David Foster - Record producer David Foster takes the stage

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It's hard to imagine how Grammy-winning producer-songwriter David Foster can sound even remotely morbid.

Foster recently reflected on his enduring status as an in-demand studio whiz. One of his latest efforts, the Foster-produced "Crazy Love" by Michael Bublé, topped the Billboard album charts two weeks ago. And now, some of the biggest acts whose hits he produced or wrote, from Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire to Peter Cetera of Chicago to Ruben Studdard of "American Idol" fame, are teaming up for "David Foster & Friends."

The barnstorming national touring, coming to HP Pavilion on Friday, is essentially a celebration of Foster's 35-year legacy as a songwriter and producer.

"its kind of my funeral while I'm still alive," Foster says by phone from his home in Los Angeles, "and I get to watch as these people pay tribute to me."

Foster has demonstrated remarkable staying power. Though the 59-year-old Canadian was knocked by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine in the '80s for his carefully crafted pop confections, his work has consistently charted. The likes of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand have enlisted him to work his magic, and Whitney Houston scored her biggest hit with the Foster-produced "I Will Always Love You."

Foster's continuing success can be partially attributed to his ability to adapt to music industry changes. Early on, he recognized the potency of reality TV by appearing on "Popstars" and "The Princes of Malibu" and guest starring on "American Idol" and "Nashville Star."

And as he has shepherded young artists throughout his career, he has a new diva in the making in Charice, a Filipina chanteuse who he's convinced is destined for greatness.

That passion for nurturing young artists, also via digital means, is at play in "David Foster & Friends" with an unknown performer, discovered through a talent search on the Web site NameDrop.com, joining the lineup each night. An aspiring Bay Area singer also will join the party at HP Pavilion on Friday.

Foster notes that a tour with a varied lineup of performers is akin to the old Motown packages or Dick Clark Caravan of Stars that in the '60s. Singers are indeed taking turns presenting the best of Foster, such as Bailey on Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone" or Cetera on Chicago's "You're the Inspiration."

For those longtime Foster associates not on the bill, performers such as Studdard and Charice are stepping up with their own versions of such Foster-guided hits as "I Will Always Love You."

The concert itself gives Foster, who performed in the early '70s as the keyboardist of the band Skylark, the chance to get in front of an audience as a sort of master of ceremonies behind the piano.

"I kind of honed my hosting skills because I got to do a lot of charity concerts," he says. "And I like the idea of seven or eight performers coming at you.

"My music is niche, for sure, but it does cover a fairly wide spectrum, if you think from Alice Cooper to Earth, Wind & Fire to Barbra Streisand to Madonna to the Tubes."

After his career as a performer with Skylark and later the band Attitudes, Foster branched out in the late '70s as a songwriter and producer. "After the Love is Gone," which he cowrote, was the first of his 15 Grammy wins, in 1979.

Through the '80s, he became a go-to songsmith, producing and writing a series of No. 1 singles, including Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," Peter Cetera's "The Glory of Love" and John Parr's "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)." Nearly every major pop star at one time or another turned to Foster, including Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins and Olivia Newton-John.

In the '90s, his Midas touch continued with his production of such songs as Michael Jackson's "Earth Song"; Celine Dion's "The Power of Love," "Because You Loved Me" and "All By Myself,"; Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable"; and Madonna's "You'll See."

The producer also developed a reputation as a talent scout. He helped launch the career of the Irish group the Corrs and is credited with discovering Josh Groban and Bublé, both of whom he went on to produce.

Foster often has his mind on what's next in the studio, but the tour has offered him a chance to look back on how his life's work has touched fans. Performers like Houston of Bublé have experienced the immediacy of seeing fans at the concerts respond to the music. For Foster, the shows have given him the rare chance to step outside of the studio and get a sense of how his music has made an impact.

"To get to see faces sing along to your songs — artists get to see that every night — but for a behind-the-scenes person like me, you don't know who you are reaching," Foster says.

"That's pretty great."

David Foster & Friends

With: Peter Cetera, Charice, Philip Bailey, Ruben Studdard, Michael Johns and Deborah Cox, among others
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: HP Pavilion
Tickets: $58-$128; www.ticketmaster.com

Source : Mercurynews.com