David Walter FosterOCOBC (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, film composer, and music executive. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations.[1][2] Foster's career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s[3] before focusing largely on composing and production. Often in tandem with songwriter Diane Warren,[4] Foster has contributed to material for prominent music industry artists in various genres since then, and is credited with production on over 40 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016.
Foster was born in Victoria, British Columbia, the son of Maurice "Maury" Foster, an office worker, and Eleanor May Foster (née Vantreight), a homemaker.[5][6][7] In 1963, at the age of 13, he enrolled in the University of Washington music program.[8] In 1965, he auditioned to lead the band in an Edmonton nightclub owned by jazz musician Tommy Banks. Banks mentored Foster in jazz, producing records, and the music business. After one year there, he moved to Toronto to play with Ronnie Hawkins. In 1966, he joined a backup band for Chuck Berry.[8][9] In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles with his band Skylark.[9]
Foster was a major contributor to the career of jazz rock band Chicago in the early and middle 1980s, having worked as the band's producer on Chicago 16 (1982), Chicago 17 (1984) — their biggest selling, multi-platinum album — and Chicago 18 (1986). As was typical of his producing projects from this period, Foster was a co-writer on "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (US No. 1), "Love Me Tomorrow" (US No. 22), "Stay the Night" (US No. 16), and "You're the Inspiration" (US No. 3). These were co-written with the band's bassist Peter Cetera. In 1986, Foster also helped Cetera co-write (along with Cetera's wife Diane Nini) his US No. 1 solo hit "Glory of Love".
Foster composed "Winter Games", the instrumental theme song for the 1988 Winter Olympics and performed "Winter Games" and its vocal version "Can't You Feel It?" in Calgary, Alberta. "Winter Games" is the soundtrack for fountain shows at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas.[11]
In 1995, Foster signed a deal with Warner Brothers for his own boutique label, 143 Records, as a joint venture with Warner.[12] Foster gave responsibility for running the label to then-manager Brian Avnet.[12] One of the label's first signings was a then-little known Irish folk-rock band, the Corrs, whose debut album he produced.[12] By 1997, Foster decided that, in the American market at least, "logo labels" like 143 were in a "bad spot", so he sold the label back to Warner and became a senior vice president at the corporation.[12] Foster and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds composed "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Foster produced the Diane Warren songs "Un-Break My Heart" sung by Toni Braxton, "Because You Loved Me" sung by Celine Dion, and "Have You Ever?" sung by Brandy.
In 2001, Foster collaborated with Lara Fabian and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record English-language, French-language, and bilingual versions of the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", for a promotion of the Canadian government. Foster, with his then-wife Linda Thompson, composed "Light the Fire Within", sung by LeAnn Rimes for the 2002 Winter Olympics. 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), has been used by Japan Airlines to promote the introduction of new aircraft for its US flights.
In 2005, Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies, and Beyoncé wrote "Stand Up For Love" as the anthem to the World Children's Day, an annual worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for children's causes. Over the years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations.[citation needed]
In 2008, Foster held a one-night concert called Hitman: David Foster & Friends at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas featuring Foster presiding center stage at the keyboard, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Peter Cetera, Katharine McPhee, Celine Dion, Blake Shelton, Brian McKnight, and Charice.[16]
On May 30, 2011 Foster teamed with young singer Jackie Evancho in her Dream With Me Concert on PBS at the Ringling Brothers Museum in Sarasota Fl.
On December 15, 2011, it was confirmed that Foster would become the Chairman of Verve Music Group.[18]
In 1992, Foster went to Indonesia to record the TV show David Foster's Twilight Orchestra on the national television station RCTI. In early 2001, Foster appeared in Popstars, a WB reality series aimed at coming up with the next girl group. The result was Eden's Crush (featuring Nicole Scherzinger). Foster and Linda Thompson wrote and produced several songs on their album.[23]
In July 2006, Foster made a brief appearance on The ViewasStar Jones's vocal coach. In August 2006, he was the musical director for JCPenney Jam's The Concert For American Kids.[27] Also in 2006, Foster was featured in Under the Desert Sky, Andrea Bocceli's live album and DVD of a pop concert held in Las Vegas. In 2007, Foster was featured in Bocelli's Vivere Live in Tuscany, a live album and DVD of a pop concert performed at Bocelli's Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Tuscany in July. In November 2007, Foster appeared in The Oprah Winfrey Show's annual "Favorite Things" episode, performing with Josh Groban.[28]
In September 2008, singer Charice joined Foster on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Celine Dion via satellite; and on October 31, he and Andrea Bocelli appeared on Oprah again together, where he stated that Bocelli was his "favourite singer on the planet".[29]
In December 2008, Foster was featured in a PBS special titled Hit Man: David Foster & Friends, a concert featuring live performances by Foster and numerous other performers.[30]
Later in 2011, he was featured in Andrea Bocelli's live album, Concerto: One Night in Central Park (also known as Live in Central Park) and in Bocelli's four PBS specials. Bocelli also performed during Foster's Hit Man special.[31]
In 2019, PBS hosted An Intimate Evening with David Foster. The show includes his wife Katharine McPhee, tenor Fernando Varela, Pia Toscano, Loren Allred, and Shelea.
