JD Foster is an American record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter. He is known for working with

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

performers including

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

and

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patrici She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ha ...

Producer, performer and recording artist

JD Foster has produced albums and songs for a wide variety of artists and contributed as a bassist and multi-instrumentalist on many alternative, rock, and country albums. His list of collaborations includes

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

, Calexico,

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces i ...

, Richard Buckner,

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

Vinicio Capossela Vinicio Capossela (born 14 December 1965) is an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. Capossela is renowned for the highly original and poetic lyrics of his songs. Many of them draw from traditions of Italian folk music, especially those ...

, Anna Coogan,

17 Hippies 17 Hippies is a band from Berlin, Germany, playing largely on acoustic instruments, a radically democratic collective of professionals and amateurs. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native ...

, Il Pan Del Diavolo,

Eszter Balint Eszter Balint (born 7 July 1966) is a Hungarian-American singer, songwriter, violinist, and actress. Biography Eszter Balint was born in Budapest, Hungary, to Marianne Kollar and Stephan Balint. She was living with the avant-garde Squat Theatre ...

and many more. As well as being a producer, JD Foster is also a songwriter, musician, and recording artist.

From Florida to L.A.

He started his career in Central Florida, playing bass with numerous Orlando, Gainesville, and Saint Augustine musicians. Foster lived in Los Angeles throughout most of the 1980s playing with Dwight Yoakam,

Jim Lauderdale James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, an ...

Rosie Flores Rosie Flores (born September 10, 1950) is an American rockabilly and country music artist. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage. She currently resides in Au ...

Pete Anderson Pete Anderson is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter. Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002, a partnership th ...

and many other country artists. He started his major label recording career as bassist in L.A. with Dwight Yoakam in 1986. His work with Yoakam earned 3 platinum albums, saw tours all across America and Europe, as well as appearances on ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

'', ''Solid Gold'', ''

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, 1 ...

'', ''

The Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

'', and various music videos. During these years Foster also appeared "sidelining" in several TV shows and feature films. In this capacity he worked with artists including:

T. G. Sheppard William Neal Browder (born July 20, 1944) is an American country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as T. G. Sheppard. He had 14 number-one hits on the US country charts between 1974 and 1986, including eight consecutive number ones ...

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a Ton ...

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen singles in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' ...

Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 19 ...

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

, and Madonna in the fil
''Vision Quest''

Texas

Foster relocated to Austin Texas in 1988. There he joine
The True Believers
with

Alejandro Escovedo Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including punk ...

. He also worked with Escovedo &

Jon Dee Graham Jon Dee Graham is an American musician, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas, United States. Graham was named the Austin Musician of the Year during the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in 2006. He was inducted into the Austin Mu ...

in the Make Believers. Foster played with

in his Texas version of Slim Chance and appeared i
Rupert Williams'
documentary ''The Passing Show: The Life and Music of Ronnie Lane'' (2006) where he is interviewed about this association During his Austin tenure Foster also started a band with Danny Barnes an
Rich Brotherton
The Barnburners, releasing one recording. He and Brotherton also played regularly with songwrite
David Halley
Foster & Halley also performed together in different productions of
Bad Girls Upset By the Truth
' the musical play b

During this time he worked on recordings with

The Silos The Silos is an American rock band formed by Walter Salas-Humara and Bob Rupe in New York City, United States in 1985. History Prior to starting the Silos, Salas-Humara had been a member of The Vulgar Boatmen, and Bob Rupe was in Florida band ...

and tour dates with Lucinda Williams among many others.

New York

Foster moved to New York City in 1991 and began working with artists in the improvisational scene and has worked closely with

on many projects through the years. He toured the US, Europe, and Japan with Ribot's noise combo Shrek appearing at events such as th
Saalfelden Jazz Festival
Foster again toured Europe and Japan with

Green on Red Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen ps ...

in the early 1990s. They performed on European television, at major venues and rock festivals, including the London Fleadh,

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...

, and

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In ...

. In 2004–2005 Foster toured and recorded with Patty Griffin joining her on the "

Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

" tour alongside

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller ...

Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, count ...

, and

David Rawlings David Todd Rawlings (born December 31, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original So ...

