|
|
Stephen Foster's professional music background goes back to 1969 in Muscle Shoals, AL, where he grew up. The list of musicians he's worked with in studio or onstage is a veritable who's who of American music. His music education however, started much earlier, in the 50s, when radio consisted of stations like WLS and WSM at night, and the playlist was as varied as imaginable. Jazz, Blues, Country, Texas Swing, Pop and early R&B all played side-by-side. His father, a stride jazz pianist, and his mother, a contralto jazz torch singer, insisted on a music education for their children. Piano lessons started at age 5, and the home was filled with music of all styles, but the records most played by his father were big band swing, Chet Atkins, and Pete Fountain. These influences led to the style Stephen displays to this day, stylish grooves and powerful choruses, forays into the country's rich musical past, and a willingness to let a song flow without pressing it into any genre.
Stephen picked up guitar at age 11, bass at age 13, and was playing out at age 14 in talent contests and local shows. At 19, after a year in college and a Summer spent in California meeting musicians, he walked into Broadway Sound in Muscle Shoals and naively asked for session work. Amazingly enough, he had come at the exact day when the guitarist for the day session didn't show up, and his studio work began in earnest.
Publishing and production contracts followed. His session credits are legendary. Record deals and concerts and sessions were steady through the 70s, but by '78 he was through with labels, and he went "Indie", starting WhiteHorse Records in Virginia. He made his living singing jingles at Alpha Audio in Richmond alongside Steve Bassett ("The Heartbeat Oh America") and other great ad singers.
Stephen opened Howler Recording in Memphis in 1981 and ran the studio for 10 years until burnout pushed him out of the business for 7 years in the 90s. He didn't write a song or step foot in a studio during that time. In 2001, revitalized and refreshed, he reentered the music business, entering into a partnership in MillKids/Howler studio in Huntsville, AL. His first album recorded there "Howler", released in 2002, produced the international hit "The Mighty Field Of Vision Anthem". He moved his studio to a mountaintop lodge in 2004, releasing "Howl At The Blues" in 2006. The album hit the charts in 2007, charting at #37 nationally and staying on the charts for 10 months and gaining national FM rotation with 6 songs. Hits from that album include "Mad As Hell", "Mama's Goin' Dancin' When The train Comes Home", and "Changing Times".
The new album is "Howl At The Moon", and the depth of songs is obvious. A more varied approach, with deeper lyrics and wider range of styles opens up his catalog of songs. Collaborating with famed songwriter Spooner Oldham on some of the material, his vision of translating songs from the "Radio In The Sky" has become apparent, and the album shows it. A fierce indie, he was heavily involved in the internet drive to break the major labels' stranglehold on musicians and songwriters.
At age 58 Stephen has become a legendary figure in Southern music history. His songs are lasting, his voice is still amazingly vigorous, his musicianship is better than ever. The new album showcases his extraordinary talent and vision.
"It ain't over 'till it's over"
|
|
|
