David Foster

• 1. Introduction

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  David Walter Foster was born on the 1st of November 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia. He has won 16 Grammy Awards and has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Songs he composed and produced have reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Singers as different as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Michael Bublé worked with him on their biggest recordings. Yet his road to that position ran through touring bands, a weekly jam session, and a few records that sold poorly. How did a Canadian keyboardist become the producer behind so many chart-topping records? What did those hits cost the people who made them with him? And why did a man known for polished pop keep turning to charity, television and the theatre?

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• 2. Bands Before Records

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  At about the age of three, David Foster's parents noticed that their son had perfect pitch. His father Maurice, known as Maury, was an office worker, and his mother Eleanor May was a homemaker. Foster had six sisters. As a child he studied both classical and jazz music.

  At 13, Foster heard The Beatles on the radio and said, "That's what I want to do." In 1963 he enrolled in the music program at the University of Washington. From 1964 to 1966 he attended Mount Douglas Secondary School but did not graduate. The school awarded him a Dogwood Certificate in 1985 and named him Honorary Alumni President in 2010.

  While still in school, Foster played in a local band called The Teen Beats. There he formed a lasting friendship with fellow member Chris Earthy. Earthy later became his production and tour manager, a job he held until 2011.

  In 1966 Foster joined a stage band called The Strangers, and soon afterward the group moved to London. They performed with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Diddley became his mentor and taught him about groove. It was a difficult period, and Foster could barely make ends meet.

  In 1969 he auditioned for a band at an Edmonton nightclub owned by jazz musician Tommy Banks. Banks mentored him in jazz, in producing records and in the music business. Around the same time, Foster also played with Ronnie Hawkins.

  In 1971, while playing in Hawkins' band, Foster met B.J. Cook, and the two quickly hit it off. They recruited other musicians and formed Skylark, with Foster on keyboards and serving as its de facto leader. In 1972 the members moved to Los Angeles at the urging of Barry De Vorzon. De Vorzon had heard a demo of their song "Wildflower" and become interested in the band. For Foster, his support was a major turning point.

  Cook's persistence and connections helped, and after the demo passed through several hands, Skylark secured a deal with Capitol Records. "Wildflower," produced by Eirik Wangberg, became a top ten hit in 1973. The band broke up after its second album, and Foster stayed in Los Angeles as a studio musician.

  In 1974 he was working minor jobs as a rehearsal pianist when Jim Keltner invited him to a weekly jam session. That evening brought his talent to the attention of the music industry and launched his Los Angeles career.

  In 1975 Foster played on George Harrison's album Extra Texture. He then formed a band called Attitudes with Keltner, Danny Kortchmar and Paul Stallworth. They released two albums, had no major hits, and eventually disbanded. A year later Foster added Fender Rhodes and clavinet to Harrison's Thirty Three & 1/3. Before the decade ended, he would stop being only the keyboardist on other people's records.

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• 3. Producer for Hire

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  Attorney Ned Shankman had held Foster under contract since 1974, but a full-scale management agreement with Shankman and Ron DeBlasio came as Foster launched his production career. Such deals were common for performing artists. This was the first time a behind-the-scenes producer had been retained in that way. The partnership lasted for decades, and his managers played a central role in guiding his career.

  In 1978 Foster was trusted with an entire album for a major label for the first time. The project was Along the Red Ledge by Hall & Oates. It began his long working relationship with the engineer Humberto Gatica. Its success led Foster to produce the duo's next album, X-Static.

  That same year he produced From the Inside, a concept album by Alice Cooper. It was not a commercial success. It did show how easily Foster could move across genres.

  The year 1979 belonged to Earth, Wind & Fire. On their album I Am, Foster was keyboardist, arranger and composer, and he co-wrote six of its tracks. One was "After the Love Has Gone," written with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin. It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards. Foster has often cited the album in interviews because it made such a strong impression on him.

  Also in 1979, Foster formed the band Airplay with Graydon, and the group released its only album the following year. He produced most of Deniece Williams' album When Love Comes Calling. On it he first worked with Jeremy Lubbock as orchestral arranger and conductor. The two kept working together on most of Foster's later projects until Lubbock's death.

  In 1980 Foster produced Middle Man by Boz Scaggs. He co-wrote and played keyboards on some of Scaggs's most successful songs, including "Breakdown Dead Ahead," "Jojo" and "Simone." He also helped create "Look What You've Done to Me," which appeared in the film Urban Cowboy.

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• 4. Chicago and Cetera

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  Chicago 16, released in 1982, began a run of three albums that Foster produced for the jazz rock band Chicago. Chicago 17 followed in 1984, and Chicago 18 in 1986. All three were highly successful, and the group's comeback surprised everyone. Foster co-wrote the biggest hits with the band's bassist, Peter Cetera, and with outside songwriters.

