David Foster was among the most commercially successful producers and composers in all of popular music, lending his signature sweeping power ballad aesthetic to smash hits from Celine Dion, Chicago and Whitney Houston and in the process virtually defining the adult contemporary format. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at the age of five, and just eight years later enrolled in the University of Washington's music program. At 16, he joined Chuck Berry's backing band, and in 1971 relocated to Los Angeles with his group Skylark, scoring a major hit the following year with the single "Wildflower." Foster also became a sought-after session keyboardist, appearing on recordings from superstars including John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart.

David Foster was among the most commercially successful producers and composers in all of popular music, lending his signature sweeping power ballad aesthetic to smash hits from Celine Dion, Chicago and Whitney Houston and in the process virtually defining the adult contemporary format. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at the age of five, and just eight years later enrolled in the University of Washington's music program. At 16, he joined Chuck Berry's backing band, and in 1971 relocated to Los Angeles with his group Skylark, scoring a major hit the following year with the single "Wildflower." Foster also became a sought-after session keyboardist, appearing on recordings from superstars including John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart.

Foster's production career began when he helmed the 1976 eponymous debut from his group Attitudes; he soon turned to outside projects as well, writing and producing material for Hall & Oates, Deniece Williams, Carole Bayer Sager, Boz Scaggs and the Average White Band. In 1979, he earned his first Grammy Award for penning Earth, Wind and Fire's "After the Love Has Gone." From there Foster's career exploded, and he was soon writing and producing for artists including Kenny Rogers, the Tubes and Kenny Loggins. In 1982, he won a second Grammy for producing the original cast album to the Broadway hit Dreamgirls; he also composed and produced Chicago's hit "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," followed in 1983 by work on Lionel Richie's blockbuster Can't Slow Down. With 1984's Chicago 17, Foster scored his greatest success to date, with the smash single "Hard Habit to Break" earning him a Grammy for Producer of the Year.

A year later, Foster wrote and produced John Parr's hit "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)," and in 1986 reunited with Chicago, not only for their 18 LP, which launched the hit "Will You Still Love Me," but also with the group's singer, Peter Cetera, for whom he wrote the chart-topping "The Glory of Love." By now Foster was among the most successful producers in pop -- though reviled by critics, his work was enormously successful on the charts, with dozens of Top 40 hits. However, he was atypically quiet during the latter half of the 1980s, most notably teaming with Neil Diamond on his 1988 album The Best Years of Our Lives and working on a variety of film projects and one-off studio dates. In 1990 Foster began his collaboration with Celine Dion, writing and producing material for her Unison album and generating the hit "Have a Heart." A year later, he teamed with Natalie Cole for her mega-hit Unforgettable, winning three more Grammys: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year.

In 1992, Foster collaborated with Whitney Houston on the soundtrack to her hit film The Bodyguard, which netted him another Album of the Year Grammy at the following year's award ceremonies, with the blockbuster single "I Will Always Love You," also winning Record of the Year. Again, he took home Producer of the Year honors as well; additionally, "When I Fall in Love," the theme to Sleepless in Seattle performed by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin, garnered Foster another trophy as arranger. For Dion, he next produced 1993's The Colour of My Love, which spawned the smash "The Power of Love," and a year later, he helmed All-4-One's I Swear. With Dion's 1996 Falling Into You, Foster again took home the Album of the Year Grammy; the blockbuster Because You Loved Me, with the title track the main theme song from Up Close & Personal, was also a nominee in the Record of the Year category. A major hit from that same year was Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart." The solo Love Lights the World followed in the spring of 2000. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide