David Foster is a legendary musician, songwriter and one of the most successful record producers in history, creating albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions. He is the king of pop, the hit man, the No. 1 music producer in the world. In the course of his enviable career, he has worked with just about every star in the business.
Before he became such a legend he received a valuable piece of advice from legendary music impresario Quincy Jones. “He said to me, ‘If something isn’t exactly the way you think it should be, don’t put your name on it,’” Foster recalls. “His words of advice had a great impact on me, and since then I’ve always fought for my artistic vision. I don’t always win, but I know when an artist hires me, it’s my job to push them toward greatness, and to get something out of them they didn’t know was there. My personal motto has become, ‘compromise breeds mediocrity.’”
This philosophy has shaped the way Foster has approached everything in his more than four decades as a musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and recording artist. It is the reason why superstars like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder have trusted him with their voices and to help them realize their musical dreams.
Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards (and 45 nominations), including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and racked up three Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song”. In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame.
 |
 |
In 2012 Foster entered a new phase in his career, becoming the chairman of Universal’s Verve Music Group. His mission, he says, is to turn the fabled jazz label (founded in 1956 and home to Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, and other jazz luminaires) into the premier label for singing legends and legends in the making. The label’s roster includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, and Natalie Cole. Foster recently signed Grammy-winning artist Sarah McLachlan and R&B-soul great Smokey Robinson. Foster also has his eye on the next generation of talent, having signed Malaysian singer Yuna and Swedish YouTube sensations Dirty Loops, a virtuoso trio who blend jazz, rock, pop, and dance music into a unique hybrid all their own. “As a musician, artist, writer and producer, I’ve been on both sides of the glass in the studio,” Foster says. “I feel like I’ve been prepping for this new job for 40 years.”
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano, hit one of the keys, and was shocked when David correctly called out, “That’s an E!”, thus discovering he had perfect pitch. The son of a maintenance yard superintendent and a homemaker, Foster has chronicled his life in the highly regarded, best-selling autobiography Hit Man. The book is filled with page-turning, eye-opening anecdotes — from Foster joining Chuck Berry’s band at age 16 to sitting in Paul McCartney’s kitchen talking to him about the day The Beatles broke up.
In May last year, Foster received his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located on Vine Street in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, adjacent to the stars of his musical heroes — John, Paul, George and Ringo — a thrill for the self-described “biggest Beatles fan on the planet.”
We have compiled a Showtime playlist based on the wildly successful PBS specials, Hit Man: David Foster and Friends, in which Foster plays master of ceremony and also accompanies a staggering lineup of stars.
1 – Chaka Khan – Through the Fire
2 – Earth, Wind & Fire – September / After the Love has Gone
3 – Ne-Yo/Charice/Robert Randolph – Earth Song
4 – Natalie Cole – This Will Be
5 – Lara Fabian & Michael Bolton – The Prayer
6 – Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire (Feat. Kenny G)
7 – Donna Summer – Last Dance
8 – Michael Buble – Save The Last Dance For Me
9 – Earth, Wind & Fire – In The Stone/ September Medley
10 – Babyface (Kenny Edmonds) – I Swear
11 – All-4-One – Medley
12 – Seal / Michael Bolton – hen a Man Loves a Woman / It’s a Man’s World
13 – Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
14 – Martina McBride – Smile
14 – Eric Benet – Chocolate Legs
Hit Man: David Foster
Tap the playlist title to open it in Creation 5.
Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority. The David Foster Foundation work to provide financial support to Canadian families with children undergoing life-saving organ transplants. Over the past quarter century, the Foundation has helped more than 700 families and provided millions of dollars in direct support. In addition to easing financial stresses, the Foundation also strives to increase organ donor awareness and registration in Canada and the United States. If you’d like to learn more about the David Foster Foundation or find out how to sign up to be an organ donor, please visit www.davidfosterfoundation.com
Follow David:
Twitter: twitter.com/officialdfoster
Facebook: facebook.com/davidfostermusic
Websites: davidfoster.com / VerveMusicGroup.com / davidfosterfoundation.com/
Don’t have Creation 5? Download it from the App Store!
| iPhone | iPad |
 |
|
