David Foster is a great Canadian composer, arranger and record producer. He is considered the most awarded record producer in the music industry’s Grammy Awards history. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations, which is more than any other artist.
David Foster is also considered a true ambassador of Canadian music. He is currently a member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour. He is also a member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Music Hall of Fame.
Foster has also composed soundtracks for films such as “The Bodyguard”, and “The Secret of My Success”. He sold more than 300 million music records worldwide during his five-decade-long career.
He has won many awards for his versatility, including the Grammy Award, American Music Award, and Golden Globe Award.
Physical Stats
| Full name: | David Walter Foster OC OBC |
| Profession: | Canadian musician, composer, arranger, and record producer |
| Born: | 1 Nov 1949, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. |
| Best Known For: | 16 times Grammy Awards Winner |
| Age: | 73 Years |
| Weight: | 70 kg Or 154Lbs |
| Height: | 1.78 m |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse: | B.J. Cook (m.1972-div.1976), Rebecca Dyer(m.1982-div.1986), Linda Thompson ( m.1991-div.2005), Yolanda Hadid ( m.2011-div.2017) and Katherine McPhee ( m.2019-Present) |
| Parents: | Maurice “Morrie” Foster and Eleanor May Foster (née Wentwright) |
| Net worth: | USD $150 Million |
| Nationality: | American |
Early Life
David Walter Foster OC OBC was born on 1 November 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
His father, Maurice Foster, was an office worker and his mother, Eleanor Foster, was a housewife. Foster has six sisters.
Foster has been interested in music since childhood. His desire to learn music made him learn to play the piano at the age of just four years. He was also very strict about his tune. His parents were supportive of his musical talent and encouraged him to pursue it.
Foster enrolled in the music program at the University of Washington at the age of 13. There he began studying classical piano and composition as well as attending jazz clubs.
In 1965, Foster auditioned for the Edmonton Night Club, a band owned by jazz musician Tommy Banks. After being impressed by his talent, he was included in the club. While living there he learned a good knowledge of jazz, record production and music business.
In 1966, Foster joined Chuck Berry’s backing band in Toronto. During his two-year career there, he learned a lot about performance and showmanship. He then moved to Los Angeles in 1974 with his band, Skylark.
Career
David Foster started his career as a musician with the pop group “Skylark”. He also played keyboards on albums by artists such as Alice Cooper, Carol Byrne and Boz Scaggs Sager.
While at Skylark, he recorded the song “Wildflower”, which was a commercial success. This song got a place in the top ten hits. But due to the band’s disbandment, he moved to Los Angeles and started working as a studio musician.
Record Production Career
In 1976, Foster began recording and had his first major success with the Chicago band’s album “Chicago 16”.
He then produced several successful albums for various artists including Olivia Newton-John, Earth, Wind & Fire and Whitney Houston.
Foster made her debut album with Whitney Houston in 1984, which proved to be a huge hit. The album’s success spawned the hit singles “Saving All My Love for You” and “How Will I Know”.
In the 1990s, Foster began to focus more on songwriting and wrote several hit songs for artists such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Josh Groban.
He has also produced several successful films, including “The Bodyguard” and “Beauty and the Beast”.
Foster has also worked on several successful albums with artists such as Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Bublé in the 2000s and 2010s. He also served as the president of Verve Records from 2012 to 2016.
David Foster’s Songs
David Foster is considered one of the greatest Canadian musicians of the 1970s. He composed many successful songs during his career.
Foster’s top five songs:
- “I Will Always Love You”: the best-selling single of all time, written by Whitney Houston and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974.
- “My Heart Will Go On”: This song is the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic, written by Celine Dion. The song won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1998.
- “All I Want for Christmas Is You”: This song was produced by Mariah Carey. The song is one of the best-selling Christmas singles of all time, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. It was originally released in 1994 but has become a holiday classic.
- “Let’s Go Crazy”: This song is the lead single from the 1984 album Purple Rain, which was produced by Prince himself. This song became a huge hit and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- “Man in Motion”: This song is written by John Parr. This song was the theme song of the 1984 Summer Olympics. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1985.
Awards and Achievements
David Foster has received numerous awards and honors in his five-decade music career.
- 16 Grammy Award winners
- 47 Grammy Award nominations
- 7 American Music Awards
- 3 Golden Globe Awards
- Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Canadian Music Hall of Fame member Hollywood Walk of Fame
Net Worth
According to Celebrity news David Foster’s net worth is estimated to be around $150 million. He is one of the most successful producers in Canadian music history who has had a profound influence on music.
He has amassed wealth through his successful career as a composer, arranger, record producer and music executive.
Business Investment
Apart from being a successful musician, David Foster is also a successful businessman. He is the founder and chairman of 143 Records which is a record label.
He founded it in collaboration with Warner Bros. Records. He is also the co-founder of music publishing company PeerMusic.
Apart from this he has invested in many types of businesses. Most of his investments are in real estate, technology and music.
Real Estate
David Foster owns several properties in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Aspen. He has a stake in the Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Whistler, British Columbia.
In 2020, he sold his Bel Air mansion for $90 million. Spread over 10,800 square feet, this mansion has nine bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a tennis court.
Technology
David Foster is an investor in several technology startups, including music streaming service Tidal and virtual reality company Jaunt.
In 2015, Foster invested $20 million in Tidal, which is co-owned by Jay-Z. Tidal is a music streaming service that offers high quality audio and exclusive content.
Music
Foster is the co-founder of record label Verve Records and music publishing company David Foster Music Publishing. He is also a partner in music management company 19 Entertainment.
In 2012, Foster co-founded Verve Records, a jazz and classical record label, with Universal Music Group.
Personal Life
73-year-old David Foster has been married five times so far. Her first marriage was to singer BJ Cook in 1972 but they got divorced after 4 years in 1976. They have a daughter named Amy Skylark who is currently a songwriter and author.
David Foster’s second marriage was to Rebecca Dyer in 1982 but they divorced in 1986. They have three daughters named. : Sarah (born 1981), Erin (born 1982), and Jordan (born 1986)
Foster’s third marriage was to Linda Thompson in 1991 but they divorced in 2005. She has no children with Thompson.
Foster’s fourth marriage was to Yolanda Hadid in 2011 but they divorced in 2017. He has no children with Yolanda. But Foster is also stepfather to Yolanda Hadid’s four children from a previous marriage: Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Anwar Hadid, and Marielle Hadid.
David Foster’s fifth and current marriage took place in London in June 2019 with singer Katharine McPhee. McPhee has a son, Renee David, born in 2021.
Katharine McPhee and David Foster first met in 2006 on Season 5 of American Idol. McPhee was a contestant at the time and Foster was a guest consultant on the show. He was very impressed by McPhee’s talent.
McPhee and Foster have a 35-year age difference, but they seem very happy together. They are often seen together and post each other’s pictures on social media. They seem very supportive of each other professionally and personally.
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
David Foster has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame twice in the list of musical artists. He was inducted for the first time as a solo artist in 2007 and for the second time in 2010 as a member of the band Skylark.
He is a native of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada who in a short span of time has gone from being a session musician to successful Attained fame as a producer and lyricist.
Here are some of the things David Foster said about the Canadian Music Hall of Fame:
” The Canadian Music Hall of Fame is a great institution. It is an incredible honor to join this institute and I am proud to be a part of it.”
“I’m thrilled to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of Skylark, and I’m grateful for the support of my fans and my fellow musicians.”
Foster is a true ambassador for Canadian music. He has a passion for supporting Canadian artists and is always looking for ways to promote Canadian music around the world. He is a role model for young Canadian musicians, and he is an inspiration to music fans around the world.