  "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" reached number one in the United States. "Hard Habit to Break," "You're the Inspiration" and "Will You Still Love Me?" each reached number three.

  The success came with friction. Foster had been entrusted with reviving the band, and he asserted his own style from the outset. He worked mainly with Cetera, who shared his views, and kept his distance from the other members. That led to ongoing discord within the group. Years later Foster reflected, "I'm sorry for what happened back then."

  Reviews written in the 21st century have noted that the songwriting, arrangements and production of Chicago 17 reflect Foster's style more than the band's. The album still earned him Producer of the Year at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.

  Foster's early 1980s writing reached well beyond Chicago. He co-wrote "Heart to Heart" for Kenny Loggins, a US number 15 from the 1982 album High Adventure. The two became friends and began producing albums together. Foster also worked with country singer Kenny Rogers on What About Me? in 1984 and The Heart of the Matter in 1985.

  The Rogers album included a version of "The Best of Me," co-written with Richard Marx and Jeremy Lubbock. In 1986 Foster again joined Cetera, this time with Cetera's wife Diane Nini, to write "Glory of Love." It became a US number one solo hit for Cetera.

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• 5. Capturing the Moment

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  The 1982 original cast album of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls was recorded in a single take. That was unusual, because Foster normally worked with multiple takes. The album earned him the Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards.

  When sessions began for Natalie Cole's Unforgettable... with Love in 1991, she said she wanted to record "Unforgettable" as a duet with her father, Nat King Cole. With the technology of the time, that was extremely challenging. Cole, Foster and the engineering team made it happen. Cole's mother, Maria, was brought to tears when she first heard the duet, and Foster was deeply moved by it. He had never expected the album to become such a hit.

  It won Album of the Year and Best Engineered Recording at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards. The track "Unforgettable" earned three more: Record of the Year, Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal. Foster was named Producer of the Year. In 1998 the album was certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA, and it reversed Cole's earlier decline.

  Foster and Whitney Houston began recording for The Bodyguard in November 1991, took a break, and resumed in March. Before recording "I Will Always Love You," Foster contacted the song's writer, Dolly Parton. He told her he planned to follow Linda Ronstadt's version. Parton suggested restoring a third verse from her original lyrics, which she felt was important, and Foster agreed.

  According to Foster, the vocal was finished in a single take without splicing. The version on the record was actually a rough cut that Clive Davis had asked for, not the final polished mix.

  The soundtrack album, released in 1992, topped the charts in 21 countries. It held number one on the Billboard 200 for 20 consecutive weeks, the first album by a female artist to do so. For several weeks in a row it sold over one million copies per week. By 2017 it had sold 50 million copies worldwide. That made it the best-selling soundtrack album of all time and the best-selling album by a woman. Only AC/DC's Back in Black and Michael Jackson's Thriller sold more.

  The single "I Will Always Love You" spent 14 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped charts in 34 countries and sold more than 24 million copies, the best-selling single by a female artist of all time. At the 65th Academy Awards, Foster's composition "I Have Nothing" was nominated for Best Original Song, along with "Run to You."

  At the 36th Grammy Awards, "I Will Always Love You" won Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and The Bodyguard won Album of the Year. Foster himself won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal for "When I Fall in Love," sung by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin. He was again named Producer of the Year. In the film itself, he makes a brief appearance as a conductor, and his name rolls in the end credits.

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• 6. Charity Records

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  In 1985 Foster launched a charity project in Canada to support famine relief in Africa, inspired by USA for Africa. He contributed the song "Tears Are Not Enough" and gathered renowned Canadian artists to record it. By 1990 the project had raised $3.2 million. Ten percent was set aside for Canadian food banks. The CBC aired a behind-the-scenes documentary three days before Christmas, with Foster appearing as the song's producer.

  Six years later, in 1991, Foster used the same model to support soldiers in the Gulf War. He wrote and produced a song called "Voices That Care" and brought together well-known North American artists to perform it. Proceeds went to the United Service Organizations and the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund.

  The David Foundation story began in 1986 with a young girl awaiting a liver transplant. Foster fulfilled her modest wish, and the encounter left him profoundly aware of how much a child's life matters. That inspired him to found the David Foster Foundation. To raise money, he has organized more than 100 benefit events over several decades, often persuading friends and colleagues to take part.

  Since its first grant, Foster and other donors have supported more than 1,500 families, helping cover both medical and non-medical expenses. In 2022 the foundation assisted 20% of Canadian families whose children received liver, kidney, heart or lung transplants. In 2019 Foster received the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

  Other commitments ran alongside it. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Foster performed at telethons for Variety Club, the Children's Charity, broadcast from Vancouver. Since 1996 he has been musical director of the Carousel of Hope, which raises funds and awareness for type 1 diabetes. From 1995 to 2008 he took part each year in Andre Agassi's Grand Slam for Children concerts.

