提到 David Foster 这个名字，可能不会有太多的人知道他是谁，做过些什么？可是当我告诉你这样一些情况时你又会怎么想呢 ?——就是这个你陌生的名字曾经为 Chicago 乐队谱写了著名的 Hard To Say I'm Sorry ；为Whitney Houston 谱写了 I Have Nothing ；为 Madonna 谱写了 You'll See等等歌曲 。而且，他更是 Toni Braxton 的 Un-break My Heart 、Celine Dion 的 All By Myself ,、Because You Loved Me、 The Power Of Love 及 Tell Him ；Whitney Houston的 I Will Always Love You ；Monica 的 For you I will ；Brandy 的 Have You Ever ； Whitney Houston & Enrique Iglesias 的 Could I Have This Kiss Forever
,；NSync & Gloria Estefan 的 Music Of My Heart 等等数不清的著名歌曲及唱片的制作人 ！David Foster 这位效力于 Atlantic 唱片的金牌制作人，世界流行乐坛举足轻重的人物，出生于加拿大的B.C省,13岁便天才般的入读美国华盛顿大学。自1979年开始至今，40次被 Grammy 提名 ，并且14次获得 Grammy 相关大奖 。他同时也是天才的钢琴演奏家；优秀的电影音乐制作者。
我第一次接触到 David Foster ，是在1995年。上海的朋友或许还可以记得 ，那一年，有个美国偶像歌手在世界范围内风靡一时，亦在上海刮起过一阵旋风 ，他的名字叫 Tommy Page ，非常英俊的一个男孩。当时他在国内宣传的热门歌曲 When I Dreaming Of You 是和香港歌手叶倩文一起合唱的，而该首歌曲的制作人正是由华纳香港唱片公司邀请而来的 David Foster 。还可以记得当时这首歌曲是相当成功的。随后，David Foster 又与当时同是华纳唱片的林忆莲合作，制作推出了专辑 "野花"。使得后者的事业更加如日中天。笔者一直是林忆莲的歌迷，所以记忆犹新。要推荐的第一首歌曲 Love Theme 的原曲出自91年的电影 St.Elmos Fire 中，在电影中的版本是由 David Foster 亲自弹奏的钢琴曲，旋律非常优美，由于后来经常被用来做背景音乐和被各种乐队演绎而流传甚广，我相信你一定在什么地方听过，但是从来也不知道是从哪里来，叫什么名字。为了保持栏目的一致性，推荐歌曲将是由他亲自弹奏钢琴并且演唱的歌曲版本，附加推荐由他亲自钢琴演奏的版本。而笔者更加喜欢那个原汁原味的演奏版。你也尝试比较一下？
第二首推荐歌曲The Best Of Me 是他和 Olivia Newton John 在91年合作的歌曲，旋律仍是 David Foster 惯常的 R&B 风格，虽然早就是10年前的歌曲，但是至今仍然经常可以在各个电台听到，而一点也不感觉在曲调以及歌曲的编排，乐器的使用上有任何的陈旧感，由此可见David 在音乐制作上的功力与独到。笔者虽然很喜欢这首歌曲，但是总是觉得，David 的成功与他的歌曲商业性强不无关系。歌曲是非常不错的，但是，听多了，总觉得缺少点独特的东西。由此，引出另外一个问题，歌曲的商业化到底是好是坏？就好像，前一段时间，一首Damage 的 Forever 在站里的下载率非常高，而这首歌曲就是典型的商业化气息浓得不得了的歌曲，好像是条公式一样，只要是这样似曾相识的旋律，似曾相识的声音，歌曲及歌手就必然走红一段时间。你有否感到是在被唱片公司欺骗愚弄呢 ？
最后一首推荐歌曲，出自1992年的电影 Stealing Home 中。David为这部电影弹奏了多首曲子，而该片的主题曲 And When She Danced 则是由他和 Marilyn Martin 合唱的。这是笔者认为他制作得较有特色的一首歌曲。笔者最早听到这首歌曲是在1994年，听到的是林忆莲和伦永亮合唱的粤语翻唱版本，名为 “此情只待成追忆”。非常动人的名字，并且同时为歌曲低沉回旋的旋律及感性真挚的对白式粤语歌词所感动。而在其后听过原曲后，笔者认为这是相当成功的一首翻唱歌曲，甚至，有超越原曲的完美感。对比之下，觉得 David在原曲的演绎中似乎不够投入，随随便便的感觉 ，特别是低音部分。有粤语版本的朋友可以拿出来对照一下。
by Jason AnkenyDavid 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 Washingtons music program. At 16, he joined Chuck Berrys 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. Fosters 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 Fires After the Love Has Gone. From there Fosters 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 Chicagos hit Hard to Say Im Sorry, followed in 1983 by work on Lionel Richies blockbuster Cant Slow Down. With 1984s 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 Parrs hit St. Elmos 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 groups 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 years 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 1993s The Colour of My Love, which spawned the smash The Power of Love, and a year later, he helmed All-4-Ones I Swear. With Dions 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 Braxtons Un-Break My Heart. The solo Love Lights the World followed in the spring of 2000.