David Foster

David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans more than five decades, beginning in the early 1970s as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, before focusing largely on composing and producing. Early life and career Foster was born in Victoria, British Columbia, the son of Maurice "Maury" Foster, an office worker, and Eleanor May Foster (née Vantreight), a homemaker. In 1963, at the age of 13, he enrolled in the University of Washington music program. 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. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles with his band Skylark. Career Early years Foster was a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, discovered by Eirik Wangberg. The song "Wildflower" was a top ten hit in 1973. When the group disbanded, Foster remained in Los Angeles and, together with Jay Graydon, he formed the band Airplay. In 1975, Foster played on George Harrison's album Extra Texture. He followed that up a year later by playing the Fender Rhodes and clavinet on Harrison's album Thirty Three & 1/3. In 1976, Foster joined Guthrie Thomas on Thomas' second Capitol Records album, Lies and Alibis, with Ringo Starr and a host of other performers. Foster was a major contributor to the 1979 Earth, Wind & Fire album I Am, as a studio player and arranger. He was a co-writer on six of the album's tracks, such as "After the Love Has Gone", for which he and his co-writers, Graydon and Bill Champlin, won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.