. He also performed with Griffin on ''

'' and ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

''. Foster worked on Laura Cantrells 2005 release before he joined Calexico in the following year. 2006 he produced the Calexico album ''

Garden Ruin ''Garden Ruin'' is the fifth studio album by the rock band Calexico. It was released in 2006 on Quarterstick Records. The LP is the first Calexico album to feature no instrumental tracks, instead relying on a more direct, pop-style approach. F ...

''. On this album his choices for production were "very adventurous in details - using unusual percussion, or wanting to bring in instruments like banjo ukuleles, bass melodica, electric mandolin, and tenor guitar." He played bass on

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

's album '' Tooth of Crime'' (2008) as well as appearing in the Signature Theatre production of the play in the 1996 – 97 season at the

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unc ...

. Foster forme
The Slummers
in 2010, with

Dan Stuart Daniel Gordon Stuart (born March 5, 1961, Los Angeles) is an American musician and author best known as the lead singer of the rock band Green on Red (other members included Chuck Prophet, Chris Cacavas and Jack Waterson), his teaming with Steve W ...

, Antonio Gramentieri, and Diego Sapignoli. They released their debut album
Love of the Amateur
' and toured Europe a year later. In the autumn of 2013 Foster worked with the Ithaca based songwriter Anna Coogan, to record a co-written collection of songs for a new album. Foster produced Coogan's first solo album ''The Nocturnal Among Us'' in 2009. The duo performed dates in Germany, Netherlands, London, and NYC in 2014. They were joined by drumme
Brian Wilson
aka Willie B. (

Johnny Dowd Johnny Dowd (born March 29, 1948, in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American alternative country musician from Ithaca, New York. Typical of his style are experimental, noisy breaks in his songs and strong gothic (in the sense of dark and gloomy) el ...

) on several dates. In October 2014 Foster and Coogan released their album "Birth of the Stars" on Elevate Records. JD also often performs in the house band of the Radio Free Song Club with

David Mansfield David Mansfield (born September 13, 1956) is an American musician and composer. Mansfield was raised in Leonia, New Jersey. His father, Newton Mansfield was a first violinist in the New York Philharmonic. David played guitar, pedal steel guitar ...

& Dave Schramm

Other international collaborations

JD Foster joined the

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

to take part in the production of ''Phantom Songs''. (2011). In recent years Foster has been working extensively with Italian musicians and is strongly associated with the up-and-coming "Palermo Sound."*http://www.musicoff.com/articolo/lui-sono-io-storia-di-una-corsa Lui Sono Io – Storia Di Una Corsa A recent Italian record review states: "Tra l'altro Storia Di Una Corsa denota chiaramente un sound moderno ma non per questo in linea con quello prevedibile e gettonato dai progetti musicali più pacchiani e quotati del momento. Determinanti, in tal senso, sono stati i gusti, le scelte, di chi questo disco l'ha prodotto a livello artistico senza tralasciare alcunché: JD Foster, appunto. "

Awards

Foster won the ''Austin Chronicle Music Awards'' for Producer & Bassist of the year 1989–90

Quotes

Describing his role as a producer, Foster says: :"I try to speak the same language as the artist. When you're chasing down the overall vibe of a recording, you know, the arrangement, instrumentation, tempo, sound, feel...probably the biggest factor is communication. It's exciting to figure out with the artist and engineer the direct technical way to record the sounds they're hearing in their head. " (2003) The Australian Songwriter Simon Bonney said about Foster in an interview from 1993 : :"J.D. was my tour guide (...). J.D. has a country background, but not exclusively, and he can contribute many other ideas as well. If I'd shown these songs to a purely traditional country musician, that person wouldn't have got it." Joey Burns (Calexico): :"JD is wonderful. Great to work, hang, listen, talk, go out and be with. He has a lot of experience and at the same time loves the sense of discovery that music can be. He knows how to breathe and reassure people of just how much a gift this whole ball of wax is."

Partial discography

A Town South of Bakersfield ''A Town South of Bakersfield'' was a series of three compilation CDs showcasing New Country musicians in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first album came out in 1986 and featured acts such as Dwight Yoakam, the Lonesome Strangers, and Candye ...

" Various Artists 1986 *" Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc."