  His charity work also won an Emmy. The Concert for World Children's Day aired on ABC on the 14th of November 2002, with Foster as music director and host. All net proceeds went to Ronald McDonald House Charities. The following year it brought him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics.

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• 7. Labels and Stages

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  In 1995 Foster signed a deal with Warner Bros. to launch his boutique label, 143 Records, as a joint venture. He left day-to-day operations to his then-manager, Brian Avnet. One of the first signings was the Irish folk-rock band The Corrs, whose debut album Foster produced.

  By 1997 Foster had concluded that, at least in the American market, "logo labels" like 143 were in a difficult position. He sold the label back to Warner and became a senior vice president at the corporation. In 2001 Warner Music Group announced it was shutting the label, and its artists moved to other imprints, mainly Reprise. The 143 name survives inside Warner, though its role has shrunk.

  The label's roster fed his later productions. Foster produced the major-label debut albums of Josh Groban in 2001, Michael Bublé in 2003, Renee Olstead in 2004 and Charice in 2010. Foster has produced Bublé since his debut. He won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Call Me Irresponsible, then won it again for Crazy Love. That second win remains his 16th and most recent Grammy.

  In 2001 Foster took on his first talent show, Popstars USA, as a mentor. It aired on The WB until 2002 and produced the group Eden's Crush, featuring Nicole Scherzinger. In 2006 he mentored contestants on Season 5 of American Idol, where he coached Katharine McPhee. Later he judged Asia's Got Talent in 2015-2017 and 2019.

  Some of his largest audiences came from the Olympic Games. Foster composed "Winter Games," the instrumental theme for the 1988 Winter Olympics, and performed it in Calgary, Alberta. It was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition at the 31st Grammy Awards.

  For the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Foster wrote and produced "The Power of the Dream" with Linda Thompson and Babyface. Celine Dion sang it with Foster on piano. A stadium audience of 100,000 watched, along with a global television audience of more than 3.5 billion.

  In 2008 Foster staged a one-night concert, Hitman: David Foster & Friends, at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. Guests included Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Peter Cetera, Katharine McPhee and Celine Dion. PBS aired it the following month, which began a long partnership with the network. It also started the Foster & Friends series, and from then on he shifted his focus from studio work toward live performance.

  In 2009 he published his first book, an autobiography titled Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys.

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• 8. Family and Late Encores

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  In 1992 Foster was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway when he accidentally struck the actor and dancer Ben Vereen. Vereen had just suffered a stroke while driving near his Malibu home and was stumbling along the road. He was critically injured but recovered after physical rehabilitation. Vereen later said he would have died if Foster had not hit him and then called for emergency help.

  Foster had been married five times as of 2019, and he has five daughters and one son. His first child, Allison, was born in 1970 when he was 21. He placed her for adoption and later reunited with her as an adult. She now serves as secretary of the David Foster Foundation.

  His first marriage was to B.J. Cook in 1972, ending in 1981, and they had a daughter, Amy. He married Rebecca Dyer in 1982, and they had three daughters, Sara, Erin and Jordan. Sara and Erin later created the television show Nobody Wants This, based on their lives.

  In 1991 he married songwriter Linda Thompson, and they became a songwriting team. Together they wrote "I Have Nothing" and "Grown-Up Christmas List." Her sons Brandon and Brody Jenner grew up in Foster's Malibu home, and in 2005 the family appeared in the Fox series The Princes of Malibu. His marriage to Yolanda Hadid began in 2011 and ended in 2017.

  Foster became engaged to Katharine McPhee in 2018. They married on the 28th of June 2019 at St Yeghiche Armenian Church in South Kensington, London. Their son, Rennie, was born in 2021. That year the couple also competed on season six of The Masked Singer as "Banana Split." Foster has held US citizenship since 2000, in addition to his Canadian citizenship.

  Honors kept arriving. He received the Order of Canada in 1988, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2013 near the Capitol Records Building, and induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.

  In 2020 Foster released Eleven Words, his first studio album in 27 years. It is entirely instrumental and strongly classical in style, and it appeared on the classical label Decca. Despite minimal promotion, it reached number one on Billboard's Classical Crossover Albums chart and number four on the Classical Albums chart.

  His first musical, Primal Scream: The Musical, had a one-night charity performance in 2014 at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre. More than 30 songs were written for it, but only two remain publicly available.

  Boop! The Musical, built on the character Betty Boop, premiered at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago in 2023, with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead and a book by Bob Martin. It reached Broadway in 2025, and Foster was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music.

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