DAVID FOSTER

2002 INDUCTEE

In 1984, David Foster made Canadian music history by assembling many of this country's top artists to record Tears Are Not Enough, a song he wrote with fellow British Columbians, Bryan Adams and Jim Valance, to aid African famine relief.

By that time, Foster was already on track to become one of the most successful and influential music producers since George Martin produced The Beatles. Since recording his first album in 1972 as a member of Skylark, the talented multi-instrumentalist was destined for success.

Although Skylark would disband after one year, the album produced three singles, including the number one Canadian and American hit, Wildflower. That song would sell over one million copies, and make Billboard's Top Ten in 1973. By then, Foster was already in Los Angeles performing as a keyboardist alongside notables such as John Lennon, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, and Barbara Streisand.

While lucrative, Foster soon grew tired of session work, preferring to write and produce his own music. In 1979, he won a Grammy Award for co-writing After the Love Has Gone for Earth Wind and Fire. It was to be the first of 14 Grammies, including three coveted Producer of the Year awards.

In 1985, he produced John Par's Man in Motion for the hit movie St. Elmo's Fire. Other top selling soundtracks produced by Foster include Ghostbusters and Footloose.

In 1993, he was named Billboard's Top Singles Producer and Top R&B Producer, while receiving the largest number of Grammy nominations, and winning Producer of the Year for Whitney Houston's soundtrack to The Bodyguard.

The heart and soul of Foster's work is diversity. Whether pursuing his solo career or producing platinum-hits for the likes of Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Toni Braxton, Brandy, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, 'N Sync, or his latest discovery, classical pop singer Josh Groban, he likes to blend his work with the sounds and music of the street: rock, RandB, pop, soul, country, jazz, and classical.

A long time champion of children and advocate of their rights, Foster lends his musical skills to many charitable foundations and organizations. In 1985, he established the David Foster Foundation to assist families of children in need. To date, the foundation has raised several million dollars to assist children throughout Western Canada.

Canada's Walk of Fame Trivia:
Winter Games, from David Foster's The Symphony Sessions with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, was commissioned in 1988 for the Calgary Winter Olympic Games.