Vereen survived. He also went on record to say that it probably saved his life, he had a serious drinking problem caused by the death of his beloved daughter
[13]
Artists produced
It has been said that Foster's songs have made "many famous singers into superstars."
[14] Foster's work as a producer has been equally significant. He has produced the following singers and groups:
- Whitney Houston
- Céline Dion
- Barbra Streisand
- Cher
- Andrea Bocelli
- Christina Aguilera
- Josh Groban
- Charice
- Renee Olstead
- Sheena Easton
- Kenny Rogers
- Michael Bolton
- Deniece Williams
- Donna Summer
- Faith Hill
- The Corrs
- Vikki Moss
- Brandy
- Luis Miguel
- Peter Allen
- Richard Marx
- Cheryl Lynn
|
- The Bee Gees
- Mariah Carey
- Gordon Lightfoot
- Kenny G
- Destiny's Child
- Red Army Choir
- Vanessa Williams
- Anne Murray
- Olivia Newton-John
- Deborah Blando
- Lisa Marie Presley
- Lara Fabian
- Dolly Parton
- Julio Iglesias
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Michael Jackson
- Madonna
- Alice Cooper
- Gloria Estefan
- Blake Shelton
- George Harrison
- Rod Stewart
- Seiko Matsuda
|
- All-4-One
- Ricardo Montaner
- Al Jarreau
- Kenny Loggins
- Az Yet
- Janet Jackson
- Natalie Cole
- Yolanda Adams
- The Tubes
- Michael Bublé
- Chicago
- Peter Cetera
- Katharine McPhee
- Air Supply
- Paul McCartney
- Heidi Montag
- Joseph Williams
- Brian McKnight
- Backstreet Boys
- 'N Sync
- Kevin Sharp
- Peter Cincotti
- Dionne Warwick
|
- Boz Scaggs
- Toni Braxton
- Jessica Simpson
- Chaka Khan
- Earth Wind and Fire
- The Keane Brothers
- Seal
- Bryan Adams
- DeBarge
- Daryl Hall and John Oates
- Clay Aiken
- Kelly Clarkson
- Barry Manilow
- William Joseph
- Tommy Bolin
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
- Marilyn Martin
- Gary Barlow
- John Travolta
- Leann Rimes
- Monica
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Discography
In addition to the numerous albums he has produced, the following are Foster's own solo or band works:
- Skylark
(self-titled) (1972)
- Skylark - 2
(1974)
- Attitudes
(self-titled) (1976)
- Attitudes - Good News
(1977)
- Airplay
(self-titled) (1980)
- David Foster - The Best of Me
(1983)
- David Foster
(self-titled) (1986)
- David Foster - The Symphony Sessions
(1988)
- David Foster - Time Passing
(1989)
- David Foster - River of Love
(1990)
- David Foster - Rechordings
(1991)
- David Foster - A Touch Of David Foster
(1992)
- David Foster - The Christmas Album
(1993)
- David Foster - Love Lights The World
(1994)
- David Foster - The Best Of Me: A Collection of David Foster’s Greatest Works
(2000)
- David Foster - O Canada - with Lara Fabian
(2001)
- David Foster - Love Stories
(2002)
- David Foster - Teko’s Theme - with Nita Whitaker
(2003)
- David Foster - The Best Of Me - Original Recording Remastered
(2004)
- David Foster - Hitman: David Foster and Friends
(2008)
Singles
- 1986 - Best of Me (duet with Olivia Newton-John)
- 1988 - "Winter Games (Can't You Feel It)" - Official theme song for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics
Awards and honors
In 1995, Foster became the recipient of the Order of British Columbia, the highest honour awarded in his native province of British Columbia. Foster became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.
Foster has won 15
Grammy Awards (three for producer of the year) and has been nominated a total of 44 times. He has been nominated three times for an
Academy Award for Best Song and won the 1999
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song “
The Prayer” from the film
Quest for Camelot
sung by
Andrea Bocelli and
Celine Dion. He has been named
BMI's "Songwriter of the Year".
[15]
References
- Title Unavailable
- The Corrs, The Pride of Ireland - family biography"
- Michael Bublé biography
- http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kennyloggins/albums/album/216344/review/5940971/vox_humana
- St. Elmo's Fire credits, IMDB
- Dianne Warren Confirms Whitney's new single to VIBE magazine
- Title Unavailable
- Live with Faith Hill & David Foster
- Hitman: David Foster & Friends
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287757/bio
- Statement by David Foster on his PBS special "Hit Man" May 2008,
- Clay Aiken Welcomes A Son People.com, August 8, 2008
- David Foster Wallace: Hitman Huffington Post, December 2, 2008
- Producer and Songwriter David Foster. Oprah.com.
- David Foster at Peermusic