[35]
In 2021, Foster and McPhee competed in season sixofThe Masked Singer as "Banana Split". Foster dressed up as the banana half and did most of the instrument playing while McPhee dressed up as the ice cream half and did most of the singing. They were eliminated in the Group B Finale, where they competed against Jewel as "Queen of Hearts".
Foster has produced multiple best-selling Christmas albums beginning with Once Upon a Christmas, by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1984. He produced Celine Dion's These Are Special Times (1998), Josh Groban's Noël (2007), Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas (2009), Michael Bublé's Christmas (2011), Rod Stewart's Merry Christmas, Baby (2012), Mary J. Blige's A Mary Christmas (2013), and Jordan Smith's 'Tis the Season (2016). Thus, he has produced the best-selling Christmas albums of 1984, 1998, 2007–09, and 2011–12. Four of these albums rank among the top fifteen best-selling Christmas albums ever. He composed "Grown-Up Christmas List" (1990).
Foster and his fifth wife Katharine McPhee recorded a seven-song Christmas EP called Christmas Songs in 2022.[38][39] On October 20, 2023, the album was "completed" and re-released with seven additional songs.[40]
Foster created the David Foster Foundation, which supports children in need of medical transplants,[41] for which he was acknowledged in the Juno Awards 2019.[42] He is an ardent supporter of Israel, raising money for their military at fundraisers.[43]
Foster has been married five times and has five daughters, one son and seven grandchildren. His first child, Allison Jones Foster, was born in 1970 when Foster was 20. He placed her for adoption and reconnected with her when she was 30.[44][failed verification] His first marriage was to singer and writer B.J. Cook.[45] Cook and Foster had one daughter together, Amy (b. 1973), a songwriter and author.[45]
He married his second wife, Rebecca Dyer, on October 27, 1982 and they divorced in 1986.[46] They had three daughters: Sara (b. 1981), Erin (b. 1982), and Jordan (b. 1986).[47] Foster is the father-in-law of former professional tennis player Tommy Haas, who is married to Sara.
He married his third wife, songwriter Linda Thompson, in 1991 and divorced in 2005.[48] The two became a songwriting team, collaborating on several songs, including "I Have Nothing", performed by Whitney HoustoninThe Bodyguard (1992), and "Grown-Up Christmas List".[49] Foster was stepfather to Brandon and Brody Jenner (Linda's sons with Caitlyn Jenner), who both grew up living in his Malibu home. Both Jenner boys starred in a short-lived TV reality show called The Princes of Malibu in 2005 which also featured Foster and Thompson and was filmed in their home.
In 1992, Foster was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway when his car struck actor and dancer Ben Vereen, who had just suffered a stroke while driving near his Malibu home and was stumbling on the highway.[50] Vereen was critically injured but recovered after going through physical rehabilitation.[51][52] Vereen said afterward that he would have died if Foster had not collided with him and then called for emergency services.[50]
Foster married his fourth wife, Dutch model Yolanda Hadid, in Beverly Hills, California on November 11, 2011.[53] David had three stepchildren from Yolanda Foster's previous marriage to Mohamed Hadid: Gigi (b. 1995), Bella (b. 1996), and Anwar (b. 1999). On December 1, 2015, Foster announced that after four years of marriage and nine years together, he and Yolanda had made the decision to divorce.[54] The divorce was finalized on October 16, 2017.[55]
^
Michael Posner (September 22, 2007). "Michael Bublé wants to take over the world". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009. That was in 2000. Mulroney, an enthusiastic crooner himself, loved the material and promptly hired Bublé. Among the wedding guests was an old Mulroney friend, record producer David Foster, whose résumé includes a veritable Who's Who of pop musicians. Among them: Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, the Corrs, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton.
^DVD (ending Credits), Universum Film GmbH & Co. KG., Constantin Films and BMG Video, Germany, 2005
^"Nightline Playlist: Josh Groban". ABC News. In her recent "Favorite Things" show Winfrey named Groban's Christmas album, "Noel" as one of her favorite things of 2007.
^"Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park". PBS. November 30, 2011. Bocelli was joined that rainy, windswept evening by pop stars Céline Dion, Tony Bennett, Chris Botti and David Foster,
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