David Foster

David Foster was born in 1949 in Victoria, capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia. At five, he began piano lessons, and it quickly became apparent that his talents far surpassed those of other children his age. At 13, he enrolled in the University of Washington's Summer Music Program. Three years later, he left school to join the backup band for rock-and-roll legend Chuck Berry. At age 18 and in the midst of his burgeoning career in popular music, Foster lost his father.

At age 21, Foster relocated to Los Angeles with his band Skylark, scoring a hit in 1973 with his song, "Wildflower." Foster parlayed that accomplishment into a career as a session keyboard player. When Skylark disbanded and its members returned to Canada, Foster remained in California. After becoming co-director of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, he began working as a keyboardist with legends of the day, including John Lennon, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand, and Rod Stewart.

Foster began to expand into songwriting and producing, receiving his first Grammy award for writing Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone" in 1979. He branched out even further in the 1980s. He earned his second Grammy for the production of the cast album of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. He then ventured into feature films, co-writing the hit single "Love, Look What You've Done to Me" with Boz Scaggs for the movie Urban Cowboy. He also composed the film score for St. Elmo's Fire.

Foster's writing and producing credits expanded to include Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Neil Diamond, Dionne Warwick, Manhattan Transfer, The Pointer Sisters, and many others. With 1984's Chicago 17 album, Foster scored his greatest success to date with the single "Hard Habit to Break," earning him a Grammy for Producer of the Year. He won his fifth Grammy as producer of Barbra Streisand's Broadway album, which included the hit single "Somewhere."

In 1992, Foster won three more Grammys for Natalie Cole's hit album Unforgettable. His awards were for Producer of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. It was noted in 1994 that for two years, Foster productions held the top spot on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 more than 25 percent of the time. His domination of the charts continued with Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Celine Dion's "The Power of Love."

In 1994, Foster joined Atlantic Records as senior vice president of artists and repertoire, giving him an outlet to develop new artists. By the time he was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association in 2009, Foster had won 15 Grammy Awards, and had been nominated 44 times. He had also been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Song, and he has won a Golden Globe that was for the song "The Prayer" from the film Quest for Camelot and was sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

In 1995, he established his first recording label, 143 Records, and was later promoted to senior vice president of Warner Music Group. As chairman of 143 Records, he has worked with Michael Bublé and Josh Groban.

Foster was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. The David Foster Foundation, established in 1986, assists families of children who need organ transplants. He has also lent his musical skills to more than 300 charitable events and organizations, including the Horatio Alger Association. In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, Foster received the Order of Canada in 1988.