Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

David Foster

Role / Field:

Award-winning composer, producer, and songwriter known for crafting hits across multiple decades.

Born:

1949-11-01

Century / Era:

1949s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian and American record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 45 nominations across four decades (the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s). Across the last 50 years, Foster has composed and produced some of the most successful songs of each decade, with multiple songs reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and other individual genre charts. He has also been nominated three times in the Best Original song category at the Academy Awards.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Foster has contributed to material for prominent music industry artists across various genres. Some of the notable songs he has been involved with include: "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing", "The Prayer", "After the Love Has Gone", "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", "Hard Habit to Break", "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", "Glory of Love", "Winter Games", "Grown-Up Christmas List", "Best of Me", "Look What You've Done to Me", "She's a Beauty", "Somewhere", and "Wildflower". Foster served as senior vice president of Warner Music Group from 1997, then he chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. In recent years, Foster composed Boop!

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Musical, which premiered...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Ahmed Zaki (actor) — Contemporary (Born in 1949) (1949): Iconic Egyptian actor celebrated for intense dramatic performances and masterful impersonation.
• Alan Menken — Contemporary (Born in 1949) (1949): Award-winning American composer celebrated for Disney film scores and Broadway musicals.
• Alexei Shchusev — Contemporary (Died in 1949) (1949): Master Russian architect spanning Art Nouveau, Constructivism, and Stalinist styles.
• Aaron Beck — Shared historical date (11-01 · Died) (2021): Father of Cognitive Therapy and CBT, revolutionizing psychiatric treatment.
• Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz — Shared historical date (11-01 · Born) (861): Abbasid prince, renowned poet, and author of early Arabic literary theory.
• Alice Bailey — Historical peer (Died in 1949) (1949): American esoteric writer known for neo-theosophical works and pioneering New Age concepts.
• Amadeo Giannini — Historical peer (Died in 1949) (1949): Pioneering American banker who founded the Bank of Italy and influenced modern finance.
• Adriana Caselotti — Historical peer (Died in 1997) (1997): American actress and singer, famed for voicing Snow White in the first Disney feature.
• Aldo Rossi — Historical peer (Died in 1997) (1997): Pioneering Italian architect, theorist, and proponent of Postmodernism.
• Adam Yauch — Historical peer (Died in 2012) (2012): Founding member of Beastie Boys; influential rapper, filmmaker, and Tibetan activist.
• 1949 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1949
• November 1 (11-01) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on November 1

Frequently Asked Questions about David Foster