David Foster
* 01 Nov 1949, Canadian musician, record producer, composer, songwriter and arranger
It is a sunny day in Santa Monica, as I wait in the office of music uber-producer David Foster. It is of moderate size, but big enough to host a beautiful grand piano. The walls display some of the award-winnings records he was involved in and I try to imagine the endless creative orgasms he has lived through. David enters the room, wearing a black sweater and blazer with zippers. He is ready to get started and I go right ahead with photographing his hands while he plays the piano. I ask him if I could take his portrait and he sits on the floor, just beside the window and looks straight into camera, without any fear, but with complete dedication and concentration. David only gave me five minutes for the whole shoot, but he gave them to me with 100%.
David Foster was born on November 1st, 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia, the son of Maurice Foster, a maintenance yard superintendent, and Eleanor May Vantreight, a homemaker. He began experimenting with the piano at the age of five and enrolled 1963, at the age of 13, in the University of Washington music program.
Foster’s professional career started in 1971, when he became a keyboardist for Eirik Wangberg’s band Skylark. Foster’s impressive keyboard skills were noticed by many and helped him record with extremely popular artists such as John Lennon and Rod Stewart. In 1973, Foster shot to prominence when his band’s single “Wildflower” edged out a place in the Top Ten Ratings.
David Foster is a musical genius and his biography is just too long to recite here. He has been a producer for musicians including Chaka Khan, Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Michael Bublé, Chicago, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny G, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Kenny Rogers, Seal, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and many more. In his phenomenal career, he amassed sixteen Grammy Awards amidst forty-seven nominations. He also has a Hollywood Walk of Fame star near the Capitol Records Building.
David Foster has been married four times, has five biological daughters and seven grandchildren and lives in Los Angeles.
Source: Wikipedia, Famouscomposers.net
Transcript:
Hmmm?? What makes me creative??
I think everyone has creativity in them - mine comes out as music – someone else in painting – another in a building – or a well-arranged living room. When I look at a piece of property, I see dirt – someone else sees a finished spectacular hotel!! I’m not that guy that gets inspired in the middle of the night & and has to run to the piano or a tape recorder. Creativity is work – And when I sit at the piano, my brain goes “get to work”. Sometimes, great stuff comes – most of the time, it’s just crap – but it’s like the perfect golf shot – you keep coming back because you know that on a given day, with no warning, you’re going to hit the perfect shot. And on that day, it comes thru you – it doesn’t come from you – and all the days where you got nothing just evaporate.