Ronnie Foster (born May 12, 1950) is an American

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including sa ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. His albums recorded for

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

in the 1970s have gained a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

after the emergence of

acid jazz Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul music, soul, and hip hop music, hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1 ...

Early life

Foster was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, on May 12, 1950. He attended Public School 8, Woodlawn Jr. High for a year,

McKinley Vocational High School McKinley Vocational High School is a public high school in Buffalo, New York. The school is located at 1500 Elmwood Avenue, and serves about 1200 students from Grade 9, Grades 9 - Twelfth grade, 12. History McKinley was formed in 1910 as Blac ...

for two years, and then spent his final year at Lafayette High School. The only formal musical instruction he received was a month of accordion lessons. He was attracted to music at the age of four, took it more seriously from his early teens, and had his first professional gig aged fifteen, playing in a strip club.

Later life and career

Foster initially performed with other local musicians. He moved to New York City with his own band, and acquired a publishing company. Foster has performed as a

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo o ...

with a wide range of musicians. He frequently worked with guitarist

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

, including playing on the guitarist's album ''

Breezin' ''Breezin is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums chart-topper but also went to number 1 on the Pop and R&B chart ...

''. Foster has also played organ with

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists." Biography Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...

Grover Washington, Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist and Grammy Award winner. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders and le ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

Earl Klugh Earl Klugh ( ; born September 16, 1953) is an American acoustic guitarist and composer. He has won one Grammy Award and received 13 nominations. Biography At the age of six, Klugh commenced training on the piano until he switched to the guitar ...

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. He was the original drummer for Herbie Hancock's band The Headhunters. Life and career Mason was born and grew ...

, Jimmy Smith, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. He is also a record producer. Ronnie Foster's song "Mystic Brew" was sampled in

Electric Relaxation "Electric Relaxation" is a song by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in February 1994 by Jive Records as the second single from their third album, '' Midnight Marauders'' (1993). It contains a sample of the song " Mystic Bre ...

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

as well as later in

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born in a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his d ...

's song

Forbidden Fruit In Abrahamic religions, forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden that God commands mankind Taboo#In religion and mythology, not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the know ...

. Later in 2016, J. Cole confirmed that the song "Mystic Brew" was reversed, pitched, and slowed down in the song Neighbors as well as the instrumental of Forbidden Fruit.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With

* ''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic r ...

'' (CTI, 1976) – rec. 1975 * '' In Concert-Carnegie Hall'' (CTI, 1976) – live rec. 1975 * ''

'' (Warner Bros., 1976) * ''

In Flight In baseball, the rules state that a batted ball is considered in flight when it has not yet touched any object other than a fielder or his equipment. Such a ball can be caught by a fielder to put the batter out. Once a batted ball touches the gr ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * ''

Weekend in L.A. ''Weekend in L.A.'' is a 1978 live album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. The album was recorded live at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Track listing #"Weekend in L.A." (George Bens ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1978) – live rec. 1977 * ''

Livin' Inside Your Love ''Livin' Inside Your Love'' is the seventeenth album by jazz guitarist George Benson, released in 1979. In the United States, it was certified Gold by the RIAA. Critical reception The ''Omaha World-Herald'' opined that the music "is not as deep ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1979) With

Chayanne Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known under the stage name Chayanne, (born June 28, 1968) is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 albums and sold over 15 million records worldwide, making him one of ...

* ''

'' (CBS, 1987) * ''

'' (CBS, 1988) With

* '' Alive!'' (Blue Note, 1970) – live * '' Live at Club Mozambique'' (Blue Note, 2006) – rec. 1971 With others *

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

, '' Street Dreams'' (Columbia, 1986) *

The Jacksons The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

, ''

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

'' (Epic, 1980) *

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

, '' Storyville'' (Geffen, 1991) *

, '' Wonderland'' (Blue Note, 1987) – rec. 1986 *

, ''

Songs in the Key of Life ''Songs in the Key of Life'' is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. It was recorded primarily at ...

'' (Tamla, 1976) *

Grover Washington Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist and Grammy Award winner. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders and le ...

, '' Time Out of Mind'' (Columbia, 1989)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Ronnie 1950 births Living people Soul-jazz musicians American jazz organists American male organists Record producers from New York (state) Musicians from Buffalo, New York Blue Note Records artists Columbia Records artists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American organists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 21st-century American keyboardists Lafayette High School (Buffalo, New York) alumni 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians