Yamaha Pianos Are David Foster's First and Only Choice
BUENA PARK, Calif. — A 14-time GRAMMY® winner, Yamaha artist David Foster has also received seven Juno Awards and an Emmy,® and is a three-time Oscar® nominee. He has produced artists such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Josh Groban, Natalie Cole, Chicago, Madonna and *NSYNC. He's a songwriter as well, with hits like Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone" and Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."
Foster is a longtime fan of Yamaha pianos. "I just can't stress enough how much I love these pianos," he says. "Wherever you go in the world, if you sit down at a Yamaha piano, it's going to sound good. I've never owned anything but Yamahas. Every single piano in my studio for the last 20 years has been a Yamaha. I have a nine-foot grand, which sounds amazing. I also have a 7'4" Disklavier, and a 6'2" grand. And there's a spinet that I bought when I was 17 years old! I bought it back when I couldn't afford anything."
Foster started out playing piano in Chuck Berry's band at age 16. A few years later, in 1972, Foster and his band Skylark scored a top-ten hit with their song "Wildflower."
When Skylark folded, Foster started playing piano on other artists' records. He quickly became a first-call L.A. session musician, working with John Lennon, Diana Ross, George Harrison, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and many others. "It was so great," he remembers. "I'd just fill up my datebook: jingles from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., then daytime sessions with the 5th Dimension or Dionne Warwick or Barry Manilow. Then at night, it was rock and roll, like George Harrison or Rod Stewart. Sometimes I was working from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.! But it didn't seem like work. It was a great foundation."
All the while Foster kept an eye to the future. "In the studio I'd think, wow, this is great, but I can't imagine doing this in 20 years. I'd look at the other side of the glass and be envious of the producers. Sometimes they knew what they were doing, sometimes they didn't – but I learned just as much from those who didn't. If the producer was weak, or didn't know how to make a decision, I always found myself jumping in. And after three or four years of session playing, I realized that I might be a good record producer."
Foster's producing career didn't happen overnight. "I made no money on the first three albums I produced," he notes. "They were not good, and they didn't sell. I started to think, 'Maybe I'm not cut out for this.' But, then came Alice Cooper's From the Inside, followed by Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Hall & Oates."
Of all Foster's many accomplishments, a few stand out for him: "I think Chicago 17 is probably my proudest album. And I'm proud of all the work I've done with Celine, and The Bodyguard soundtrack – I think I got Whitney at the height of her greatness. Finding Josh Groban andMichael Bublé has been exciting for me. And writing 'After the Love Has Gone' for Earth, Wind & Fire – it was my first GRAMMY. Although I'll say that my 14th GRAMMY was just as exciting as my first, and I hope to win more, God willing!"
Foster recently produced Amore for international superstar Andrea Bocelli, and future plans include working with up-and-coming 16-year old singer Renee Olstead and a new album for Josh Groban.
For more information about Yamaha Pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; email infostation@yamaha.com; or telephone (714) 522-9011.
 Yamaha Artist David Foster |
Foster started out playing piano in Chuck Berry's band at age 16. A few years later, in 1972, Foster and his band Skylark scored a top-ten hit with their song "Wildflower."
When Skylark folded, Foster started playing piano on other artists' records. He quickly became a first-call L.A. session musician, working with John Lennon, Diana Ross, George Harrison, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and many others. "It was so great," he remembers. "I'd just fill up my datebook: jingles from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., then daytime sessions with the 5th Dimension or Dionne Warwick or Barry Manilow. Then at night, it was rock and roll, like George Harrison or Rod Stewart. Sometimes I was working from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.! But it didn't seem like work. It was a great foundation."
All the while Foster kept an eye to the future. "In the studio I'd think, wow, this is great, but I can't imagine doing this in 20 years. I'd look at the other side of the glass and be envious of the producers. Sometimes they knew what they were doing, sometimes they didn't – but I learned just as much from those who didn't. If the producer was weak, or didn't know how to make a decision, I always found myself jumping in. And after three or four years of session playing, I realized that I might be a good record producer."
Foster's producing career didn't happen overnight. "I made no money on the first three albums I produced," he notes. "They were not good, and they didn't sell. I started to think, 'Maybe I'm not cut out for this.' But, then came Alice Cooper's From the Inside, followed by Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Hall & Oates."
Of all Foster's many accomplishments, a few stand out for him: "I think Chicago 17 is probably my proudest album. And I'm proud of all the work I've done with Celine, and The Bodyguard soundtrack – I think I got Whitney at the height of her greatness. Finding Josh Groban and
Foster recently produced Amore for international superstar Andrea Bocelli, and future plans include working with up-and-coming 16-year old singer Renee Olstead and a new album for Josh Groban.
For more information about Yamaha Pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; email infostation@yamaha.com; or telephone (714) 522-9011.
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