Reprise Records, 1986 *" Hillbilly Deluxe"

Reprise Records, 1987 *" Y Los Cubanos Postizos"

Atlantic Records,1998 *"

¡Muy Divertido! ''¡Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!)'' is a studio album recorded in New York City by American guitarist and composer Marc Ribot with Los Cubanos Postizos. It was released on April 25, 2000 on Atlantic Records. Reception AllMusic awarded the ...

Atlantic Records, 2000 *"

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

Atlantic Records, 2001 *"

Silent Movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

PI Records, 2010 *"

" Calexico Quarterstick, 2006 *"Da Solo"

WEA Records, 2008 *"Rebetiko Gymnastas"

, 2012 *"Birth of the Stars" Anna Coogan & JD Foster Elevate, 2014 *"

Impossible Dream ''Impossible Dream'' is the fourth studio album (fifth album overall) by the American folk musician Patty Griffin, released on April 20, 2004. The album features an unlisted song – Griffin’s mother and father singing “ The Impossible Drea ...

ATO, 2004 *"

Children Running Through ''Children Running Through'' is Patty Griffin's sixth commercially released album, and fifth studio album. The album debuted at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in mid-February, the highest chart position achieved by Griffin in her career. I ...

ATO, 2007 *" Devotion + Doubt" Richard Buckner MCA Records, 1997 *"Since" Richard Buckner MCA Records, 1998 *"The Hill" Richard Buckner

Six Shooter Records Six Shooter Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that uses an artist-centric business model, focusing on art before commerce combined with extensive touring. Six Shooter Records was founded in 2000 by Shauna d ...

, 2000 *"Meadow " Richard Buckner

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded ...

, 2006 *"

Humming by the Flowered Vine ''Humming by the Flowered Vine'' is the third album by Laura Cantrell, originally released in 2005. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. The song "Bees" is dedicated to the memory of John Peel, who was a gr ...

Laura Cantrell Laura Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. Biography Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs with ...

Matador, 2005 *" Post To Wire"

Richmond Fontaine Richmond Fontaine was an American four-piece rock and alternative country band, based in Portland, Oregon. They were active between 1994 and 2016 and recorded eleven studio albums, four live albums and two EPs. Underpinned by lead singer and so ...

,2004 *"The Fitzgerald"

, 2005
Thirteen Cities
"

, 2007
We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River

, 2009 *" Sono all'osso" Il Pan del Diavolo La Tempesta, 2010 *" Piombo, polvere e carbone" Il Pan del Diavolo La Tempesta 2012 *"Can O'Worms"

Monkey Hill Records, 1995 *"Marlowe's Revenge"

Fluff and Gravy Records, 2016
"Cast Iron Soul"
Danny & Dusty, 2007
Too Much Fun

Off Beat, 1992
Flicker
"

*
Mud

Airless Midnight

100 QuestionsThe Schramms

Love Of The Amateur
The Slummers Blue Rose Records, 2010
Rooms

Surprise

Syd Straw Syd Straw (born 1958) is an American rock singer and songwriter. The daughter of actor Jack Straw (''The Pajama Game''), she began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinct voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined ...

Virgin Records, 1989
Thunderbird

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed ...

producer of the track " Lost" *"Please Panic"

The Vulgar Boatmen The Vulgar Boatmen are an American rock band, formed in Gainesville, Florida, United States, in 1982 by a group of students at the University of Florida, including John Eder and Walter Salas-Humara, later of The Silos. In its original configura ...

1992 *"Opposite Sex"

1995 *"Live in Austin"

2000 *" Horseshoes and Hand Grenades"

Chris Mars Chris Mars (born April 26, 1961) is an American painter and musician. He was the drummer for the seminal Minneapolis based alternative-rock band The Replacements from 1979 to 1990, and later joined the informal supergroup Golden Smog before be ...

Smash Records, 1992 *" 75% Less Fat"

Smash Records, 1993 *"A Month of Somedays" David Halley 2016

References

External links

List of albums with contributions of JD Foster 1986-1998List of albums with contributions of JD Foster 1996-2014DiscographyFacebook artist page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, J. D. American male singer-songwriters American singer-songwriters American country bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 1953 births Living people 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians The Silos members