Glen Foster - BIO 2025
Glen Foster has a t-shirt that says 'a legend in my own mind'. "Well" he says, "you have to believe in yourself if you want others to believe in you. I've been around long enough to know that if you have a fragile ego it's easily shattered". Being in the music business for 'over 40 years' certainly qualifies as ‘long enough’, and he uses that in a line from a song on his latest album, 'I've been emerging for over 40 years, everything's so clear like the words I hear here in my head, I'm Seeing Red'. "If you're an 'emerging artist' and not all of your dreams are coming true, it's easy to be discouraged. It's no wonder people get angry (seeing red) or depressed" he says. Another line from a song expresses that, "in my deepest damned depressions in the darkest, dreary night, inspiration springs to lift me to new heights".
Foster has certainly been inspired over his lengthy career having recorded 10 albums, and toured the country several
times over the years. He's performed in legendary places like the Riverboat, el Mocambo, Orpheum, Massey Hall, and
has appeared on several TV and radio shows, working with various luminaries in the entertainment industry. "I met Elvis
once and he told me son, whatever you do don't be a name dropper! That's a line that I borrowed from one of the
Burnettes" he chuckles with tongue in cheek.
This all leads to his latest project entitled simply 'Compilation', a new album of old songs. "It's a collection of my favourite
songs that I've written and recorded over my career. Like someone's 'Best of' or greatest hits, these are my 'nearest
misses'" he jokes. "I've produced a collection of my favourite compositions on different formats. There's a 24 song digital
download version and a LP vinyl record with 10 tracks, representing the best of my best. It wasn't easy whittling it down
to 24 songs, but the nothing's ever easy, is it?"
There is also a 4 song version (not commercially available) on CD and digital format strictly for radio stations, podcasts,
online programs, television, music mags, and booking agents for live performances. Foster explains "those 4 are re
mastered tracks that have never been properly released and promoted. When I looked back through my catalogue of
literally hundreds of songs, these 4 stood out. I really think they are some of my best and most loved songs of them all,
and among the first songs I ever recorded".
Those tracks include I Do It For You, which was the B side of Fosters first 45 single released in 1978, and Los Alvarez
from his first album Walk Into The Mirror by his band Falcon, which was distributed by Quality Records around the same
time. "I was so fortunate to be able to work with Daniel Lanois in his studio (Grant Avenue) on my very first album. I
worked with some of the top names at the time including Lanois and his brother Bob, Bob Doidge from Tranquility Base,
Rita Chiarelli who has become an international Italian blues artist, and members of Ray Materick's band (who I was
gigging with at the time), plus Bill Dillon, Ed Roth, Sonny Del-Rio, Terry Bramhall and lots of others. I realized that these
were excellent productions that sounded fantastic by any standards and were very well constructed tunes".
Two more of those four songs are Love You Forever (from an EP by Foster and Eakins) produced by Scott Littlejohn at
Nanaimo's Intimate Sounds, and Meant For Me a super-charged, high energy number by a band called The Now in
1979 at the height of the new wave and punk rock era. "Those songs give me shivers when I hear them now, among the
most emotional of all my recordings! That's why I feel they're at the top of my list."
Love You Forever was co-written with Ray Materick, who penned the hit song Linda Put The Coffee On, in 1976. "We
were rehearsing one day and Ray started playing these three chords back and forth, improvising lyrics, and it was so
mesmerizing that I'll never forget it. Together we came up with a very simple two chord chorus, and then it was shelved
and forgotten. Years later when my son was born in 1982, I was inspired to write these beautiful, poetic lyrics and bring
the song back to life".
Life for Glen, of Glen Foster Group is a little more laid back these days. He still performs regularly, sometimes with a
band but more often as a singer-songwriter either solo or in a duo with his forever wife Maggy. Gone are the days of
national touring, airplanes, Cadillacs and equipment vans going from gig to gig. Locally there are festivals, small bars
and folk houses to play at today.
"I just thought the time was right to produce a Compilation album, after having released my tenth album last year. I'm
still always writing new music but between albums I wanted to release something digitally that I'm happy with, that
includes exciting new material which sounds terrific and fresh". He adds "I also keep busy making my own music videos
and promoting them on social media, plus I'm writing a novel for the first time."
Life may be laid back nowadays but Foster's still as passionate and enthusiastic as ever. Just take in one of his live
performances or grab a copy of Compilation and see for yourself.
Rescue Records staff writer.
