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David Foster

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For other people named David Foster, see David Foster (disambiguation).
David Foster

David Walter Foster, O.C., O.B.C., LL.D. (born November 1, 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer-songwriter and arranger.[1].

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, Michael Jackson, and Madonna (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 the career of Kevin Sharp, after the two met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He was one of the executive producers of John Stevens' debut CD, Red.[4]

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 who 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. Warren was Foster's "mouth" on many of his videos but took his own life 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 the 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]

Personal

Currently single, Foster has been married three times, has five biological daughters and two ex stepsons. He was married to his first wife, B.J. Cook, for ten years; they have one daughter, Amy Foster (b. 1973), who is a songwriter who has collaborated with Michael Buble, among others. He was married to his second wife, Rebecca, for eight years. They had three daughters: Sara (b. August 24, 1981), Erin (b. August 2, 1982), and Jordan (b. September, 1986)[10]. As of May 2008, Sara is engaged to tennis player Tommy Haas.[11] Foster also has a daughter, Allison Jones, 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 "Grownup Christmas List" (which has been recorded by Natalie Cole, 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.[12] By marrying Thompson, Foster also became the stepfather to Thompson's two sons (Brody Jenner and Brandon Jenner) from a previous relationship with Bruce Jenner.

Foster's sister, producer Jaymes Foster, is the mother of Clay Aiken's son Parker Foster Aiken[13].

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 was walking along the side of the road. Despite being thrown 90 feet, Vereen survived.[14]

Artists produced

It has been said that Foster's songs have made "many famous singers into superstars.[15] Foster's work as a producer has been equally significant. He has produced the following singers and groups:

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